Your Brain’s Secret Calming Partner? Your Gut.

Have you ever had a "gut feeling" or felt butterflies in your stomach when you were nervous? It turns out, that connection is much deeper than we ever imagined. The very latest research has just provided groundbreaking new human evidence linking the gut microbiome directly to brain function.

For years, scientists have been building the evidence that a happy gut meant a happier mind, but most evidence was limited. Now, a brand new study published on 1st September 2026 in the prestigious medical journal Molecular Psychiatry has looked inside living human brains to uncover the truth.

The research, led by teams at the University of Surrey and the University of Roehampton in the UK, investigated 61 healthy young women aged 17–25. Using advanced, non-invasive brain-imaging technology alongside DNA stool analysis, scientists mapped out exactly how our bodies and minds communicate. You can read the full study breakdown directly through the University of Surrey News Portal. [8]

The results? Your gut bacteria are actively communicating with the specific parts of your brain that control anxiety, mood, and sleep.

Here is exactly what this means for your daily wellbeing and why it proves that the Montgomery and Evelyn (M+E) philosophy has been ahead of its time all along.

The Chemistry of Calm

The study, which you can access via the Molecular Psychiatry Journal Publication, found that your gut microbes directly influence two of your brain's most important chemical messengers:

• GABA: The brain’s natural "brakes". It dampens overactive neural signals to help you feel calm, relaxed, and focused.

• Glutamate: The brain's "accelerator". It promotes excitation and keeps your mind active.

When these two are in perfect harmony (a state called E/I balance) your brain can easily grow, adapt, and handle stress. The researchers discovered that specific gut bacteria are directly linked to keeping this delicate chemical balance steady especially in the regions of your brain that regulate your emotions, focus, and cognitive control.

How Your Gut Microbes Shape Your Day

The study went a step further, mapping the genetic power of gut bacteria directly to how the participants actually felt. They found clear, undeniable links between gut pathways and three major areas of mental wellness:

• Social + Daily Anxiety: Certain bacterial pathways tied to GABA production were directly linked to how calm or anxious people felt in everyday and social settings.

• Mood + Positivity: The way gut bacteria handle tryptophan (the building block for your "happy hormone," serotonin) was closely tied to brighter moods.

• Deep, Restorative Sleep: Specific fatty acids produced by your gut were found to influence overall sleep quality. If your gut isn't resting easy, your brain won't either.

Inside the M+E "Good Mood" Probiotic Blend

While the rest of the wellness world is still waking up to this latest science, Montgomery and Evelyn (M+E) was born in it. Our founder, psychologist Evelyn Montgomery, pioneered integrating probiotics into brain health supplements making them central to every single one of our formulas since 2019. [1, 2, 3]

We designed the formulas because we have seen through the science and research of psychobiotics that our mood, mental clarity, deep sleep, and vibrant energy start from within.

Every M+E formula contains a unique, precision-targeted probiotic blend of 500 million live bacteria, specifically selected to support the critical neurotransmitters highlighted in this groundbreaking research: [4, 5]

• Bifidobacterium longum + Bifidobacterium infantis: Actively support the production of GABA (the calming neurotransmitter) and serotonin to target daily social anxiety and support deep, restful sleep. [5, 6, 7]

• Lactobacillus acidophilus + Lactobacillus bulgaricus: Work to improve Glutamate balance and optimise dopamine pathways, directly boosting your mental focus, motivation, and clarity. [5, 7, 8]

• Bifidobacterium breve + Saccharomyces boulardii: Help reduce inflammation in the gut and manage your body's HPA-axis (stress response), making you naturally more resilient to stress. [5, 9]

This incredible new science validates the unique combination of probiotics that we have always included in our formulas. [1] We have been pioneering gut and brain health since 2019.

By choosing our gold award winning, clean, allergen-free, probiotic-powered ingredients, you are taking care of your digestive health as well as actively giving your brain the biological tools it needs to fight anxiety, boost mood, and enjoy truly restful nights. [5,10]

[1] https://www.montgomeryandevelyn.com

[2] https://www.montgomeryandevelyn.com

[3] https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk

[4] https://www.montgomeryandevelyn.com

[5] https://www.montgomeryandevelyn.com

[6] https://www.sciencedirect.com

[7] https://www.healthline.com

[8] https://www.frontiersin.org

[9] https://biophysicsessentialsofficial.com

[10] https://www.montgomeryandevelyn.com