{"id":84570,"date":"2025-08-10T14:45:29","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T20:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=84570"},"modified":"2025-08-11T11:56:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T17:56:54","slug":"gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/","title":{"rendered":"Can improved gut health help veterans with PTSD?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Researchers
Researchers are linking gut health, traumatic brain injury and PTSD to improve treatment tools for soldiers and veterans. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About a decade ago, Lisa Brenner helped conduct interviews at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs with 103 soldiers who had returned from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. She and her colleagues wanted to understand the physical and emotional effects of the veterans\u2019 deployments. Their responses painted a complicated picture.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the veterans returned from Iraq and Afghanistan with a mix of symptoms that looked like brain injury and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) together,\u201d said Brenner<\/a>, a psychologist and researcher<\/a> at\u00a0University of Colorado School of Medicine<\/a> on the Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Brenner suspected a link between the mild traumatic brain injuries, or concussions, that many soldiers suffered from explosions and other assaults, and the psychological challenges of PTSD. A growing body of evidence<\/a> supported her suspicion. Yet while the problems frequently occurred together, the treatments for them stood separately.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe spent time trying to figure out one or the other instead of treating the whole body,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A comment from one of the soldiers she interviewed raised another question.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe soldier talked about his blast injury and said his \u2018guts hurt\u2019,\u201d Brenner recalled.<\/p>\n

The soldier’s words stuck with her. They opened the door to groundbreaking research that she and her colleagues are conducting to this day. Her goal: understanding how mild traumatic brain injury and PTSD relate and finding ways to treat them together.<\/p>\n

Brenner’s search literally spanned the globe. It connected the wounds to body and mind that soldiers suffered on the battlefields of the Middle East, microbes in the East African mud and scientific research on mice afflicted with PTSD-like symptoms.<\/p>\n

She found her inquiries continually returned to the natural mix of microbes called the microbiome that dwell in our gut.<\/p>\n

A bacterial friend for Veterans with PTSD?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Brenner is now completing a five-year randomized controlled National Institutes of Health-funded study<\/a> that tests whether a probiotic pill containing a specific bacterial strain can help veterans with PTSD manage their stress.<\/p>\n

\"Lisa
Lisa Brenner is researching whether improved gut health can help veterans who are suffering from PTSD. Photo: University of Colorado School of Medicine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPTSD in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is a significant issue,\u201d Brenner said. \u201cAnd it doesn\u2019t stop with vets. It is also underrecognized in non-veteran populations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea is that the strain Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG)<\/a> could help to maintain a healthy microbial balance in the gut. A healthy mix of bacteria could, in turn, regulate the immune system and calm the chronic inflammation linked to worsening symptoms of PTSD in veterans with mild traumatic brain injury and gut-related issues, such as inflammatory bowel syndrome, or IBS.<\/p>\n

Brenner co-leads the study with her School of Medicine colleague, Christopher Lowry, a pioneering researcher<\/a> and a professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology<\/a> and the Center for Neuroscience<\/a> at the University of Colorado Boulder.<\/p>\n

A partnership focused on chronic inflammation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Brenner and Lowry met a decade ago and began collaborating over their mutual interest in understanding possible links between inflammation, the brain and the microbiome. The driving force for Brenner was frustration.<\/p>\n

She saw veterans in her clinic \u201cwho had no options\u201d for treating their PTSD symptoms, which she believed were often compounded by traumatic brain injury and gastrointestinal problems.<\/p>\n

\"Christopher
Christopher Lowry is a pioneering researcher and a professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology and the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. Photo courtesy of Christopher Lowry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Searching for a new way to help them, Brenner said she delved into the literature that investigated the role of inflammation in exacerbating traumatic brain injury and triggering mental health issues. She discovered a rich repository<\/a> of studies stretching to the early 2000s and beyond.<\/p>\n

The literature spurred Brenner to further investigations, including research into the \u201cgut-brain axis<\/a>,\u201d the two-way connection between the nerves in the gastrointestinal tract and key centers of the brain that control thinking and emotion.<\/p>\n

The price of an imbalance in the gut<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Brenner\u2019s reading and research also led her to the \u201chygiene hypothesis<\/a>,\u201d an important underpinning for her current study.<\/p>\n

The theory holds that people may benefit from exposure early in life to what are considered friendly microbes that help train the immune system to protect itself against stress that leads to allergies and some autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease.<\/p>\n

In Lowry, Brenner met an important contributor to the hygiene hypothesis. He and colleague Graham Rook published a 2008 paper<\/a> and co-edited a book<\/a> that linked physical ailments and mental health issues in developed countries to people being exposed to fewer bacteria and other microorganisms that interact with the immune system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea is that as we have moved from agricultural lifestyles to urban lifestyles, we\u2019ve lost contact with the organisms that once provided health benefits,\u201d including regulating the immune system, Lowry said.<\/p>\n

That microbial loss, in turn, creates imbalances in the gut that put the immune system on hyperdrive and cause chronic inflammation, he said. The result: hypervigilance, chronic anxiety and other symptoms of depression and PTSD.<\/p>\n

Mud, mice, PTSD and probiotics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Lowry also contributed important animal research, published in 2007<\/a> while he was at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, that buttressed the connection between activity in the gut and symptoms of PTSD. That work takes the story to Uganda, and a strain of bacterium dwelling in the mud of Lake Kyoga.<\/p>\n

The strain, Mycobacterium vaccae<\/a> (M. vaccae), led Lowry and his colleagues to what he called a curious discovery. They found that treating mice with the M. vaccae bacterium raised their levels of serotonin, a hormone and neurotransmitter that helps the brain regulate mood and mental health \u2013 just as antidepressant drugs like SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a sense, this bacterium was acting like an antidepressant,\u201d Lowry said. That finding, which came in the early days of investigation into the gut\u2019s importance in overall health, provided a new path for researchers and doctors looking for ways to treat mental health conditions in humans.<\/p>\n

A decade later, Lowry and fellow researchers produced more breakthrough work<\/a> with the M. vaccae bacterium. They developed an experimental model that involved injecting mice with the bacterium, then exposing them for weeks to aggressive rodent neighbors, expecting that the interactions would produce debilitating stress and anxiety.<\/p>\n

Instead, the bacterium-treated mice showed fewer symptoms of persistent anxiety and other PTSD-like symptoms than expected. They were also much less likely to develop colitis, a strong indication that the bacterium helped to lower their levels of inflammation.<\/p>\n

Lowry\u2019s two studies involving M. vaccae bacterium, mostly begun years before he and Brenner met, were important stepping stones toward their work on probiotics as a possible treatment for PTSD.<\/p>\n

A long road to trials of probiotics to treat PTSD<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Brenner and Lowry initially co-authored a 2017 review<\/a> of the available literature on using probiotics to treat traumatic brain injury and PTSD. They found limited evidence to support the effectiveness of the treatments, but called for larger trials to test the idea.<\/p>\n

In 2020, the pair and their colleagues began a pilot study<\/a> of 31 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who had both physical symptoms caused by persistent post-concussive syndrome<\/a> \u2013 a collection of chronic symptoms that can last for months or years after mild traumatic brain injury \u2013 and symptoms of PTSD.<\/p>\n

The randomized controlled trial divided the veterans into two groups, with one receiving a placebo and the other receiving a probiotic supplement with the bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The trial showed that those who received the probiotic treatment had a decrease in concentrations of plasma C-reactive protein (CRP)<\/a>, an inflammation-driving protein produced by the liver.<\/p>\n

Brenner and Lowry followed up the pilot with a 2022 randomized controlled trial<\/a>\u00a0of veterans with PTSD. The aim: show if a probiotic supplement with Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG could also reduce levels of CRP.<\/p>\n

The 2022 Phase 2 trial was intended to generate more data about the connections between inflammation, the gut, body functions like heart rate and PTSD. It led to the recently concluded trial, which analyzes whether the probiotic treatment could help veterans \u2013 and potentially civilians \u2013 manage their PTSD symptoms.<\/p>\n

Aiming for an additional path to PTSD treatment<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Brenner said she wants treatment options for PTSD, not to replace what currently exists. She said that evidence-based psychotherapy works. The problem is that it can be challenging and time-consuming, and, for some veterans, not easily accessible.<\/p>\n

On top of that, medication options are limited \u2013 the Veteran Administration\u2019s National Center for PTSD recommends<\/a> only three, and they have physical side effects that can be problematic, Brenner said. By contrast, enrollees in the probiotics trials have found the daily pills are easy to take and well-tolerated, she noted.<\/p>\n

She cautioned, however, that people should not rush to their local nutrition store to snap up the many available probiotics. She and Lowry selected Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG for its specific ability to counter inflammation and regulate the immune system at precise doses.<\/p>\n

Lowry said neither he nor Brenner considers probiotic treatment a panacea for veterans and others facing PTSD.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it could be a tool to put people on a better footing to take the next steps to recovery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that his work with Brenner demonstrates the value of basic science needed to begin the slow but steady march from the laboratory to treatments that improve human lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was the preclinical research that led to this trial,\u201d Lowry said. \u201cAnd I think that regardless of the outcome, the data are overwhelming that some bacterial strains are highly likely to have benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n

For her part, Brenner attributed the progress of the studies to veterans who are eager to find alternate routes of treatment for PTSD and brain injuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe trial would be nowhere without them,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are incredibly dedicated to finding interventions for themselves and those they served with.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

About a decade ago, Lisa Brenner helped conduct interviews at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs with 103 soldiers who had returned from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. She and her colleagues wanted to understand the physical and emotional effects of the veterans\u2019 deployments. Their responses painted a complicated picture. \u201cMany of the veterans returned […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2143,"featured_media":84770,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[113,167,743,112,4781],"class_list":["post-84570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-behavioral-health","tag-clinical-trials","tag-digestive-health-liver-and-pancreas-gastroenterology","tag-mental-health","tag-research-in-health-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGut health could be key for helping some veterans with PTSD - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Researchers are studying whether probiotics and improved gut health may help some veterans who are coping with PTSD.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can improved gut health help veterans with PTSD?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Researchers are studying whether probiotics and improved gut health may help some veterans who are coping with PTSD.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-10T20:45:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-11T17:56:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/08140243\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tyler Smith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tyler Smith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tyler Smith\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/98c85c0e40c4933eedcec2cd054f349d\"},\"headline\":\"Can improved gut health help veterans with PTSD?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-10T20:45:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-11T17:56:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1686,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/08140243\\\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Behavioral health\",\"Clinical trials\",\"Digestive health\",\"Mental health\",\"Research in health care\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Innovative care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/\",\"name\":\"Gut health could be key for helping some veterans with PTSD - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/08140243\\\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-10T20:45:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-11T17:56:54+00:00\",\"description\":\"Researchers are studying whether probiotics and improved gut health may help some veterans who are coping with PTSD.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/08140243\\\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/08140243\\\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.webp\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533,\"caption\":\"Researchers are linking gut health, traumatic brain injury and PTSD to improve treatment tools for soldiers and veterans. Photo: Getty Images.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Can improved gut health help veterans with PTSD?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uchealth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/uchealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/14839\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/98c85c0e40c4933eedcec2cd054f349d\",\"name\":\"Tyler Smith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tyler Smith\"},\"description\":\"Tyler Smith has been a health care writer, with a focus on hospitals, since 1996. He served as a writer and editor for the Marketing and Communications team at University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth from 2007 to 2017. More recently, he has reported for and contributed stories to the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado Bioscience Association.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/author\\\/smiths3\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Gut health could be key for helping some veterans with PTSD - UCHealth Today","description":"Researchers are studying whether probiotics and improved gut health may help some veterans who are coping with PTSD.","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:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Can improved gut health help veterans with PTSD?","og_description":"Researchers are studying whether probiotics and improved gut health may help some veterans who are coping with PTSD.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2025-08-10T20:45:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-11T17:56:54+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/08140243\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tyler Smith","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tyler Smith","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/"},"author":{"name":"Tyler Smith","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/98c85c0e40c4933eedcec2cd054f349d"},"headline":"Can improved gut health help veterans with PTSD?","datePublished":"2025-08-10T20:45:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-11T17:56:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/"},"wordCount":1686,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/08140243\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.webp","keywords":["Behavioral health","Clinical trials","Digestive health","Mental health","Research in health care"],"articleSection":["Innovative care"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/","name":"Gut health could be key for helping some veterans with PTSD - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/08140243\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.webp","datePublished":"2025-08-10T20:45:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-11T17:56:54+00:00","description":"Researchers are studying whether probiotics and improved gut health may help some veterans who are coping with PTSD.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/08140243\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/08\/08140243\/GettyImages-171297340-marine-deep-in-though-web.webp","width":800,"height":533,"caption":"Researchers are linking gut health, traumatic brain injury and PTSD to improve treatment tools for soldiers and veterans. Photo: Getty Images."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/gut-health-could-be-key-for-healping-some-veterans-with-ptsd\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Can improved gut health help veterans with PTSD?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/98c85c0e40c4933eedcec2cd054f349d","name":"Tyler Smith","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d9cf06f094860ff4c88dfe85d3c79a05724744cb3f865253e7b928d904aaad8e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tyler Smith"},"description":"Tyler Smith has been a health care writer, with a focus on hospitals, since 1996. He served as a writer and editor for the Marketing and Communications team at University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth from 2007 to 2017. More recently, he has reported for and contributed stories to the University of Colorado School of Medicine, the Colorado School of Public Health and the Colorado Bioscience Association.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/smiths3\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":2143,"name":"Tyler Smith","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/smiths3\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84570"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84570\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84788,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84570\/revisions\/84788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}