The Surprising Role Of Gut Bacteria For Healthy Hormones & Digestion
Key takeaways
- That's true, but a new study in Nature Neuroscience suggests something more specific is happening beneath the surface.
- The finding reframes what we thought we knew about the microbiome's role in digestion and points to a surprisingly intimate connection between gut health and hormone health.
- The enteric nervous system is the complex network of neurons embedded in the gut wall, sometimes called the second brain.
Why this matters: practical guidance grounded in recent research or expert insight.
Author: Zhané Slambee June 19, 2026mindbodygreen editor By Zhané Slambee Image by Sergey Filimonov / Stocksy June 19, 2026If you've ever finished a course of antibiotics and noticed your digestion felt sluggish for days afterward, you've probably chalked it up to the usual explanation: antibiotics wipe out good bacteria, and your gut pays the price.
That's true, but a new study in Nature Neuroscience suggests something more specific is happening beneath the surface. Gut bacteria may be actively recycling hormones1 that help keep your colon moving, and when antibiotics eliminate those bacteria, that hormonal signaling goes quiet.
The finding reframes what we thought we knew about the microbiome's role in digestion and points to a surprisingly intimate connection between gut health and hormone health.