Gut mycobiota dysbiosis and systemic immune dysfunction in Chinese schizophrenia patients with metabolic syndrome.

Summary: People with schizophrenia often develop a condition called metabolic syndrome, which can cause weight gain and heart problems. Scientists already know that the bacteria in our stomachs play a role in this, but what about stomach fungi? In this study, researchers looked at the gut fungi of over 200 people. They found that while the overall amount of fungi was similar between sick and healthy people, the types of fungi were very different. Patients had more harmful fungi, which seems to be messing up their immune systems. This shows that gut fungi might be an important missing puzzle piece in understanding and treating these patients.