ReviewFrontiers in microbiology2018
Effects of Psychological, Environmental and Physical Stressors on the Gut Microbiota.
Review in Frontiers in microbiology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 281 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
281 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 515 citations in OpenAlex.
- From gut to brain: unveiling probiotic effects through a neuroimaging perspective-A systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Pooled it
- Examining the Influence of the Human Gut Microbiota on Cognition and Stress: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Nutrients · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of probiotic supplementation on perceived stress and bowel function in healthy young adults: evidence from a randomized controlled trial in Makkah.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Trial
- Trial
- Protective Effects of Probiotics on Runners' Mood: Immunometabolic Mechanisms Post-Exercise.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- Tapping your inner psychotherapist: The effects of a growth writing for military cadets on mental health.Military psychology : the official journal of the Division of Military Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2024Trial
- Article
- Oral Actinomyces Species Exposure is Associated with Anxiety-Like Behavior, Mitochondrial Remodeling, and Altered GABAergic Pathways.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Sex and stress paradigm influence behavioural, neuroimmune, and microbiome responses in pubertal CD-1 mice.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Article
- Isolation and characterization of Lactococcus lactis from Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792) as a potential probiotic for sustainable Aquaculture.Brazilian journal of microbiology : [publication of the Brazilian Society for Microbiology] · 2026Article
- Effects of acute severe hypobaric hypoxia on gut-muscle axis in rats.Journal of physiology and biochemistry · 2026Article
- A family of RRM-1 RNA binding proteins enables cold adaptation and environmental resilience inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Lifestyle factors impact sperm microbiota and are associated with biological and clinical issues in infertile patients undergoing assisted reproductive technologies, a proof-of-concept study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- A Probiotic Mixture Neuralli™-CORE Attenuates DSS-Induced Colitis by Enhancing Gut Microbiota Resilience in Mice.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Associations Between Blast Exposures and Intestinal Permeability and Neurotrauma Symptoms During Mortar Fire Military Tactical Training Operations.Military medicine · 2026Article
- Emerging Roles of Postbiotics in Gut-Brain-Microbiome Axis Modulation and Neurobiological Pathways of Chronic Stress-Related Brain Dysfunction.Journal of microbiology and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Translating microbial dysbiosis into brain health interventions: a focus on the oral-gut-reproductive inflammatory pathways.Archives of microbiology · 2026Review
- High stocking density triggers stress-induced physiological changes and alters nasal and fecal microbiota in finishing pigs.Porcine health management · 2026Article
- Gut-Brain Signaling in Parkinson's Disease: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Comparative impacts of normobaric vs. hypobaric hypoxia on tissue integrity and gut microbiota in acute high-altitude murine models.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
221 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Stress, a ubiquitous part of daily human life, has varied biological effects which are increasingly recognized as including modulation of commensal microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract, the gut microbiota. In turn, the gut microbiota influences the host stress response and associated sequelae, thereby implicating the gut microbiota as an important mediator of host health. This narrative review aims to summarize evidence concerning the impact of psychological, environmental, and physical stressors on gut microbiota composition and function. The stressors reviewed include psychological stress, circadian disruption, sleep deprivation, environmental extremes (high altitude, heat, and cold), environmental pathogens, toxicants, pollutants, and noise, physical activity, and diet (nutrient composition and food restriction). Stressors were selected for their direct relevance to military personnel, a population that is commonly exposed to these stressors, often at extremes, and in combination. However, the selected stressors are also common, alone or in combination, in some civilian populations. Evidence from preclinical studies collectively indicates that the reviewed stressors alter the composition, function and metabolic activity of the gut microbiota, but that effects vary across stressors, and can include effects that may be beneficial or detrimental to host health. Translation of these findings to humans is largely lacking at present. This gap precludes concluding with certainty that transient or cumulative exposures to psychological, environmental, and physical stressors have any consistent, meaningful impact on the human gut microbiota. However, provocative preclinical evidence highlights a need for translational research aiming to elucidate the impact of stressors on the human gut microbiota, and how the gut microbiota can be manipulated, for example by using nutrition, to mitigate adverse stress responses.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.