AccScience Publishing / JCBP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/JCBP025310058
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Lifestyle, the gut microbiome, and mental health in college students: A cross-sectional study on the interplay of diet, physical activity, and resilience

Karen M. Skemp1* ,  Elizabeth M. Kaul2 ,  Julia E. Borner3 ,  Douglas D. Baumann4
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1 Department of Public Health and Community Health Education, College of Science and Health, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States of America
2 Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
3 Department of Exercise and Sport Science, College of Science and Health, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States of America
4 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, College of Science and Health, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States of America
JCBP, 025310058 https://doi.org/10.36922/JCBP025310058
Received: 31 July 2025 | Revised: 6 November 2025 | Accepted: 6 November 2025 | Published online: 4 December 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

The gut microbiome plays a critical role in mental health by modulating communication along the gut–brain axis—a complex communication system linking the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system. Emerging research suggests that factors such as diet quality, physical activity, and psychological resilience may influence mental health outcomes through this pathway. College students, a population at elevated risk for anxiety, depression, and stress-related conditions, may particularly benefit from modifiable lifestyle interventions that support mental well-being. This study explores the associations between diet quality, physical activity, resilience, and mental health symptoms among undergraduate students. A total of 229 undergraduate students who completed an online survey assessing diet quality (Rate Your Plate), physical activity (self-reported activity level), psychological resilience (Brief Resilience Scale), and mental health symptoms (Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 [DASS-21]) were included in this study. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationships among these variables. Healthier diets and higher physical activity levels were significantly associated with lower depression, anxiety, and stress scores. Greater resilience was also correlated with improved mental health outcomes. Gender differences were observed, with female students reporting higher DASS-21 scores compared to male students. These findings add to the growing body of evidence linking diet and lifestyle behaviors with mental health outcomes. Interventions aimed at improving diet quality, increasing physical activity, and enhancing resilience may offer promising strategies for supporting mental well-being in college students, potentially through mechanisms involving the gut–brain axis.

Keywords
Gut–brain axis
Gut microbiome
Mental health
College students
Resilience
Physical activity
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Journal of Clinical and Basic Psychosomatics, Electronic ISSN: 2972-4414 Print ISSN: 3060-8562, Published by AccScience Publishing
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