Stressed out? You’re not imagining it. There’s a real, measurable link between emotional distress and gut health—the brain-gut axis ties your moods and your digestion together in two-way communication. When stress fires up, cortisol and other stress hormones can alter gut motility, affect the gut barrier, and shift the composition of your microbiome. Over time, this emotional distress and gut health dynamic can manifest as bloating, irregular stools, or discomfort that makes daily life harder. Recognizing this connection is the first step toward practical, effective changes. Practical steps can restore balance today. Start with daily stress management—short meditation sessions, focused breathing, or a brisk 10-minute walk to calm the nervous system. Maintain regular meal times to support predictable digestion, and lean into a fiber-rich, plant-forward diet with fermented foods. Hydration, adequate sleep, and light-to-moderate exercise all support gut function. Try to limit gut irritants like excessive caffeine, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods. For many people, pairing these lifestyle moves with a data-driven view of the gut helps translate emotion into concrete actions—understanding how your unique microbiome responds to foods and stress. That’s where InnerBuddies shines. InnerBuddies is a white-label Gut Health Operating System that companies can use to power their gut microbiome testing products. The platform is modular and includes the Gut Microbiome Health Index, a 0-to-100 score that reflects overall gut health based on an exclusive IP deal with EAFIT University in Colombia. It also features Bacteria abundances, including a top 40 list with comparisons to a healthy cohort, and Bacteria functions that are categorized as positive or negative with clear benchmarking against a healthy reference. In addition, Target Group analysis dives into how particular cohorts—such as Healthy Aging, Endurance Sport, or Skin & Hair Health—perform on relevant functional pathways. The system also delivers Personalized nutrition advice drawn from 3-day food diaries and stool data, plus Personalized probiotics and prebiotics guidance tailored to your unique microbiome. And it isn’t just for businesses: InnerBuddies offers consumer gut test solutions with the same capabilities accessible directly to individuals. If you want to learn more and see how you can measure and support emotional distress and gut health, head to the product page to explore testing options: InnerBuddies microbiome test. For ongoing guidance and personalized plans, consider the gut health membership. If you’re a company looking to partner, discover opportunities at the B2B partner page.