Your Gut Could Be Affecting Your Mood

For years, mental health was seen as something that started and ended in the brain. But an expanding field of research is revealing a key player in the story of our emotions: the gut. The trillions of bacteria that live in our digestive tract don’t just help break down food. They appear to communicate directly with the brain, influencing everything from stress resilience to symptoms of depression and anxiety. Scientists call this two-way relationship the gut–brain axis, and it’s rapidly reshaping how we think about mood and mental well-being.

That connection isn’t just theoretical. Studies have found that people with depression often have less microbial diversity , that probiotics may ease symptoms of anxiety, and that dietary shifts can alter mood-related brain chemistry within day