If you thought matters of love are all about heart, think again. A recent study by the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (the US) linked daily marital distress to leaky gut. This releases bacteria in the blood, which can aggravate disease-causing inflammation. Experts tell us that emotional distress, regardless of the source, can affect the whole body.

"Generalised inflammatory state in the body causes a number of ailments such as heart disease, diabetes and liver issues too. And stress is a known trigger for such diseases. Stress causes alteration in the bowel flora and also leads to other gut issues. Because of the brain-gut axis, the chemical signals from the brain can affect the motility of your gastrointestinal tract.