Key Takeaways

A child’s gut health might determine their risk of mood disorders

Children with certain gut bacteria had a higher risk of anxiety or depression

The bacteria were linked to changes in connectivity among emotion-related brain networks

FRIDAY, Oct. 31, 2025 (HealthDay News) — A child’s future risk of depression and anxiety might be tied to their gut health.

Young children whose gut microbiomes contained certain bacteria were more likely to develop a mood disorder as tweens, researchers reported Oct. 30 in the journal Nature Communications .

Researchers discovered that the kids’ gut bacteria were tied to differences in connectivity between emotion-related brain networks – and that those differences, in turn, were linked to anxiety and depression later in childhood.

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