Can Anxiety Come from Gut Health? How Healing Your Gut Could Heal Your Mind

Anxiety is one of the most common and misunderstood conditions of our time. It’s often treated as purely psychological, something to be managed with talk therapy, meditation, or medications. While those approaches can help, they often miss a hidden but crucial contributor: the gut.

Over the past two decades of practicing functional medicine, I’ve witnessed something that conventional medicine still too often ignores: the profound link between gut health and mental well-being. As the founder of the Clean Program and someone who has helped thousands reset their bodies and minds, I can say with certainty: the gut-brain connection is real, and it’s powerful.

So, can anxiety come from gut health? And what can we do to reclaim calm from the inside out?

Let’s explore.

Can Anxiety Come from Gut Health?

Your gut and your brain are in constant communication, thanks to a network known as the gut-brain axis. This system connects your enteric nervous system (in your digestive tract) to your central nervous system (your brain), creating a two-way flow of information that shapes everything from your digestion to your mood.

When the gut is imbalanced—due to dysbiosis (an overgrowth of harmful bacteria), leaky gut (where the intestinal barrier becomes permeable), or chronic inflammation—the brain often receives signals of distress. These signals can present as anxiety, irritability, brain fog, or even depression.

Recent studies show that people with gut issues are significantly more likely to experience anxiety symptoms. The science is catching up to what we’ve seen clinically for years: bad gut health can, and often does, cause anxiety.

The Science of Gut Health and Anxiety

Most people are surprised to learn that over 90% of serotonin, one of the brain’s primary mood-regulating neurotransmitters, is produced in the gut—not the brain. The gut also produces dopamine and GABA, which play critical roles in managing mood, reducing anxiety, and promoting a sense of calm and focus.

This happens because the gut microbiome—trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms—acts like a chemical factory, influencing not only digestion but also emotional and cognitive function. When the gut is healthy, these microbes produce the neurotransmitters and anti-inflammatory compounds your brain needs to stay balanced. But when there’s an overgrowth of harmful bacteria or a breakdown in the gut lining, the brain gets flooded with the wrong signals: inflammation, stress hormones, and neurotoxins.

Emerging research supports this. A 2017 study published in the Annals of Gastroenterology found that there’s strong evidence suggesting that gut microbiota has an important role in bidirectional interactions between the gut and the nervous system. It regulates brain chemistry and influences neuro-endocrine systems associated with stress response, anxiety and memory function. In addition, the effects on microbiome composition are likely mediated by a disruption of the normal mucosal barrier in the gut (or a “leaky” gut).

Another study from 2023, published in Pharmaceuticals (Basel), shows that gut health plays a significant role in anxiety and depression, with therapies like diet changes, probiotics, omega-3s, and vagus nerve stimulation offering potential benefits. These approaches may work by regulating neurotransmitters, reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and supporting the gut-brain connection.

This is why gut health isn’t just about digestion. It’s the foundation for how your entire system—including your mind—feels and functions.

How to Improve Gut Health for Anxiety and Depression

If your gut is contributing to your anxiety, the good news is that you can do something about it. Start with food—eliminate sugar, processed foods, alcohol, and other irritants that inflame the gut lining and feed the wrong bacteria.

Then focus on rebuilding and repair:

Add high-fiber, prebiotic-rich foods to feed good bacteria
Include fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and coconut yogurt
Supplement with high-quality probiotics and digestive enzymes
Support the gut lining with nutrients like L-glutamine, zinc carnosine, and aloe vera
Eat slowly, chew thoroughly, and stay well-hydrated

And don’t forget lifestyle. Breathwork, quality sleep, movement, and nervous system regulation are non-negotiables for gut repair and emotional resilience. Our group programs are also a great way to reset your gut for deeper healing in a guided and community-supported environment.

Clean 21 & Clean 7: Gut-First Approaches to Mental Clarity

At the Clean Program, we created Clean 21 and Clean 7 as complete systems to reset your gut, reduce toxic load, and restore balance in the body and mind.

Clean 21 is a 3-week intensive designed to support deep gut healing and detoxification through:

Nutrient-dense shakes that lighten the digestive load
A structured, anti-inflammatory diet to remove the most common triggers
Targeted supplements with nutrients designed to support your detoxification, healing and repair
Complement with gut-supportive nutrients like aloe vera, slippery elm, and L-glutamine, all included in our Gut Integrity supplement
Learn more about Clean 21

Clean 7 is a 7-day integrative reset based on functional medicine, intermittent fasting, and Ayurvedic principles. It includes:

A simplified dietary protocol for gut relief and immune support
Ayurvedic herbs to support digestion and reduce stress
Daily intermittent fasting to give the gut time to rest and repair
Learn more about Clean 7

Both programs are designed to give your body what it needs—and take out what’s interfering with its natural ability to heal. Most participants report improvements in mood, sleep, digestion, and mental clarity within the first week.

Take the First Step Toward a Calmer Mind

If you’re struggling with anxiety, don’t overlook your gut. Your mental health doesn’t live solely in your head, it lives in your whole system. Healing the gut isn’t a fringe theory anymore; it’s a foundational, science-backed step toward real emotional resilience.

Start by paying attention to the signs: Are you bloated? Constipated? Foggy? Reactive? Constantly tired? These are all signs that your gut is inflamed and may be affecting your mood.

Clean 21 and Clean 7 offer structured, proven ways to reset your gut and support your nervous system at the same time. If you’re not sure where to begin, our health coaches can help guide you every step of the way.

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