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Tag: tag: Gut Health

  • The Hidden Toll of Holiday Stress on Women’s Health

    (Photo: Ayana Underwood/Canva)

    Published December 11, 2025 02:24PM

    As many women can empathize with, the winter season often forces us to do it all. We’re put into the role of head chief, full-time caretaker, and Christmas tree pruner during one of the most chaotic times of the year. And according to a new survey, the holiday stress can take a serious toll on women’s health.

    Oshi Health, a nationwide virtual health clinic specializing in the treatment of digestive issues, found in their survey that women are far more likely than men to suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) distress during the holiday season. The reason? Women are often the ones who curate and shop for everything on the gift lists, plan family travel, handle the logistics of hosting, cook, and—for those who are parents—manage and tend to their kids’ needs. They’re what the survey calls “Holiday CEOs.” Though anyone can be a Holiday CEO, women are more likely to shoulder the season’s tasks.

    Taking on significantly more responsibility than any one person can or should manage causes stress. These external factors “influence our nervous system load, which influences our stress response,” and lead to gut problems, says Meg Bowman, a licensed integrative clinical nutritionist with expertise in mental health. During this time of year, Bowman says, “We see more bloating, more gas, indigestion, and GERD (acid reflux).

    What Triggers GI Distress During the Holidays?

    One thing our bodies love and need to thrive is communication. “We’ve long known that the gut and brain are in constant conversation. When stress rises, the gut feels it,” said Dr. Treta Purohit, a gastroenterologist and the Executive Medical Director at Oshi Health, in the survey’s official report.

    Of the 2,504 adults surveyed, 76 percent reported experiencing gut discomfort during the holidays. The top drivers of gut problems? Fifty-two percent point to schedule disruptions due to travel, and 42 percent blame financial stress.

    According to the survey, other reported culprits of GI distress, in order of most damaging to least, include the dietary shifts that come with, understandably, indulging in all the delicious food and alcohol this season brings (36 percent), navigating strained interpersonal family dynamics (34 percent), and a lack of sleep (32 percent).

    But why does stress cause such gnarly gut problems? When anxiety spikes, the body goes into fight or flight mode. This activates hormones that signal how quickly or slowly food should move through the body. Food moving too fast causes diarrhea; too slow, constipation. There’s a feedback loop at play, though. Because an out-of-whack gut microbiome signals to the brain that there’s a problem, resulting in even more stress.

    While Both Men and Women Deal with Holiday Stress, Women Still Suffer the Most

    One in five women, or 20 percent, identify as Holiday CEOs, compared to just eight percent of men. One-third of all genders in the Holiday CEO role report gut distress. Parenting, however, adds another layer of strain: women who are both Holiday CEOs and mothers with kids under 18 report even poorer gut health than women without kids, dads, and men without kids.

    “The outside stress load for women during this period is much higher,” Bowman says, citing reasons like fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone, spikes in cortisol levels, and the angst of navigating tough family dynamics, all of which contribute to GI discomfort. These symptoms peak during the food holidays, she says. “It starts at Halloween and doesn’t go away until after the New Year.”

    Emotional distress stemming from a disordered relationship with food—compared to men, women are twice as likely to develop an eating disorder in their lifetime—also spikes this time of year, says Bowman.

    The survey notes that conversations about women’s health usually surround fertility issues and menopause—gut health gets overlooked, even though common digestive function issues have a direct impact on women’s quality of life and mental health.

    Too much stress can lead to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a condition that disproportionately affects women when compared to men, according to research. The reasons why women are more prone to IBS are still up for debate, but it likely has to do with hormones and physiological differences between men and women.

    Expert-Approved Tips on How to Manage Gut Health Issues During the Holidays

    Bowman suggests the following tips to alleviate GI symptoms:

    • Don’t starve yourself ahead of the big holiday meals: Many of us like to save our appetites before the family dinner. Bowman advises clients to refrain from doing so, as it interferes with peristalsis, the involuntary muscle movement that propels food through your GI tract. She recommends eating a small meal consisting of protein, carbs, and fiber. “Seed crackers with nut butter or olives and cheese would be great,” she says. A small meal beforehand will help keep your blood sugar in check.
    • Go for a postprandial walk, aka a fart walk, after a large meal: Bowman says that light movement, even just getting up and helping to wash the dishes, can relieve bloating and gas.
    • Hydrate consistently—even when you’re traveling: Bowman says people tend to avoid drinking regularly because they don’t want to have to get up and use the bathroom during a flight. But not getting enough water can lead to constipation, so aim to keep up your usual water intake. Drinking a warm beverage within three hours of waking up can also promote digestive flow, she says.
    • Massage your stomach: Kneading your stomach can help keep things moving, says Bowman. Rub your abdomen from the lower right, up toward your ribcage, then to the left of your stomach, and then down; this movement follows the direction of the large intestine and helps push waste along.
    • Take some magnesium citrate: This medication, which you can get from a drugstore, has a laxative effect. Magnesium also is an anxiolytic, meaning it can help relieve anxiety, too, she says. 

    While it’s totally fine to indulge over the holidays, Bowman suggests noting any unusual symptoms. If you see blood in your stool, experience unexplained weight loss, pain that wakes you out of your sleep, or gas that lasts more than a few days, you’ll want to see a doctor.

    Want more Outside health stories? Sign up for the Bodywork newsletter. Ready to push yourself? Enter MapMyRun’s You vs. the Year 2025 running challenge.

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  • Can a Microbiome Test Explain My 15 Years of Gut Health Issues—and Sluggish Workouts?

    Published November 5, 2025 03:04AM

    I’ve dealt with chronic indigestion, painful burps, reflux, and bloating for the past 15 years. In 2010, I underwent a range of diagnostic tests—a colonoscopy, an endoscopy, a gastric emptying test, and some bloodwork—before I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. I subsequently cut out gluten. My symptoms improved for a few years, but despite eating a strict gluten-free diet, they reappeared a couple of years ago.

    In 2023, I visited a new gastroenterologist to see if another health condition may be affecting my gut. Yet again, I underwent a series of costly, time-consuming tests that ultimately determined my gastrointestinal (GI) system was in good shape, even though my symptoms suggested otherwise.

    Frustrated, I reached out to a nutritionist who suggested I do a GI-MAP test. This at-home stool test examines your microbiome, which is the community of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that naturally line your GI tract. These tests, often sold by private companies and can cost anywhere between $100 and $500, can tell you if there’s an overgrowth of specific organisms that could be triggering digestive problems and inflammation, she told me. Desperate for answers, I wired her $300, and she ordered me a test kit. Here’s what I learned about microbiome testing and how my gut impacts my overall health and performance.

    How Do Microbiome Tests Work?

    Growing evidence suggests the microbiome plays a role in the development of many chronic conditions—such as allergies and heart disease. “A balanced microbiome is linked to better mood, energy levels, and overall health, while an imbalanced one can contribute to inflammation, digestive issues, or even chronic disease,” says Arpana Church, a neurobiologist with expertise in digestive diseases.

    Microbiome kits claim they can help identify the bugs in your gut that may be contributing to health conditions like IBS, autoimmune diseases, skin issues like acne and psoriasis, brain fog, and even mental health problems like depression and anxiety.

    They’re also simple to use. My provider ordered the kit online. When it arrived, I filled a small tube with my poop, then mailed it off to a laboratory that examines the bacteria in my stool sample. My results, along with an interpretive guide, arrived within ten days.

    What My Microbiome Test Results Told Me

    According to the kit, I had Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a bacterium that infects your stomach lining and causes inflammation and ulcers. There was also an abnormal growth of Staphylococcus aureus (the bacterium that causes staph infections) and Streptococcus spp., one of the bacteria responsible for strep throat. Both of these bacteria trigger intestinal inflammation and loose stools. The test also detected Methanobacteriaceae—a family of bacteria that produces methane gas and is linked to constipation, bloating, and IBS.

    My gastroenterologist’s (not the same person who ordered my kit) response to my test results? “I don’t make clinical decisions off of kits like these.” Furthermore, he had taken a biopsy of my intestines during a recent endoscopy and found no signs of H. pylori. He would rather go off that, a scientifically sound measure, than a relatively new test kit. Needless to say, I was disappointed and confused.

    Doctors Aren’t Sure How Accurate Microbiome Tests Are

    According to Church, there are a couple of reasons why clinicians don’t trust these kits quite yet.

    Science Hasn’t Pinned Down What a “Healthy” Gut Looks Like

    The first is that the science backing their usage is still in its infancy. The main reason for this is that there isn’t a universal definition for what a “healthy microbiome profile” even is, she says. “A microbe that looks ‘high’ on your report may be harmless—or even normal for you,” she says. Furthermore, our microbiomes are always changing—week to week and even day to day, according to Church. “What you ate, recent illness, travel, or antibiotics can shift results,” she says.

    I was determined to gain some actionable insights from my results. I interviewed Maggie Stanislawski, a biomedical researcher at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, to get her perspective. Did the overgrowth of methane-producing bacteria in my gut mean nothing? The answer is murky.

    Apparently, there are a variety of Methanobacteriaceae species that can have different effects, so it’s unclear what, if anything, this general overgrowth means, according to Stanislawski. Also, “Methanobacteriaceae isn’t a ‘bad’ bug,” she says. In fact, the bacterium helps break down carbohydrates, indirectly contributing to the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), she says. SCFAs, for context, offer a range of health benefits. They’re anti-inflammatory and contain protective properties for our brain, heart, and immune systems.

    Everyone’s Microbiome Is Different

    But the H. pylori in my stool sample? Surely that’s a red flag, I thought. But again, no. Some of these kits can produce inaccurate results. One study found that when seven different microbiome tests were used to analyze the same stool sample, the results varied drastically.

    Just because H. pylori is detected doesn’t mean it’s an issue—“it could be present and not cause problems and that might even be healthy, especially if you’ve had it since you were very young,” Stanislawski says. These may be giving me issues, she says, but these levels may be normal—for me.

    So, Can Microbiome Test Kits Tell You Anything?

    Yes. These kits do a solid job of identifying infectious diarrhea-causing pathogens—such as  C. diff or Campylobacter—that standard medical tests also catch—and can be treated with antibiotics. But when it comes to all the other microbes? There, unfortunately, isn’t a clear-cut solution, Church says. “Those kits rarely lead to proven, tailored treatments that outperform good clinical care and diet basics,” Church says.

    While it may be too soon to gain specific takeaways and actionable steps from these kits, there may be a time in the near future when that changes. According to Church, we need more research that investigates how various treatment approaches, based on their results, impact people’s health outcomes.

    The best thing to do if you order a microbiome test is to work with a professional, Church says. These kits often contain recommendations for various herbs and probiotic supplements you can take to heal your microbiome (the goal being to increase beneficial bacteria and decrease harmful ones).

    If anything, Church hopes the kits help people focus on the steps known to improve gut health: eating a diet rich in fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir, and low in ultra-processed foods. Then, incorporate a variety of fiber-rich and prebiotic foods—such as leeks, bananas, and oats—that microbes thrive on.

    How Athletes Can Benefit From Gut Health Testing

    For years, my GI pain has impacted my workouts. Acid reflux has sent sharp pains up my chest when I jog, often causing me to wrap up early. And, in certain instances, abdominal cramps and indigestion have prevented me from even being able to get out the door in the first place.

    Athletes can turn to tests for insights on how to improve their microbiome to reduce inflammation and enhance recovery, says Church. She says research suggests a healthy microbiome can help you extract energy from food, reduce inflammation, and recover faster from intense exercise. That means less pain and better performance. A more diverse gut microbiota may also help optimize energy metabolism, ultimately providing you with more fuel to crush your fitness goals.

    While the microbiome kit was unable to heal my gut, it did serve as a reminder to brush up on all of the little things that help my gut run smoothly.

    Want more Outside health stories? Sign up for the Bodywork newsletter. Ready to push yourself? Enter MapMyRun’s You vs. the Year 2025 running challenge.

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