Andrew Huberman – Dr. Sara Gottfried: How to Optimize Female Hormone Health for Vitality & Longevity

• Andrew Huberman is a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine
• Dr. Sarah Gottfried is an obstetrician gynecologist and clinical professor of integrative medicine and nutritional sciences at Thomas Jefferson University
• They discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life, including the gut microbiome, nutrition, exercise, omega-3 fatty acids, and the digestive system

Women: Family history, environment and heredity

• Women should have conversations with themselves and family members to gain insight into their specific needs
• Trauma and intergenerational trauma can affect the endocrine system
• Puberty, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause can have a genetic component
• Certain female conditions, such as endometriosis, fibroids, and polycystic ovarian syndrome, can have a strong genetic component

Constipation

• Constipation is a common symptom in women and can signal a larger set of problems
• Women experience more trauma than men, which can affect their HPA response and perceived stress
• Constipation can be used as a target for intervention to open up discussions about other issues
• Constipation is defined as having a bowel movement less than once a day and feeling a complete evacuation

Testing and future behaviour

• Women in their late teens and early 20s should be aware of their testosterone, estrogen, thyroid, and cortisol levels, as well as their microbiome.
• Different opportunities for health exist by decade.
• Knowing testosterone levels in the teenage years can help inform how to take care of oneself.
• Testosterone levels can decline starting in the 20s due to stress.
• For women post-25, a healthy reference point is the top half of the normal range.

Omega-3s and fish oil

• Omega-3s and fish oil are generally accepted as important for health
• Consider taking 1-2 grams of EPA per day, depending on diet
• Omega-3s alone may not be enough to resolve inflammation; consider combining with specialized pro-resolving mediators
• Rank order of supplements for college students: fish oil, magnesium, vitamin D, phosphatidylserine
• Vitamin D dosage should be between 1,000-2,000 IU per day, or dose to a serum level between 50-90

Micronutrients, vegetables and the Microbiome

• Precision medicine is used to test patients, often including nutritional testing
• Micronutrients play a role in hormone production, such as magnesium and estrogen
• Eating vegetables is an important predictor of future breast cancer risk, especially in teenagers.
• Smoothies with vegetables can be used to help support the microbiome.
• Supplements can be used as a distant second to smoothies.
• One patient changed their microbiome by having a smoothie with 57 vegetables and fruits every day.

Anti-Mullerian Hormone(AMH)

• Women should get their follicle number and AMH levels assessed to get a sense of their ovarian reserve.
• Most women don’t get this done until they are in their late 30s or early 40s.
• AMH levels are not included in a standard blood panel.
• Women who want to freeze their eggs or are having trouble getting pregnant are the ones who usually get AMH levels tested.
• Women who are experiencing symptoms of early menopause also get tested.
• There is a double standard between those who want to get pregnant and those who don’t when it comes to hormone testing.

Eat your vegetables

• Probiotics can be beneficial for people under significant stress or after taking antibiotics
• Randomized trials are needed to support the use of probiotics
• Prebiotics and polyphenols may be more beneficial than probiotics
• Eating more vegetables is a great starting place for gut microbiome health
• Stool sample testing can be used to analyze nutritional deficiencies and microbiome health

Stress, Meditation and breathwork

• Stress reduction is important for relieving constipation and other indicators of health
• Different stress reduction tools work for different people, such as physiological sighing, transcendental meditation, yoga, holotropic breath work, and box breathing
• A study found that cyclic sighing led to the greatest improvements in mood and lowered resting heart rate
• Other stress reduction tools include sex, orgasm, connection, and feeling heard and seen and loved

Fasting and diet

• Intermittent fasting, time-restricted feeding, and/or a ketogenic diet can increase cells sensitivity to insulin.
• Women don’t need to stay on the ketogenic diet for long periods of time.
• Metabolic flexibility can be increased by periodically switching back and forth between a typical eating pattern and a ketogenic diet.
• A ketogenic diet should be used as a short-term experiment (4 weeks).

Puberty

Puberty in the US is now occurring at a younger age than 50 years ago, likely due to toxin exposure.

• The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-gonadal-thyroid-gut axis is the control system for the teenage years.
• Cortisol is a useful biomarker to look at in the teenage years.

Behaviour for vitality

• Sleep is essential for vitality and longevity
• Avoid too much alcohol, perceived stress, and eating the wrong foods
• Avoid toxic relationships and isolation
• Exercise regularly with a combination of cardio and resistance training
• Consider cortisol levels when exercising and use vitamin C to buffer it
• Consider hormone panels to identify root causes of health issues

Ashwagandha to lower cortisol levels

• Ashwagandha and Rhodiola Rosacea can help lower cortisol levels
• Phosphatidylserine (PS) can also reduce cortisol, with a dose of 400-800 milligrams
• Cortisol Manager by Integrative Therapeutics is a combination of PS and Ashwagandha
• Cortisol typically peaks 30-60 minutes after waking and gradually declines until bedtime
• PS should be taken when cortisol is highest (morning or night)

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