How stress affects the balance of bacteria in the gut and immune response
Stress can change the balance of bacteria that naturally live in the gut. These bacteria affect immune function, and may help explain why stress dysregulates the immune response. Exposure to stress leads to changes in composition, diversity and number of gut microorganisms. The bacterial communities in the intestine can become less diverse, and an increase in potentially harmful bacteria, such as Clostridium can be orchestrated. These changes can have drastic affect for the physiological function. This suggests that not only does stress change the bacteria levels in the gut, but that these alterations can have a serious impact on our …

