From fork to feelings: How foods shape mental health via the microbiota-gut-brain axis

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dc.contributor.authorFerri, Aimone
dc.contributor.authorTrindade Paes, Laise
dc.contributor.authorSchneider, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.authorClarke, Gerard
dc.contributor.authorCryan, John F.
dc.contributor.funderHeel
dc.contributor.funderKerry Foods
dc.date.accessioned2026-05-27T16:00:01Z
dc.date.available2026-05-27T16:00:01Z
dc.date.issued2026-02-02
dc.description©2026, the author(s). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
dc.description.abstractThe microbiota-gut-brain axis, defined as the bidirectional communication linking the gut microbiota with the brain, operates through neural, metabolic, immune, and endocrine signals. It plays an important role in mental health, regulating stress response, mood, and cognitive function, and is altered in psychiatric conditions. Although the gut microbiota remains stable during healthy adulthood, it is modifiable by lifestyle, medication, and diet, making it a tractable target for mental health interventions. Diet is emerging as a viable option to improve mental health through gut microbiota modulation. Energy-dense, high-fat, and high-sugar diets have been linked to poor mental health, whereas Mediterranean, fiber-rich, and fermented-food diets show benefits, possibly through provision of specific nutrients and beneficial microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids. However, more human research addressing variability and confounding is needed to unlock these mechanisms and support personalized/precision nutrition. This review discusses current evidence and proposes multidisciplinary, rigorous diet-microbiota-mental health research.en
dc.description.sponsorshipA.F. and L.T.P. are not aware of any affiliations, memberships, funding, or financial holdings that might be perceived as affecting the objectivity of this review. E.S. has received an honorarium from Janssen Sciences Ireland UC. E.S. also received an honorarium from MyNutriWeb for an event that was sponsored by Yakult. G.C. has received honoraria from Janssen, Probi, Apsen, and Ingelheim Boehringer as an invited speaker; is in receipt of research funding from Pharmavite, Fonterra, Reckitt, Nestle, and Tate and Lyle; and has been paid for consultancy work by Yakult, Zentiva, Bayer Healthcare, and Heel Pharmaceuticals. J.F.C. has been an invited speaker at conferences organized by Bromotech, Yakult, Nutricia, and Nestle and has received research funding from Kerry Foods, DuPont/IFF, and Nestle. acknowledgments
dc.format.extent27
dc.format.extent3621023
dc.identifier.authororcidFerri, Aimone
dc.identifier.authororcidTrindade Paes, Laise§0000-0002-3077-1864
dc.identifier.authororcidSchneider, Elizabeth§0000-0002-1711-0877
dc.identifier.authororcidClarke, Gerard§0000-0001-9771-3979
dc.identifier.authororcidCryan, John F.§0000-0001-5887-2723
dc.identifier.citationFerri, A, Trindade Paes, L, Schneider, E, Clarke, G & Cryan, J F 2026, 'From fork to feelings: How foods shape mental health via the microbiota-gut-brain axis', Annual Review of Food Science and Technology, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 181-207. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-food-053124-110137
dc.identifier.doi10.1146/annurev-food-053124-110137
dc.identifier.endpage207
dc.identifier.issn1941-1421
dc.identifier.issued1
dc.identifier.journaltitleAnnual Review of Food Science and Technology
dc.identifier.otherRIS: urn:D087CA8E435D77671A08BC99F27ACEC6
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0001-5887-2723/work/215974931
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-1711-0877/work/215974994
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-3077-1864/work/215975118
dc.identifier.startpage181
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/18918
dc.identifier.urlhttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105037489210
dc.identifier.urlhttps://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105037489210?origin=resultslist
dc.identifier.volume17
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightscc_by
dc.subjectBrain
dc.subjectDiet
dc.subjectFermented food
dc.subjectGastrointestinal Microbiome
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectMental health
dc.subjectMicrobiota–gut–brain axis
dc.subjectNutritional psychiatry
dc.subjectPsychobiotic
dc.subject[APCMicrobiome]
dc.subject[AppliedPsychology]
dc.subject[Medicine]
dc.titleFrom fork to feelings: How foods shape mental health via the microbiota-gut-brain axisen
dc.typeArticle (Peer reviewed)
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