Your gut is influencing your hormones
If you've been paying attention to ever evolving world of gut health science over the past few years, you'll be well aware that your digestive system does far more than simply break down food. That there is a dialogue between your brain and your intestines, for example, is now widely known: with the gut:brain connection responsible for managing stress, mood and motility.
There's other curious links between the system and other parts of your body, too, though. One is the gut:hormone axis. Ever experienced changes to your digestion around your menstrual cycle? If so, that's the connection in action.
'The gut hormone axis refers to the two-way relationship between your gut microbiome and your hormones, which can include everything including the female sex hormone oestrogen, the stress hormone cortisol and your hunger and fullness hormones ghrelin and leptin,' Dr Emily Leeming, a microbiome scientist and author of Genius Gut, tells WH.
How does your gut impact your hormones?
The first reason that the link between the gut and our hormones is a physical one: there are hormone receptors – molecules that 'read' and react to hormones – along your digestive system, including for sex hormone oestrogen and mood hormone serotonin.
Secondly, the bacteria in your gut influences and is influenced by hormones. 'Your microbiome can help to supply your brain with the building blocks of your happy hormone serotonin and your pleasure and reward hormone dopamine,' says Dr Leeming.
Female hormones are also hugely linked with the function of your gut bacteria. 'There's a collection of gut microbes called "oestrobolome" that can recycle oestrogen, allowing it to re-enter the blood stream instead of being excreted,' explains Dr Naomi Potter, a GP and menopause expert, who is working with probiotic milk drink, Yakult.
Too much or too little of these microbes can result in imbalanced oestrogen levels and lead to problems with libido, mood, bone strength, brain function, immunity and heart health.
And the role is bi-directional, reminds Dr Leeming: 'Oestrogen has an important role in your gut, affecting both how your gut moves and also how sensitive it is to pain signals.'
How does your period impact your gut?
We can't talk about hormones without talking about the menstrual cycle and menopause. According to a survey by Yakult, nearly half of women report gut issues such as loose poop, constipation and stomach aches during their period.
This is likely down to the impact of oestrogen and progesterone on your digestive system. Studies show that progesterone – which is high just before your period – can lead to constipation. 'Conversely, during luteal phase, oestrogen and progesterone levels will drop and prostaglandins - a group of lipids with hormone-like actions - will rise if the egg remains unfertilised.
Collectively, this can cause diarrhoea, cramping and increase pain sensitivity just as bleeding begins,' says Dr Potter.
Further proving the link, about 40% of women with IBS report that their period affects their IBS symptoms, says Dr Leeming. 'And women with PCOS, the most common female hormone disorder, are also more likely to have IBS than women who don’t have PCOS.'
And when your period changes, so too can your gut. 'Women are more likely to have IBS than men from puberty to their mid forties, but rates of IBS in women steadily decline with age, suggesting that female sex hormones play a role in the development of IBS,' says Dr Leeming.
She also points to a study comparing the incidence of IBS in menopausal women who were taking HRT (artificial replacements of oestrogen and progesterone) vs non-HRT that found those who were taking it were nearly twice as likely to have IBS than the women who didn’t, which might further show how hormones impact our digestion.
HRT can be life changing for many women, so do speak to your GP if you're suffering side effects.
And it's not just the sex hormones. Postmenopausal women are shown to have a less diverse gut microbiota 'which can lead to lower production of short chain fatty acids, which play a role in appetite regulation,' says Dr Potter. 'It's another example of how our gut health can affect the symptoms of hormone changes during the female lifecycle.'
How to harness the gut-hormone axis
So, should you be eating differently through your cycle? Or trying to supercharge your serotonin when feeling down? Not quite, says Dr Leeming.
'There’s little to no evidence that you should change what you eat according to your menstrual cycle (though during your period it’s important to focus on eating enough iron-rich foods). Instead, generally looking after your gut microbiome can improve your overall wellbeing to support your hormone health,' she says.
According to Yakult, only a third of women have tried eating a more diverse diet to help support their gut. That's a great place to start if you want a happy digestive system and hormones.
'The different gut bacteria thrive on various types of plant fibres, so it’s good to change it up with a diverse range of dishes. For example, try adding items such as tins of mixed beans to warming curries, Bolognese, and soups, to boost your intake. These little additions here and there can help boost our plant food intake and in turn, help make for a happier gut,' says Dr Potter.
Dr Leeming echoes this advice, saying: 'Try eating plenty of fibre-rich foods like beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies. Your gut bacteria feed on fibre, and make special molecules called metabolites that have wide health effects across your body, from helping to keep the lining of your gut healthy and strong to signalling to your brain.'
'If you have IBS, it’s best to see a dietitian for personalised advice as you may find some types of fibre in too large doses can make certain symptoms worse not better, and this can be different person to person.'
And, as all of our hormones, cycles and guts are different, 'it could be helpful to track gut symptoms whilst tracking your menstrual cycle to better understand individual cyclical changes and how they impact our gut health,' advises Dr Potter.
'After all, knowledge is power.'
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