Association between gut microbiota and anxiety symptoms: A large population-based study examining sex differences.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the association between anxiety symptoms and gut microbial composition and to infer their functional pathways. METHODS: In total, 605 participants were included in this study. Participants were categorized into anxious and non-anxious groups according to their Beck Anxiety Inventory scores, and their fecal microbiota was profiled using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. The microbial diversity and taxonomic profiles of the participants with anxiety symptoms were analyzed using generalized linear models. The function of the gut microbiota was inferred by comparing 16S rRNA data between the anxious and non-anxious groups. RESULTS: The gut microbiome of the anxious group showed lower alpha diversity than that of the non-anxious group, and there were prominent differences in the community structure of the gut microbiota between the two groups. Male participants with anxiety had lower relative abundances of the family Oscillospiraceae, fibrolytic bacteria including those of the family Monoglobaceae, and short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria such as those of the genus Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136 than those without anxiety symptoms. Female participants with anxiety symptoms had a lower relative abundance of the genus Prevotella than those without anxiety symptoms. LIMITATION: The direction of causality between anxiety symptoms and the gut microbiota was unclear owing to the cross-sectional design of the study. CONCLUSION: Our results elucidate the association between anxiety symptoms and gut microbiota and provide insights for developing interventions to treat anxiety symptoms.

Insomnia, Anxiety, and Depression in Patients First Diagnosed With Female Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated whether insomnia, anxiety, and depression differ by type of gynecological or breast cancer. METHODS: From September 7, 2011, to July 14, 2015, this study included 232 patients who were diagnosed with gynecological or breast cancer for the first time. The severity of insomnia, anxiety, and depression was measured with the National Cancer Center Psychological Symptom inventory (NCC-PSI), a self-reported scale, at the first outpatient visit after surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify which diagnosis was associated with significant symptom levels. RESULTS: Patients with ovarian cancer and breast cancer reported more severe insomnia and problems with daily life compared with cervical cancer patients. Anxiety symptoms were more distressing among breast cancer patients than cervical cancer patients, and the degree of interference in daily life was severe. Finally, compared to those with cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer patients reported more severe depression, and their daily life was disrupted more often than reported by cervical cancer patients. CONCLUSION: Many female cancer patients are suffering distress but are not looking for specialized care. Psychiatric approach in the early stages of cancer diagnosis is needed and will require overcoming the stigmas of mental illness and cancer.