KPBS Midday Edition

How Tiny Microbes In Your Gut Affect Your Mood

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Marissa Cabrera / News Producer, KPBS Midday Edition

Published January 10, 2017 at 8:17 AM PST

This story was published more than 7 years ago.

How Tiny Microbes In Your Gut Affect Your Mood GUEST: Dr. Emeran Mayer, author, "The Mind-Gut Connection"

For many of us during the holidays, we let our stomachs control our brains, and we end up eating just about anything our hungry gut wants.

Now, with the start of 2017, we try to put our brains back in control and eat in healthy moderation whether our stomachs like it or not.

But this dichotomy between brain and stomach may be just an illusion, as science learns how deeply connected the two are.

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Researchers are finding that the brain and the gut communicate, and physical and mental health issues even can crop up if that communication is disrupted.

Dr. Mayer presented his new book on the topic, "The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices and Our Overall Health" at Warwicks in La Jolla, Monday.

Dr. Mayer discusses the relationship between gut microbes, depression and other diseases, Tuesday on KPBS Midday Edition.

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Marissa Cabrera

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Marissa Cabrera worked as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and had previously served as a Newscast Producer for KPBS' Morning Edition. Before joining KPBS she reported on Vatican affairs, social, and cultural issues in Rome, Italy. She also contributed to a documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic Church. Marissa has worked as a multimedia journalist at various news stations in San Diego and Monterey as well as Columbia, Missouri. Marissa graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

See stories by Marissa Cabrera