Researchers at the University of Illinois (U. of I.) have discovered that long-term therapy with estrogen and bazedoxifene alters the microbial composition and activity in the gut of mice, affecting how estrogen is metabolized. The findings of this study, suggest that changing the chemistry in the gut could improve the efficacy and long-term safety of estrogen supplements for postmenopausal women and breast cancer patients.
“Our findings indicate that clinicians might be able to manipulate the gut biome through probiotics to change the half-life and properties of estrogens so that long-term users obtain the therapeutic benefits of estrogen-replacement therapy without increasing their risks of reproductive cancers,” said Madak-Erdogan, also the director of the Women’s Health, Hormones and Nutrition Lab at the U. of I.
NIFA supports this research through Hatch Act Funding.
Read the full article at Illinois News Bureau.
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