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Gut microbiome & hormones: what you need to know & 4 ways to support balance
When we talk about hormones, you might think of puberty or reproductive health, but your hormones influence far more than that!
They help regulate your stress response, appetite, blood sugar, mood, sleep, and menstrual cycle—essentially acting as chemical messengers that keep your body in balance.
Your endocrine system—made up of glands like the pituitary and thyroid—produces many of these hormones. But it’s not working alone. Organs such as the gut, liver, and pancreas also play a crucial role in producing and regulating them.1https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/
And here’s the key: The healthier your gut, the more balanced your hormones are likely to be. Let’s break down why.
How your gut and hormones talk to each other
You’ve probably heard of the gut-brain axis—the idea that your gut acts like a “second brain.2https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-second-brain/
Your gut is also deeply connected to your hormonal system.
It doesn’t just respond to hormones—it actively produces and regulates them, working alongside systems like the HPA (stress) axis. Many of the hormones produced by the endocrine system have an effect on gut health and vice versa.
Your gut produces key hormones that control hunger and digestion:3https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/4https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/5https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/
- Ghrelin – triggers hunger
- Leptin – signals the brain to suppress appetite
- CCK – promotes satiety, digestion and enzyme secretion
- PYY – suppresses appetite and slows transit
- GLP-1 – slows gastric emptying and enhances insulin secretion
- GLP-2 – crucial for digestion and nutrient absorption
- Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) – delays gastric emptying and promotes satiety
- Serotonin – influences mood, pain and appetite
Your gut microbiome can also impact sex hormones, such as oestrogen. A group of bacteria known as the estrobolome lives in the gut and metabolises oestrogen. If this system becomes imbalanced, it can affect how oestrogen is processed and removed from the body.6https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/
Stress hormones, such as cortisol, are produced elsewhere in the endocrine system, outside the gut—but they have a direct impact on it.
Chronic stress can:
- Disrupt your gut microbiome
- Weaken your gut lining
- Increase inflammation
In other words, the gut–hormone relationship works both ways.
What happens when your gut is out of balance?
When your gut microbiome becomes imbalanced (known as gut dysbiosis), it can disrupt hormone function in several ways.
One key issue is intestinal permeability (“leaky gut”), where harmful substances like endotoxins enter the bloodstream.7https://www.alliedacademies.org/articles/
This can trigger widespread effects across your hormonal system.
1. Appetite and metabolic hormones
Gut bacteria help produce compounds like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are essential for hormone signalling.
If these are lacking:
- Hunger cues can become dysregulated
- Satiety signals may weaken
- Cravings may increase
Certain bacteria may even influence appetite directly through metabolite production.8https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/
2. Sex hormones
An imbalanced gut can disrupt the estrobolome, leading to poor oestrogen metabolism.
This may result in:
- Oestrogen reabsorption
- Hormonal imbalances (e.g. oestrogen dominance)
Hormones also affect the gut in return—for example, low testosterone has been linked to more severe IBS symptoms.9https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/
3. Stress hormones
High cortisol levels (a.k.a. being very stressed!) can weaken the gut barrier, causing gut permeability.10https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/ This can also alter the range of microbiota in the gut, which can lead to gut dysbiosis.11https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/
How to support your hormones through your gut
The good news? Supporting your gut can have a direct, positive impact on your hormones.
Here are some simple, science-backed ways to start:
1. Add probiotics
Introduce probiotics through fermented foods such as kefir, sauerkraut or kimchi, as these contain beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus, which supports gut balance. Chukling Goat’s award winning kefir contains 95 strains as well as “non-transient” bacteria that survive the digestive process to colonise the gut.12https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/
2. Feed your gut with prebiotics
Prebiotic fibres nourish beneficial gut bacteria and encourage the production of SCFAs, which are important for overall gut health as well as hormone secretion and signalling. You can find 18 different types in our Complete Prebiotic!
3. Increase dietary fibre
Fibre helps improve digestion and transit time, support blood sugar balance and improve insulin sensitivity.13https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/
4. Include omega-3 fatty acids
These can be found in oily fish, such as mackerel and salmon, as well as in chia and flax seeds. Omega-3s reduce inflammation and help regulate cortisol production.14https://www.mdpi.com/
Your gut and hormones are in constant conversation.
When one is out of balance, the other often follows.
By improving your gut health, you’re not just supporting digestion—you’re supporting your entire hormonal system.
Want to learn more about the gut-endocrine connection? Check out our articles Gut-health and hormones: how the microbiome shapes women’s wellbeing and 3 gut-friendly foods to support your hormones.
Any questions? Contact one of our Nutritional Therapists via live chat, weekdays 8am to 8pm.
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