Exploring the bidirectional skin-brain axis:Mental health,dermatologyrelated quality of life,and the role of probioticsOA

The skin-brain axis plays a key role in connecting dermatological health,mental health,and the gut microbiota.This study investigated the associations between anxiety,depression,stress,dermatology-related quality of life(DLQI),and probiotic intake in 305 Brazilian adults.Women presented higher scores for anxiety(13.0±10.5 vs.7.7±8.1,p<0.001),depression(15.9±12.3 vs.10.6±10.8,p<0.001),and stress(20.0±11.5 vs.13.4±9.8,p<0.001).Nearly half of the participants reported dermatological disorders,and more than half were at risk for at least one mental health condition.Strong correlations were observed among mental health outcomes(anxiety-depression r=0.770,anxiety-stress r=0.834,depression-stress r=0.806;all p<0.001),while DLQI showed weak but significant correlations with these scores.Associations between probiotic intake and anxiety,depression,and stress were inconclusive(p>0.05),likely due to low intake levels.Multiple linear regression showed that stress and depression were independent predictors of anxiety,with a final model of R^(2)=0.66 and p<0.01.The findings highlight the bidirectional nature of the skin-brain axis and the greater burden of psychological and dermatological symptoms in women.Further studies that incorporate culturally relevant dietary patterns and longitudinal designs are needed to clarify these interactions.