Stress Busting Secret: How Resilience Boosts Your Gut Health

Research has shown that people with strong resilience to stress have healthier gut microbiomes.

The study’s results, which found that people with strong resilience to stress have healthier gut microbiomes, were published in Nature Mental Health. Resilience is the ability to accept change, endure, recover from difficult situations, and respond effectively to stress.

The research team at UCLA’s Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center conducted a study with 116 participants to assess their resilience and ability to recover from adversity. Shortly after completing a survey, each participant underwent a stool test and received fMRI brain scans to monitor activity in various brain regions.

This study aimed to explore the positive connections between the gut and the brain, marking a shift from prior research that primarily focused on the negative impacts of an unhealthy gut on brain health. Researchers used the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CDRisc), which includes 25 questions to measure resilience. Participants rated each question on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 4 (almost always), providing a comprehensive measure of their resilience.

The resilience factors evaluated by the CDRisc include personal competence, tenacity, high standards, faith in one’s instincts, tolerance of negative stress, acceptance of change, forming healthy relationships, control, and spiritual influence. The average CDRisc score for residents in the U.S. is 80.7.

The research team reported that participants with strong resilience showed fewer inflammatory bacteria in their stool and had more robust gut barriers. They mentioned inflammation and enteric nerve activity concerning the impact of gut microbiome health on mental health and brain function.

Chronic inflammation weakens the strength of the gut barrier and reduces the efficiency of nutrient transport, which is associated with different mental disorders. The enteric nerves directly connect the brain and gut, allowing dietary fibers digested in the gut to be delivered to the brain as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). SCFAs help maintain a healthy gut and positively affect brain function and mood regulation.