Your gut’s colonial microbes aid in the development of the immune system, which battles malicious bugs that aren’t normally part of your gut’s microbiota — its microbial repertoire. “Germ-free” mice raised without colonist microbes have a weaker immune system and show exaggerated responses to stress. Studies have also shown that gut microbes influence signaling in the HPA axis (for hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal glands, the key players in the body’s response to stress).

Early in development, gut microbes affect the wiring of nerves in the stress system, influencing how the body reacts to stress for the rest of its life. That suggests that the microbiota’s impact extends to some aspects of mental health, a function only recently appreciated.

“We suggest that gut microbiota are an important player in how the body influences the brain … and influence risk of disease, including anxiety and mood disorders,” write Foster and Neufeld, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada.

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I wasn't.

When I was orginally diagnosed, my doc thought that it could be prenicious anemia. It's worth getting tested, but I didn't have any of the markers for it.