Hormones and gut health
Top 5 Picks for Hormone Balancing
An Intimate Connection: Hormones and Gut Health
When you think of hormones, your mind might jump to mood swings, metabolism, or reproductive health. But would you ever guess that your gut plays a starring role in keeping your hormones balanced? It’s true—and the science behind it is both fascinating and empowering.
Inside your digestive system lives the gut microbiome—a bustling community of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes. While they’re best known for helping with digestion, these tiny residents also play a major role in regulating your hormones, from estrogen to cortisol and even insulin.
Sex Hormones. Take estrogen, for example. A specific group of gut bacteria, known as the estrobolome, helps process and eliminate excess estrogen. When these bacteria are out of balance—due to stress, poor diet, or antibiotics—your body might recycle estrogen instead of flushing it out. The result? Hormonal symptoms like bloating, acne, mood swings, heavy periods, and potentially more serious conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, and female cancers.
Appetite and Metabolic Health. The gut also chats directly with your brain through something called the gut-brain axis. A healthy microbiome can help regulate cortisol, the stress hormone, keeping you calmer and your other hormones more stable. It even influences hunger hormones like leptin and ghrelin, which affect your appetite and metabolism.
Neurotransmitters. Brain chemicals such as Dopamine, Serotonin, and GABA are also produced in the gut. For example, over 90% of Serotonin is manufactured in your f
ood tube. Serotonin is famous for regulating mood and happiness, and in your gut, it also helps manage digestion, appetite, and even how you feel pain. So, if you experience conditions such as anxiety, depression, or sleep issues, look to your gut health for answers.
The good news? You can support your gut—and by extension, your hormones—through simple lifestyle shifts: eat more fiber-rich and fermented foods, get quality sleep, move your body, and manage stress.
Your gut and hormones are in constant conversation. At Zone Blue, we start with gut health testing to get to the root cause of hormone and mood imbalances. Want to know what your gut is trying to tell you?
Explore functional gut testing and start your healing journey today. Your body (and hormones) will thank you.
