Swiss Archives of Neurology, Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

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Swiss Arch. Neurol. Psychiatry Psychother., Volume 176, Issue 2 (September 2026) – 2 articles

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13 pages, 225 KB

Open AccessArticle

Association Between Dietary Patterns and Mental Health Outcomes Among People with Disabilities in Korea: A Panel Study

by Yu Na Kim, Gyeong Min Lee, Hyeon Ji Lee, Hyun Jun Lee and Jae-Hyun Kim

Swiss Arch. Neurol. Psychiatry Psychother. 2026, 176(2), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/sanpp176020007 - 10 Jul 2026

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between dietary habits and mental health among people with disability (PWD) using the Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled (PSED). Significant differences according to gender and age were identified. Methods: This study used secondary data (the second wave of the PSED) collected from 2016 to 2018 (n = 4345). Dietary habits (i.e., skipping meals and regular meal timing) were analyzed as independent variables, and mental health indicators (depression and stress) were treated as dependent variables. Results: Compared with participants who rarely skipped meals, those who skipped meals occasionally and frequently had significantly higher odds of depression (OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.23–1.68, p < 0.001; OR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.70–3.10, p < 0.001, respectively). Occasional meal skipping was also associated with higher odds of stress (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.01–1.26, p = 0.038), but frequent meal skipping was not significantly associated with stress (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 0.97–1.65, p = 0.080). Irregular meal timing was consistently associated with both depressive symptoms (sometimes irregular: OR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.09–1.49, p = 0.003; irregular: OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.37–2.41, p < 0.001) and perceived stress (sometimes irregular: OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.21–1.51, p < 0.001; irregular: OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.11–1.80, p = 0.005). Gender-stratified analyses showed outcome-specific patterns: frequent meal skipping was strongly associated with depressive symptoms among women (OR = 3.11, 95% CI 1.94–4.98) and was also significant among men (OR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.28–2.80), whereas occasional meal skipping was significantly associated with perceived stress among men (OR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.01–1.33) but not among women. Conclusions: Meal skipping and irregular meal timing were associated with poorer mental health outcomes among people with disabilities. In particular, meal skipping was consistently associated with higher odds of self-reported depressive symptoms, whereas meal regularity was associated with both depressive symptoms and perceived stress. These findings suggest that disability-sensitive nutritional support and integrated mental health interventions may help promote psychological wellbeing among people with disabilities. Full article

41 pages, 1027 KB

Open AccessSystematic Review

The Gut–Brain Axis in Depression: A Systematic Review of Microbiota and Mental Health

by Lorenzo Campedelli, Andrea Cicoli, Mara Lastretti, Sabina Spagna, Paolo Tordiglione, Tiziano Scarparo, Ylenia Bastianelli, Ettore D’Aleo, Andrea Velardi and Alberto Costa

Swiss Arch. Neurol. Psychiatry Psychother. 2026, 176(2), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/sanpp176020006 - 3 Jul 2026

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Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects approximately 280 million people worldwide, yet conventional pharmacotherapy achieves remission in only 30–50% of patients, intensifying the search for novel biological substrates. This systematic review, conducted according to PRISMA 2020 guidelines across six electronic databases (2014–March 2025), synthesised 89 studies examining gut microbiota composition in adults with MDD compared to healthy controls. MDD was consistently associated with reduced alpha diversity and a recurrent dysbiotic pattern, herein proposed as a depressive dysbiosis signature, characterised by depletion of butyrate-producing genera (Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, Eubacterium, Coprococcus) and enrichment of pro-inflammatory taxa (Alistipes, Eggerthella, Streptococcus). While this pattern was observed across multiple cohorts, significant inter-study heterogeneity precludes its definition as a universal microbial signature for MDD. Beta diversity analyses demonstrated robust compositional separation between cohorts. Plausible mechanistic pathways included compromised short-chain fatty acid production, increased intestinal permeability, low-grade systemic inflammation, tryptophan shunting toward the kynurenine pathway, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation. Preclinical faecal microbiota transplantation provided translational evidence consistent with a causal interpretation, while randomised probiotic trials demonstrated significant reductions in depressive symptom severity compared with placebo. Probiotic effects are strain-specific according to ISAPP consensus; generalisation across strains is not warranted. Gut microbiota dysbiosis represents a biologically plausible mediator of depression pathophysiology, with a recurrent dysbiotic pattern, characterised by depletion of butyrate-producing taxa and enrichment of pro-inflammatory genera, showing emerging diagnostic and therapeutic potential. Full article

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Swiss Arch. Neurol. Psychiatry Psychother., Volume 176, Issue 2 (September 2026) – 2 articles

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