Health · Fitness & Nutrition · 7 hrs ago
Gut microbes may influence stress, hormones and sex drive
The story explains how microbes in the gut may affect a person’s sex drive.
The gut microbiome is the community of microbes living in the body, and it can help defend against harmful microbes.
Stress can reduce libido, and an imbalanced microbiome may add to the body’s stress response.
Gut microbes can also affect sex hormones by changing how hormones are processed and removed from the body.
Some microbes may influence mood and anxiety through the gut-brain connection, while inflammation may affect blood flow and brain circuits involved in sexual arousal.
Depression can also reduce interest in sex and enjoyment.
The discussion draws on research by John Cryan, Ted Dinan and others, but it does not describe a specific treatment or next step.
Gut microbes may affect stress, sex hormones and libido, according to a Psychology Today article.
The article says an imbalanced microbiome can create stress and disrupt hormonal balance.
It describes how gut microbes may affect the brain through toxins, inflammation and neurotransmitters.
Researchers John Cryan and Ted Dinan are cited for work on microbes and the gut-brain axis.
- Who
- Gut microbes and the people whose stress, hormones and sex drive they may affect.
- What
- The article describes ways the microbiome may influence stress, sex hormones and libido.
- When
- The article was published on 2026-10-12.
- Where
- In the gut and through the gut-brain axis.
- Why
- The article says microbes may affect hormone levels, mood and bodily stress responses.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
This story does not have a timeline yet.
- Publication date
- 2026-10-12
- Researchers cited
- John Cryan and Ted Dinan
- Hormones named
- Testosterone and estrogen
- Neurotransmitters named
- Serotonin and dopamine
- Microbiome imbalance
- Dysbiosis
What people are saying
Science is like sex: sometimes something useful comes out, but that is not the reason we are doing it.
Sources
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