Are your hormone imbalances linked to your gut health?

Did you know that your hormone imbalances may be linked to your gut health?

If this sounds far-fetched, it’s understandable. Conventional medicine separates various systems, organs, and facets of the body and creates “specialties” from them. For instance, endocrinologists focus on hormones, cardiologists focus on the heart, gastroenterologists focus on the digestive system… you get the idea! 

However, the body is interconnected, and each aspect heavily responds to what’s happening in and around it. When your hormones are imbalanced, it can create a ripple effect of disruption that can cause your digestion to suffer. Likewise, when the gut if off balance, it can disrupt the delicate production and function of hormones.

Let’s take a closer look with some examples of hormone issues:

• Thyroid disorders

• PCOS

• Estrogen metabolism

• Cortisol activity

How does the gut influence the thyroid?

I’m glad you asked! Not all hormones are produced in the thyroid, reproductive organs, and brain. Some are actually produced in the gut! There are even receptors for thyroid hormones in the gut lining.

The vagus nerve, the central nerve that runs from your gut to your brain, is a communication superhighway, and serves as a mechanism of communication between the gut and the thyroid. This is called the gut-thyroid axis, and it’s a big factor in metabolism.

Another way the gut and thyroid are connected is through the microbiome (collection of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the gut). The gut microbiome influences key hormones, including your thyroid hormones, estrogen, cortisol, and insulin. When there is a lack of diversity in the types of bacteria (dysbiosis) in the gut, it can lead to hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.  

Sometimes the lining of the intestines can become too permeable – allowing substances that should stay in the intestines to escape into the bloodstream – which creates larger problems throughout the body. When the intestines are too permeable, it’s known as “leaky gut” or “increased intestinal permeability.” Thyroid hormones help to maintain tight junctures in the intestinal lining, but when your thyroid is under active, this can lead to leaky gut. In a vicious cycle, leaky gut can then cause more hormone problems. And if that weren’t enough, leaky gut can put the body into a state of chronic inflammation, which can cause cortisol levels to rise, and high levels of cortisol can lead to thyroid problems.

How does the gut influence PCOS?

In a healthy gut, there is a good balance of bacteria, specifically more beneficial bacteria than pathogenic ones. However, when your gut bacteria get overpopulated with the bad bugs, there are more toxins that come along with them. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are toxins that come from unfriendly bacteria. When you have leaky gut, LPS can travel across the gut barrier and enter the bloodstream. When this happens, they can cause all sorts of problems, including disrupting hormone balance. One of the problems these LPS toxins cause are interferences with insulin receptors, which can lead to higher levels of insulin in the bloodstream, a contributing factor for many women with PCOS.

How does the gut influence estrogen metabolism?

Estrogen moves through the body, and when there are excess amounts, it gets metabolized by the liver and excreted in the stool and urine. However, leaky gut can interfere with the body's ability to excrete estrogen properly and can cause estrogen to be reabsorbed in the body, which then increases circulating estrogen levels. This increases the risk of estrogen dominance, which is associated with many conditions such as PMS, PMDD, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, perimenopause, and an increased risk of breast cancer. 

How does the gut influence cortisol?

Now understanding how the gut – the function, the lining, the bacteria balance – can impact hormones on many levels and lead to hormone related health conditions, is it any wonder that the gut plays a key role in cortisol activity as well? Cortisol is our key stress-response hormone, and too much or too little can impair digestion, and conversely, poor gut health can increase cortisol and stress. More specifically, gut dysbiosis or leaky gut cause inflammation, which causes cortisol levels to rise, and vice versa, high stress can lead to gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, and increased inflammation. 

At this point you may be concerned that the hormone-gut connection is a vicious cycle which is hard to break. But knowledge is power. When we work together, we find sustainable and often simple ways to break that cycle and get you healthy and happy, but it is a bio-individual approach. Caring for the gut doesn’t just mean taking a probiotic. In fact, in some cases, that’s the last thing you want to do. It all depends on the person. How you care for your gut will depend on your specific digestive and hormonal symptoms, food sensitivities, and other factors in your life like stress, sleep, access to certain foods, and medical history. 

Want to learn more? Let’s talk about your hormone and gut health.