The gut has received widespread attention recently due to numerous studies establishing a link between exercise and diet molding gut microbiota and intestinal health. In addition, numerous studies have shown that sex and in particular estrogen play a large role in gut microbial community structure and intestinal inflammation. The purpose of this review is to highlight key studies from our lab and others that have been done in the fields of exercise, diet, and sex differences on gut microbiota and intestinal health. The review will highlight the role of estrogen in shaping the gut microbiota, and how changes in estrogen across the female lifespan impact gut microbes, intestinal tight junction proteins and colonic inflammatory response.
Campbell et al. (Sun,) studied this question.