Scientists in Australia and the United States have identified the cellular mechanism behind why women experience more severe chronic gut pain than men. The study, published in the journal Science, links these sex differences to estrogen.
According to SAHMRI Professor Stuart Brierley, who conducted the study in collaboration with the University of California, San Francisco, estrogen directly amplifies communication between two specialized gut cell types. This amplification triggers heightened sensitivity to pain signals in females.
The research indicates that estrogen activates a colon pathway, which increases the release of the gut hormone PYY. PYY, in turn, stimulates serotonin output and sensitizes pain-transmitting nerves. Interrupting this pathway at specific points could potentially reduce chronic gut pain without affecting normal digestive functions.
This discovery is considered a significant step toward developing more personalized treatments for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other visceral pain disorders like endometriosis. The study also demonstrated that estrogen enhances the gut's response to short-chain fatty acids, which are produced when bacteria break down food. This clarifies why dietary interventions, such as low FODMAP diets, can reduce symptoms in some individuals by influencing this estrogen-sensitive pathway.