Your gastrointestinal system is far more complex than you may even realize. Especially when you take into account your microbiome—the trillions of microorganisms that make their home in your gut and whose health largely determines yours. What’s happening in your gut affects nearly every other system in your body, and if you don’t have a healthy balance of microbes in your gut, you may not be absorbing the nutrients your body needs to properly function. Restoring the balance in and health of your gut can improve symptoms like pain, headaches, fatigue, memory problems, and more. It can even improve your mood.

The connection between mood and gut health has been known for quite some time—and that connection goes well beyond feeling angry and irritable when you’ve waited too long to eat. Individuals suffering from gastrointestinal disorders are more likely to experience anxiety and depression, for instance, and researchers are now finding that the bacterial balance in your gut may hold the key.