How does leaky gut cause anxiety and depression?

Question

I have SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) and it’s a well known thing that having that overgrowth can cause depression and anxiety. But how?

In: Biology

Answer 1

The bad bacteria can send harmful messages and your brain can then send harmful messages back along paths that go between them. That’s extremely simplistic, but you wanted a simple explanation. If you’d like a more advanced understanding I’d recommend looking up journal articles on Google scholar. It isn’t pseudoscience and I suspect those saying it is haven’t researched it. Probiotics help.