Why supporting your gut health is key to balancing your hormones.

Plus 5 key ways to improve your hormones through your gut!

Why supporting your gut health is key to balancing your hormones!



Did you know improving or even balancing our hormones can be done through the gut? 
Whilst you may be aware that the health of your skin is largely impacted by the health of your gut, you may not be aware of the importance it has for restoring our hormones. 



As I have mentioned in previous articles, our gut health is considered to be the centre for optimal health.


Its roles include digestion, absorption and transportation of nutrients. 

It controls the excretion of nutrients throughout the body, and is essential for optimal functioning of essential organs including; the liver, immune system, integumentary system and even our hormones.

As the quality of our microbiome is largely driven and impacted by the foods and environment it is exposed to, this applies also for the health of our hormones. Therefore, focusing on optimising your gut health is key for improving your hormones.

A healthy gut is the foundation for a healthy liver, as it enables the production and process of phase 1 and 2 detoxification to work efficiently. This is essential for a regular and healthy menstrual cycle, and ensuring our body is able to receive its nutrients properly, as well as breaking down and restoring its nutrients effectively.

Having a healthy microbiome is essential for our hormonal health in multiple ways, including:

• helping to regulate the menstrual cycle

• ensuring our hormones are being flushed out monthly, reducing any potential build up or elevated/pathogenic bacteria within the gut

• providing healthy detoxification and filtering of hormones

• reducing inflammation that may lead to symptoms of PMS, abdominal bloating, cramping and even mood support.

In fact, our gut is so closely connected to our liver, the organ responsible for detoxification and excretion of our hormones, it is fair to say that they work hand in hand to ensure our hormones are being excreted effectively and efficiently. 

If we have a ‘build up’, sluggish digestion, or poor elimination of waste and toxins within the gut, this blocks them from being moved to the liver to be cleared and excreted properly, which can lead to a backwash and recirculation of toxins and hormones in the body. Poor or sluggish filtration leads to an accumulation and recirculation of these hormones, causing them to become inflammatory. 



Here are 5 easy ways to improve your hormones, through your gut!

• Support your microbiome

A healthy microbiome is essential for optimal gut health. A healthy gut helps reduce inflammation by supporting the clearance of pathogenic (harmful) bacteria.
When we have a healthy and diverse microbiome, this helps reduce inflammation that can commonly lead to an accumulation or buildup of hormones, preventing them from being properly excreted.

• Increase fibre

Fibre is one of the key ways to boost the good bacteria within your gut. Fibre helps to bind up and ‘flush out’ excess toxins from circulating within the digestive system, helping to excrete them from the system.
Fibre helps to flush out elevated oestrogen and androgens, which is essential to prevent any toxic build up of pathogenic or potential inflammatory hormones. This also helps reduce inflammation which can lead to hormonal imbalances, and inflammatory hormones.


• Increase green leafy vegetables and cruciferous veggies

Cruciferous vegetables are high in fibre and bind to potential toxins which assists with the excreting them from the system. They also contain an active constituent called indole-3-carbinal, which helps with the clearance of elevated oestrogens and testosterone.


• Prebiotic and probiotic rich foods

Prebiotic and probiotic foods help support the microflora, which promotes the growth of helpful bacteria within the gut. This helps reduce inflammation and improves the nutrient absorption and breakdown with the gut. 
This can also assist with reducing PMS like symptoms including abdominal pain, bloating or even cramping, as the good bacteria helps reduce internal inflammation, which is often a large driver behind this.

• Focus on anti-inflammatory food/reducing inflammatory food

Focusing on eating a whole food based diet helps support both our hormones and gut health. This helps with reducing inflammation that can lead to irregular, painful periods and period related symptoms. Inflammation actually increases prostaglandin production, which is the term for our pain receptors and pain sensation. Therefore, having inflammatory foods such as sugar, processed foods, packaged foods, or overly oily, fried, smoked or takeaway foods can actually increase your sense of pain associated during or around your menstrual cycle. Inflammatory food is often also a trigger for inflammation in the gut, often causing IBS like symptoms, and can further driving these hormonal imbalances. 


• Include good quality clean proteins

These contain essential amino acids; glycine, glutamine, taurine which are all integral to support the lining and cellular repair of the gut. They are utilised to support liver detoxification, and again supporting the balance and clearance of hormones within the system. They also play a vital role for mood support, and increasing seratonin and dopamine production, which helps support and stabilise mood, reducing PMS, depression and anxiety associated with menstruation.



Some key nutrients to consider for healing and supporting gut health:

Magnesium helps to support and protect the gut lining, increasing nutrient absorption and reducing inflammation internally. It also assists with the nervous system and muscular tension, helping support mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Zinc is involved in helping regulate our menstrual cycle and is anti-androgenic. This helps with reducing potential elevated androgens, and is also involved in cellular synthesis which helps to improve the cell lining within the gut!


For more information on all things nutrition, skin health, gut health, and hormonal support, be sure to check out the blog!

Also, if you found this helpful, or know someone you think would benefit from this, then please share this with them.


If you are ready to get to the root cause of your hormonal imbalances, or are wanting to improve your gut health but you’re not sure where to start, then I am here to help you and would love to assist you on your health journey!


Simply send your enquiry or get in contact below and I will be in contact with you. I look forward to helping you on your health journey!




Till next time, Take care



Dominique

Skin Nutrition Co.

The 3 common hormones causing your acne!

The 3 common hormones causing your acne!



Have you been told that you might have a hormonal imbalance? 
Or perhaps you have never experienced issues with breakouts but have now been labelled with ‘hormonal acne’ or ‘late onset adult acne’?


Are you now experiencing acne for the first time, or maybe now worse than you have experienced before?



Although hormonal imbalances are very individual and require an individualised consultation to identify what may be causing the root cause of this imbalance for your body, and identifying the root cause for your condition.

I will break down 3 common hormonal imbalances that contribute to inflammatory skin conditions which can often lead to acne.



1. Insulin

Insulin is the term for blood sugar and is often very closely related to breakouts and poor skin health. Did you know that acne is so closely related to blood sugar that it has been labelled the ‘diabetes of the skin’?

This is due to the increase in blood sugar, which increases inflammation internally and drives the inflammation externally. If our insulin is too high for too long, it can lead to hormonal imbalances, poor gut health and can even contribute to increased androgens (male hormones).


2. Elevated androgens (testosterone)


Whilst as women we still need some levels of testosterone, high or excess levels are often a large driver for acne in women. 
High androgens (male hormones) can be the result of elevated insulin, or poor liver detoxification, which means the liver has not been able to properly clear out the excess androgens causing an accumulation of these hormones.
Other signs of high androgens can be excess facial hair, increased body weight or difficulties with losing weight.

Some women experience discolouration and/or pigmentation on their skin, or irregular/missed periods. DHT- (di-hydrogesterone) is the name for the inflammatory androgen which is commonly responsible for acne and excess oil production. This often leads to the excess oil production and bacteria within the sebum that leads to breakouts, often seen along the lower face, neck and jawline.


3. Low progesterone


Progesterone when in balance is often known as our ‘clear skin and happy hormone’. This hormone is released prior to ovulation and helps with nourishing and lubricating the skin. Progesterone actually provides multiple benefits, particularly for women’s health and skin. 
It helps to nourish our hair and skin, and even reduces androgenic activity (by inhibiting alpha-5-reductase), which helps reduce excess sebum production and breakouts.


However, if this is deficient, or your body is not producing enough, this can lead to breakout prone and dryer skin. Deficient or low progesterone can also increase in skin ageing , as it helps with skin elasticity and circulation, keeping the skin hydrated and ‘plump’. 


Here are 5 key ways you can help to restore and balance your hormones, and clear your skin!



1. Reduce refined sugars, and process or pre-packaged foods.

Refined sugar is a direct driver for inflammation and acne and can reap havoc for our skin, hormones and health. Avoid processed foods, soft drinks, sweeteners and foods from a packet as these are direct drivers of inflammation. Focus on eating real foods for natural sweetness, such as fruit.

2. Increase fibre rich vegetables 

Fibre provides multiple benefits for our skin and hormonal health. It does this by binding to excess hormones, helping to flush them from our system. Fibre also helps to support and repair a healthy microbiome, both for our gut and skin!


3. Include your cruciferous vegetables!

Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts) help with liver detoxification, which is essential for the clearance of elevated hormones, and ensuring our hormones are being filtered and cleared out thoroughly.

4. Include healthy fats, particularly from omega 3 fatty acids.

These are naturally anti-inflammatory and help to reduce inflammation internally which can be a common driver for acne and hormonal imbalances. They also help to nourish the skin cell membrane, and reduce the bacteria within the sebum.

5. Include Zinc

Zinc is a key nutrient for skin and hormones! Zinc helps to reduce androgenic activity, with sebum regulation as well as assist in reducing the bacteria within the skin, and can even assist in the regulation of our menstrual cycle.


6. Support your liver!

As the liver is the main pathway for detoxification, this is also where your hormones are processed and cleared! Looking after your liver is key, and avoiding excess toxins within the liver is essential for clearing out potentially inflamed or accumulated hormones, and clearing your skin.


If you’re ready to get to the root cause of your chronic skin condition and find out the direct cause of your hormonal imbalance, then I am here to help you. With personalised consultations and functional testing, I can help you identify what may be the root cause of your condition, so we can treat your skin, balance your hormones and heal your hormonal acne for good!



Simply send me an email below, or schedule a call to find out more on how I can work with you to achieve your skin health and hormonal balance!



If you found this helpful, and would like to know more about achieving healthy skin from the inside out, then please subscribe to www.skinnnutritionco.com.au to make sure you are the first in the know for any updates and weekly blogs.

Till next time,

Take care!




Dominique



Skin Nutrition Co. X