A Pilot Study of the Gut Microbiota Associated With Depressive Symptoms and Sleep Disturbance Among Chinese and Korean Immigrants in the United States

Abstract

Context Depression is prevalent among Asian Americans (AsA) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and depression often leads to sleep disturbance in this population. The gut microbiota (GM) plays a critical role in mental health and sleep quality, and the composition of the GM is largely unknown among AsA. Objectives Examine associations of the GM with depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance among Chinese and Korean American immigrants. Methods Depressive symptoms (PROMIS Short Form-Depression) and sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]) were collected via surveys. PROMIS measure T-score > 55 indicates positive depressive symptoms, and a total PSQI score > 5 indicates sleep disturbance. 16S rRNA V3-V4 gene regions were sequenced from fecal specimens to measure GM. Permutational multivariate analysis of variance and linear discriminant analysis effect size were applied to examine associations of the GM with symptoms. Results Among 20 participants, 55% ( n = 11) reported depressive symptoms and 35% ( n = 7) reported sleep disturbance. A higher α-diversity was marginally associated with lower depressive symptoms: Chao1 (r = −0.39, p = 0.09) and Shannon index (r = −0.41, p = 0.08); β-diversity distinguished participants between categories of depressive symptoms (weighted UniFrac, p=0.04) or sleep disturbance (Jaccard, p=0.05). Those with depressive symptoms showed a higher abundance of Actinobacteria, while those without depressive symptoms had a higher abundance of Bacteroidetes. No significant taxa were identified for sleep disturbance. Conclusions Gut microbial diversity showed promising associations with depressive symptoms and sleep disturbance among Chinese and Korean immigrants. Specific taxa were identified as associated with depressive symptoms. Future studies with a larger sample size are warranted to confirm our findings.

Association between Depression, Anxiety Symptoms and Gut Microbiota in Chinese Elderly with Functional Constipation

“…Regarding the β diversity, which is the index of microbial community compositions in different individuals, the depressed group had a more minor inter-individual difference than the non-depressed group. This is consistent with previous studies indicating that microbial β diversity is associated with depressive symptoms [ 43 , 44 , 45 ]. There was no difference in beta diversity between the two groups with or without anxiety, which is similar to the review results of Nikolova VL et al [ 46 ].…”

The intersection of social determinants of health, the microbiome, and health outcomes in immigrants: A scoping review

“…Emerging evidence suggests that the microbiome, particularly the gut, plays an important role in mental health via the microbiota‐gut‐brain axis (the bidirectional communication network between the brain and gut) (Winter et al, 2018). Higher levels of depressive symptoms were associated with lower gut microbiome diversity, and higher levels of anxiety symptoms were associated with lower oral microbial diversity among first‐ and second‐generation Asian immigrants living in the U.S. (Hope et al, 2022; Richardson et al, 2023). The opposite trend was observed for the oral microbiome among Asian immigrants such that greater diversity was associated with increased depression symptoms (Richardson et al, 2023).…”

“…For instance, Asian immigrants with more depressive symptoms had higher abundances of Actinobacteria in their gut microbiota, while those without depressive symptoms or with mild symptoms had higher abundances of Bacteroidetes . Those with moderate/severe depressive symptoms had higher abundances of Lactobacillales (Hope et al, 2022). Trends showed that Asian immigrants with less sleep disturbance had higher abundances of Bacteroidetes and a lower abundance of Actinobacteria and Firmicutes .…”