Peer-reviewed article
Profile of Intestinal Microbiota and Anxiety Level in Overweight Children and Adolescents
Bandeira Farias M, Carvalho B, Neto A ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined the relationship between intestinal microbiota composition, anxiety, and obesity in 30 overweight or obese children and adolescents aged 7-17 years. Researchers compared the gut bacteria profiles of overweight youth with and without signs of anxiety using screening questionnaires and microbiota analysis. Children with anxiety symptoms showed greater insulin resistance and different gut bacteria diversity compared to those without anxiety, suggesting a possible link between gut microbiota imbalance and anxiety in overweight children.
Key points
- Children with excess weight and anxiety signs had higher insulin resistance (HOMA IR: 5.05 ± 2.08) compared to those without anxiety (3.47 ± 1.6)
- Statistically significant differences were found in intestinal microbiota diversity (beta diversity) between anxious and non-anxious overweight groups using CHAO (p=0.025) and Jackknife (p=0.01) methods
- The study included 30 overweight/obese participants aged 7-17 years, divided into groups with (n=14) and without (n=16) anxiety signs
- Participants with recent antibiotic use or uncontrolled chronic/endocrine diseases were excluded from the study
- The authors propose that intestinal microbiota imbalance may be involved in anxiety and depression in children with excess weight
Limitations
This is a small cross-sectional observational study with convenience sampling, so it cannot establish causality or determine whether microbiota differences cause anxiety or result from it. The study describes associations but does not evaluate an intervention, so its ability to inform prevention or treatment strategies is limited.
Abstract
Abstract Justification: Obesity is considered a worldwide epidemic, with a significant increase in its prevalence in the last 30 years in both children and adolescents. Anxiety disorders can be considered both a cause and a consequence of obesity. The intestinal microbiota has been identified as a participant in the inflammatory process of both obesity and depression / anxiety disorders. Objective: Describe and compare the intestinal microbiota profile of overweight/obese children/teenagers with and without signs of anxiety. METHODOLOGICAL PROCEDURES: descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study with an analytical character (comparison of groups), carried out during the months of January to October of the year 2019. 30 overweight/obesity children/teenagers (BMI greater than P85 – WHO 2007), between seven and 17 years old, convenience sampling. None of the participants had taken antibiotics during the past eight weeks of participation on the study or had chronic or endocrine disease that was not being adequately treated. The participants were divided into two groups: the first group consists of children/adolescents with excess weight without signs of anxiety (n 16) and the second group consists of children/adolescents with excess weight with signs of anxiety (n 14), assessed by a Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) screening questionnaire. Results: The group with signs of anxiety showing higher HOMA IR compared to the group without signs of anxiety with values of 5.05 ± 2.08 and 3.47 ± 1.6 (p = 0.041), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference for beta diversity of the intestinal microbiota profile using the CHAO method (p = 0.025) and the Jackknife method (p = 0.01) between the groups with signs of anxiety and without signs of anxiety. Conclusion: difference was found between the intestinal microbiota diversity of obese children / adolescents with signs of anxiety in relation to the intestinal microbiota diversity of obese children / adolescents without signs of anxiety. This finding suggests a possible involvement of the imbalance of the intestinal microbiota with anxiety disorders and depression in children/adolescents with weight excess.