International Study Looks to Connect Gut Health, Mental Well-being, and Athletic Performance

UTHealth Houston’s Tatiana Barichello, PharmD, PhD, and Bruno Kluwe-Schiavon, PhD, from the Louis A. Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, are co-leading a collaboration with researchers from the Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (UNESC), to shed light on the powerful connection between gut health, mental well-being, and athletic performance. The international study is being funded by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).

Conducted in partnership with the Brazilian soccer team Criciúma Esporte Clube,  the clinical trial follows youth athletes through their competitive season in an in-depth investigation of the gut-brain-performance axis.

The central aim of the study is to investigate whether psychobiotics, capsules containing strains of bacteria believed to affect mental health, can positively influence physical recovery, psychological well-being, and cognitive performance in young athletes. The focus is not only on enhancing athletic outcomes on and off the field, but also on promoting sustainable health practices from an early age.

The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial,  includes three  phases. Phase I, completed in March 2025, involved baseline assessments of the athletes before the start of official matches.

Around 150 youth players were evaluated through a comprehensive battery of tools, including questionnaires on muscle injuries, environmental stress, fatigue, anxiety, and mood. Cognitive testing

focused on attention, memory, and processing speed, while biological samples (blood, stool, and saliva) were collected to measure inflammation, gut microbiota composition, and cortisol levels.

Participants began taking psychobiotic supplements during the preseason, with assessments done at the end of Phase II in June 2025, and the end of Phase III  in November.

According to Barichello, this research represents a rare opportunity to monitor young athletes longitudinally, integrating biological, cognitive, and emotional data. The team is especially interested

in how gut health may modulate stress, mental focus, and injury resilience throughout a demanding season.

Researchers from both UTHealth and UNESC will collaborate on advanced statistical modeling, supervised by Kluwe-Schiavon, to interpret how psychobiotic use relates to inflammatory markers, cognitive outcomes, and psychological well-being.

Improving the lives and outcomes for athletes is something the teams at UTHealth Houston and Brazil are excited to participate in, Barichello said. She is grateful for everyone who made this study possible.

“This research has the potential to inform evidence-based strategies that are not only effective, but also simple and scalable,” Barichello said. “Our findings could help optimize performance and well-being in athletes and provide insights applicable to broader populations.”