In each edition, I’ll share the most interesting and actionable findings from the latest health studies so you can stay informed (without sifting through dense medical journals).
Here’s what I found this month:
Pairing Diet and Probiotics Brings More IBS Relief
A 2025 review of 44 clinical trials compared the top IBS treatments. The most effective option wasn’t diet or probiotics alone, but a low-FODMAP diet combined with probiotics. People who used both strategies together reported greater symptom relief than those who tried either one by itself. This suggests that layering simple therapies can create a bigger impact than relying on one approach.
Some Gut Symptoms Are Bigger Clues Than Others
A 2025 study of over 700 people found that certain symptoms may point more directly to what’s happening in the gut:
Abdominal pain after meals, frequent belching, regurgitation, and skin conditions like rosacea or eczema were most often linked with bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO).
Constipation and floating stools were more strongly tied to methane overgrowth (IMO), and the worse the constipation, the more likely IMO was present.
Bloating, diarrhea, and smelly gas were surprisingly unreliable at pointing to either condition.
These patterns show that some symptoms may offer clearer clues about what type of gut imbalance is at play—helping make sense of which gut issues may be driving discomfort.
Treating the Gut May Put Rosacea Into Remission
A 2025 review of six studies (801 participants) found that more than one-third of people with rosacea also had SIBO. When treated with the antibiotic rifaximin, 58% of patients saw their rosacea go into remission. This reinforces that skin conditions like rosacea may improve when underlying gut imbalances are corrected.
Probiotics Reduce Depression and Anxiety in 8 Weeks
The largest review to date, published in 2025, analyzed 23 clinical trials with 1,401 patients diagnosed with depression and anxiety.
Those who took probiotics for eight weeks had significantly fewer symptoms than those on placebo. The improvements were strongest for depression but also meaningful for anxiety. Both single- and multi-strain probiotics were effective, most often at doses of 2–10 billion CFU for Lactobacillus/Bifidobacterium strains or about 1 billion CFU for soil-based strains. Prebiotics, however, did not show benefit.
This strengthens the case for probiotics as a supportive, low-risk option for mental health when used consistently.
Stay tuned for more fascinating insights in the next edition of the Ruscio Research Report!
In Health,
Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC
Adjunct Professor, University of Bridgeport Clinical Researcher
