Gap 26 — gitgap

Gap Declaration

Acute stress triggers the release of stress hormones such as cortisol, increasing stress reactivity and aiding post-stress recovery. Rodent studies revealed that stress reactivity is modulated by the gut microbiota, and few interventional studies have provided evidence for an effect on human cortisol dynamics. However, it remains unclear whether stress reactivity is related to interindividual variations in gut microbial composition and to one's capacity to produce microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). To close this gap, we analyzed data from 74 healthy human adults who completed the study in the laboratory and were either exposed to a well-established, standardized intervention that induced acute stress or to a non-stressful control condition (n = 35/39 per stress/control group). Stool samples were obtained at baseline, and the gut microbiota were characterized through 16 S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.

Gateway remains unclear

Type methodology

Section abstract

Phase 1

Confidence 1.0

Abstract

Acute stress triggers the release of stress hormones such as cortisol, increasing stress reactivity and aiding post-stress recovery. Rodent studies revealed that stress reactivity is modulated by the gut microbiota, and few interventional studies have provided evidence for an effect on human cortisol dynamics. However, it remains unclear whether stress reactivity is related to interindividual variations in gut microbial composition and to one's capacity to produce microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). To close this gap, we analyzed data from 74 healthy human adults who completed the study in the laboratory and were either exposed to a well-established, standardized intervention that induced acute stress or to a non-stressful control condition (n = 35/39 per stress/…

Conclusions / Discussion

Discussion In the present study, we investigated whether individual differences in gut microbiota composition and in the inferred gut microbial capacity to produce certain SCFAs were linked to (cortisol and subjective) stress reactivity and post-stress recovery following acute stress in healthy adults. Several key findings emerged: First, higher gut microbial alpha diversity was associated with higher cortisol stress reactivity and higher levels of subjective stress across individuals. This effect was contrary to what we had expected but was consistently observed for several well-established alpha diversity metrics, highlighting a modulatory role of the gut microbiota on the physiological and psychological dimensions of stress. Surprisingly, we were unable to confirm a relationship between gut microbial alpha diversity and post-stress recovery. Second, individuals with a higher relative abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria tended to show higher cortisol stress reactivity in response to acute stress. This relationship was reversed for propionate, where a higher relative abundance of propionate-producing bacteria was tied to lower cortisol stress reactivity. Together, these resul…