Research shows that only 4% of women in the UK eat the recommended 30 grams of fibre per day. Eating adequate amounts of fibre is one of the key ways to help support the estrobolome (bacteria in the gut which is capable of metabolising and modulating the body’s circulating oestrogen).
A healthy estrobolome minimises reabsorption of oestrogen from the gut, allowing safe removal as waste in stool and urine, thus ensuring hormone balance. Dietary fibre draws water into the colon, adding bulk and softness to your stool, thereby helping it pass more smoothly through the digestive tract. This supports elimination of excess oestrogen (applicable in peri/menopause too).
Signs of oestrogen dominance include; bloating, breast tenderness, fibrocystic lumps in breasts, worse PMS symptoms, mood swings, headaches, anxiety, weight gain, cold hands and feet, insomnia, fatigue and memory problems.
Try to get fibre into every meal, sources of fibre include; cruciferous vegetables (also
contain compounds to aid liver detoxification of excess oestrogen), starchy root vegetables, wholegrains, oats, artichokes, apples, pears, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds (especially flaxseed and chia seeds) and kiwis.
Fibre is of course necessary for good gut health; to support bowel function, ‘feed’ the gut microbiome, it ensures you’re fuller for longer and supports blood sugar balance. The Hazda tribe in Tanzania eat 100 grams of fibre per day & have been shown to have incredibly diverse & healthy populations of gut bacteria! 🔬
As well as supporting hormone balance via the estrobolome & ensuring unwanted or excess hormones are not recirculated in the blood stream, fibre also lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes & certain cancers e.g. colorectal.
So if you think you don't eat enough fibre, here is your prompt to increase it in your everyday, BUT go slow! Build up gradually to avoid bloating, gassiness & discomfort. 💨
Hormone balance is supported in a myriad of ways, but increasing fibre and water 💧 intake is a good place to start for all round health & excreting those hormones no longer needed by the body. Oestrogen excess/dominance is still relevant in peri-menopause, which is often a time where gut health changes & constipation can be more common.
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