{"id":40518,"date":"2025-05-07T09:36:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T09:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/?post_type=research-databases&p=40518"},"modified":"2025-05-08T06:57:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T06:57:30","slug":"gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction","status":"publish","type":"research-databases","link":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gut-Brain Link That Fuels Addictive Behaviors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Woman<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Addiction doesn\u2019t arise in isolation. For many individuals, it follows years of emotional adversity, trauma, nutrient depletion, and gut dysfunction. People experiencing addiction often eat poorly or erratically, lack access to high-quality food, or struggle to digest nutrients efficiently. This triggers a cascade of bidirectional physiological effects\u2014altered neurotransmitter signaling, inflammation, oxidative stress, and microbiome imbalance\u2014that keep the addictive cycle in motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dopamine deficiency is a core feature of all forms of addiction. This chemical imbalance alters how the brain perceives reward, making individuals more vulnerable to compulsive behaviors, substance dependence, and relapse. Serotonin also affects addictive behaviors. Ninety-five percent of the body\u2019s serotonin is produced in the gut, not the brain. When the gut lining becomes inflamed or permeable, serotonin signaling falters. This disruption is linked to anxiety, depression, PTSD, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors\u2014all of which frequently co-occur with addiction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research below affirms what our clinical experience demonstrates: addiction involves more than psychology or willpower\u2014it has deep biological roots, especially in the gut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s break down some of the latest findings that will be useful for your clinical success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first study <\/strong>examines food addiction through the gut-brain-microbiome axis. Disruptions in this network affect both how the brain processes rewards and how the gut functions, setting the stage for addictive tendencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second study<\/strong> uses genetic data to explore alcohol use disorder. Researchers found that people with higher levels of specific gut microbes\u2014Eubacterium ventriosum<\/em> and Porphyromonadaceae<\/em>\u2014appeared more resilient to alcohol abuse. These microbes influence neurotransmitter-related amino acids, which may help regulate cravings and behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third study<\/strong> also looks at food addiction, showing that individuals with this condition tend to have lower levels of Blautia wexlerae<\/em>. When researchers reintroduced this microbe in mice\u2014along with prebiotics that support its growth\u2014the animals showed fewer compulsive eating behaviors. These findings suggest that gut-based interventions can help shift patterns of addictive eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth study<\/strong> explores how opioid use disorder and gut health influence each other. As opioid use continues to rise worldwide, researchers are uncovering how these drugs affect the brain as well as the gut microbiome. This review highlights a two-way relationship: opioids disrupt the balance of gut microbes, damage the gut lining, and alter microbial function, while changes in the microbiome may, in turn, influence how the brain processes pain, reward, and addiction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fifth study<\/strong> offers a broad review of how stress, addiction, and the microbiome are interconnected. It shows that gut health influences our ability to cope with stress and social challenges\u2014both major risk factors for substance use disorders. The microbiome emerges here as a key player in emotional resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sixth and final study<\/strong> used mathematical modeling to understand how changes in the gut microbiome can impact addiction. The researchers found that when the microbiome is disrupted, it can shift toward a state that reinforces addictive behaviors. This creates a feedback loop that makes it harder for the body and brain to return to balance. Interestingly, the study also found that people with greater microbial diversity in their gut tend to be more resilient. In contrast, low diversity may make the system more vulnerable to dysbiosis and relapse. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Addiction doesn\u2019t arise in isolation. For many individuals, it follows years of emotional adversity, trauma, nutrient depletion, and gut dysfunction. People experiencing addiction often eat poorly or erratically, lack access to high-quality food, or struggle to digest nutrients efficiently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":40516,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"research-categories":[1580,1652,1529],"class_list":{"0":"post-40518","1":"research-databases","2":"type-research-databases","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"research-categories-diet","7":"research-categories-gut-health","8":"research-categories-mental-health","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Gut-Brain Link That Fuels Addictive Behaviors | Dr. Leslie Korn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Addiction doesn\u2019t arise in isolation. For many individuals, it follows years of emotional adversity, trauma, nutrient depletion, and gut dysfunction. People experiencing addiction often eat poorly or erratically, lack access to high-quality food, or struggle to digest nutrients efficiently.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Gut-Brain Link That Fuels Addictive Behaviors | Dr. Leslie Korn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Addiction doesn\u2019t arise in isolation. For many individuals, it follows years of emotional adversity, trauma, nutrient depletion, and gut dysfunction. People experiencing addiction often eat poorly or erratically, lack access to high-quality food, or struggle to digest nutrients efficiently.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dr. Leslie Korn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlesliekorn1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-08T06:57:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Woman-asleep-on-a-couch-holding-a-glass-of-red-wine-suggesting-the-physical-and-emotional-toll-of-addiction.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/research\\\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/research\\\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Gut-Brain Link That Fuels Addictive Behaviors | Dr. Leslie Korn\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/research\\\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/research\\\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Woman-asleep-on-a-couch-holding-a-glass-of-red-wine-suggesting-the-physical-and-emotional-toll-of-addiction.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-07T09:36:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-08T06:57:30+00:00\",\"description\":\"Addiction doesn\u2019t arise in isolation. For many individuals, it follows years of emotional adversity, trauma, nutrient depletion, and gut dysfunction. People experiencing addiction often eat poorly or erratically, lack access to high-quality food, or struggle to digest nutrients efficiently.\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/research\\\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/research\\\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Woman-asleep-on-a-couch-holding-a-glass-of-red-wine-suggesting-the-physical-and-emotional-toll-of-addiction.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/05\\\/Woman-asleep-on-a-couch-holding-a-glass-of-red-wine-suggesting-the-physical-and-emotional-toll-of-addiction.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":667,\"caption\":\"Woman asleep on a couch holding a glass of red wine, suggesting the physical and emotional toll of addiction.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Dr. Leslie Korn\",\"description\":\"Integrative Medicine with Heart\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5ccfb74a0c80a3e8905c14756907556d\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5ccfb74a0c80a3e8905c14756907556d\",\"name\":\"Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/dr-leslie-korn-logo-color-v.png\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/dr-leslie-korn-logo-color-v.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/dr-leslie-korn-logo-color-v.png\",\"width\":2015,\"height\":1912,\"caption\":\"Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/dr-leslie-korn-logo-color-v.png\"},\"description\":\"Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH, is a Doctor of Behavioral Medicine and a pioneer in natural and integrative medicine for mental health and chronic illness. She is the author of 10 books and the developer of the Brainbow Blueprint\u00ae model. She served as a Fulbright scholar on traditional medicine, a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School, and a National Institutes of Health-funded research scientist in mind\\\/body medicine.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/drlesliekorn.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/drlesliekorn1\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/dr.lesliekorn\\\/?hl=en\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/dr-leslie-korn-5455135\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Gut-Brain Link That Fuels Addictive Behaviors | Dr. Leslie Korn","description":"Addiction doesn\u2019t arise in isolation. For many individuals, it follows years of emotional adversity, trauma, nutrient depletion, and gut dysfunction. People experiencing addiction often eat poorly or erratically, lack access to high-quality food, or struggle to digest nutrients efficiently.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/","og_locale":"es_ES","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Gut-Brain Link That Fuels Addictive Behaviors | Dr. Leslie Korn","og_description":"Addiction doesn\u2019t arise in isolation. For many individuals, it follows years of emotional adversity, trauma, nutrient depletion, and gut dysfunction. People experiencing addiction often eat poorly or erratically, lack access to high-quality food, or struggle to digest nutrients efficiently.","og_url":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/","og_site_name":"Dr. Leslie Korn","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlesliekorn1","article_modified_time":"2025-05-08T06:57:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":667,"url":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Woman-asleep-on-a-couch-holding-a-glass-of-red-wine-suggesting-the-physical-and-emotional-toll-of-addiction.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Tiempo de lectura":"3 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/","url":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/","name":"The Gut-Brain Link That Fuels Addictive Behaviors | Dr. Leslie Korn","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Woman-asleep-on-a-couch-holding-a-glass-of-red-wine-suggesting-the-physical-and-emotional-toll-of-addiction.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-07T09:36:43+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-08T06:57:30+00:00","description":"Addiction doesn\u2019t arise in isolation. For many individuals, it follows years of emotional adversity, trauma, nutrient depletion, and gut dysfunction. People experiencing addiction often eat poorly or erratically, lack access to high-quality food, or struggle to digest nutrients efficiently.","inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/research\/gut-microbiota-microbiome-addiction\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Woman-asleep-on-a-couch-holding-a-glass-of-red-wine-suggesting-the-physical-and-emotional-toll-of-addiction.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Woman-asleep-on-a-couch-holding-a-glass-of-red-wine-suggesting-the-physical-and-emotional-toll-of-addiction.jpg","width":1000,"height":667,"caption":"Woman asleep on a couch holding a glass of red wine, suggesting the physical and emotional toll of addiction."},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/","name":"Dr. Leslie Korn","description":"Integrative Medicine with Heart","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5ccfb74a0c80a3e8905c14756907556d"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/#\/schema\/person\/5ccfb74a0c80a3e8905c14756907556d","name":"Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/dr-leslie-korn-logo-color-v.png","url":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/dr-leslie-korn-logo-color-v.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/dr-leslie-korn-logo-color-v.png","width":2015,"height":1912,"caption":"Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/dr-leslie-korn-logo-color-v.png"},"description":"Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH, is a Doctor of Behavioral Medicine and a pioneer in natural and integrative medicine for mental health and chronic illness. She is the author of 10 books and the developer of the Brainbow Blueprint\u00ae model. She served as a Fulbright scholar on traditional medicine, a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School, and a National Institutes of Health-funded research scientist in mind\/body medicine.","sameAs":["https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/drlesliekorn1","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dr.lesliekorn\/?hl=en","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dr-leslie-korn-5455135"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-databases\/40518","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-databases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/research-databases"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40518"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-databases\/40518\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40518"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"research-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drlesliekorn.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research-categories?post=40518"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}