A possible Link between Food and Mood: Dietary Impact on Gut Microbiota and Behavior in BALB/c Mice. Mus musculus

Major depressive disorder is a debilitating disease in the Western World. A Western diet high in saturated fat and refined sugar seems to play an important part in human disease development. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating whether saturated fat or sucrose predisposes mice to develop behavioral symptoms which can be interpreted as depression-like, and the possible influence of the gut microbiota (GM) in this. 42 mice were randomly assigned to one of three experimental diets, a high-fat, a high-sucrose or a control diet for 13 weeks. Mice on high-fat diet gained more weight (p=0.00009), displayed significantly less burrowing behavior than the control mice (p=0.034), and showed decreased memory in the Morris water maze compared to mice on high-sucrose diet (p=0.031). Mice on high-sucrose diet burrowed less goal-oriented, showed greater latency to first bout of immobility in the forced swim test when compared to control mice (p=0.039) and high-fat fed mice (p=0.013), and displayed less anxiety than mice on high-fat diet in the triple test (p=0.009). Behavioral changes were accompanied by a significant change in GM composition of mice fed a high-fat diet, while no difference between diet groups was observed for sucrose preferences, LPS, cholesterol, HbA1c, BDNF and the cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12(p70), IL-17 and TNF-α. A wide association was found between the GM, behavior, BDNF and inflammatory mediators, strongly suggesting an influence of the GM on behavior, possibly through the immune system. In conclusion, the study shows that dietary fat and sugar affect behavior, sometimes in opporsite directions, and suggests that high-fat induced behavioral changes may be mediated through changes in the GM. Disregarding dietary interventions, there seems to be a wide association between GM and behavior, possibly mediated through the immune system.