Recently, attention has increased on the gut microbiome—the balance of "good" versus "bad" bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. Now, research from UCLA published in Nature Mental Health suggests a meaningful connection between the health of your gut microbiome and emotional regulation.

The explosion in studies involving mental health disorders and the gut microbiome has been an exciting development over the past decade in psychological research. Just 20 or 25 years ago, the idea that your intestinal bacteria—which are affected by your diet—could play a significant role in the development of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders would have sounded somewhat unrealistic, if not totally outlandish. Now, it is taken as fact that the interplay between your gut microbiome and your brain is crucial when it comes to psychological well-being and that, in fact, it plays a role in some of the most prevalent mental health disorders. Serotonin, for instance, one of the primary neurotransmitters involved in mood and........

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