The Role Our Microbiome Plays In Our ‘Gut Feelings’

我们微生物群在我们“直觉”中的作用

Science Quickly

2025-09-17

13 分钟
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Scientists are tuning in to a surprising conversation happening inside us—between our gut and our brain. Host Rachel Feltman chats with Maya Kaelberer, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona’s department of physiology, to explore how intestinal cells and microbiomes might be shaping our moods, cravings and mental health in ways we’re only beginning to understand. Recommended Reading “A Gut Sense for a Microbial Pattern Regulates Feeding,” by Winston W. Liu et al., in Nature. Published online July 23, 2025 Website for the Gut Brain Laboratory at the University of Arizona The gut-brain community website Gastronauts E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. This episode was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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  • Understanding the human body is a team effort.

  • That's where the Yakult group comes in.

  • Researchers at Yakult have been delving into the secrets of probiotics for 90 years.

  • Yakult also partners with Nature Portfolio to advance gut microbiome science through the Global Grants for Gut Health,

  • an investigator-led research program.

  • To learn more about Yakult, visit yakult.co.jp.

  • That's Y-A-K-U-L-T dot C-O dot J-P.

  • When it comes to a guide for For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Feldman.

  • People often talk about having gut feelings,

  • but new research suggests that there may be more to this idiom than we thought.

  • Scientists are finding that specialized cells in our intestines can send signals directly to the brain,

  • potentially influencing appetite and even mood.

  • Recent studies hint that our microbiomes could play a role in this communication system,

  • though researchers are still trying to understand exactly how these interactions work and what they mean for our health.

  • Here to walk us through the emerging science of the Belly to Brain Connection is Maya Kelber,

  • an assistant professor at the University of Arizona in the Department of Physiology.

  • Thanks so much for coming on to chat with us today.

  • It's my pleasure.

  • I'm happy to be here.

  • So you recently co-authored a study that looks at the gut-brain connection a little bit.