Gut Health, Estrogen, and What to Eat for Your Body in Midlife | Dr. Emily Prpa | #150

**Dr. Vonda Wright** (0:00)
So, I could not be more excited to be here today, and I have to tell you guys that I cold called, or cold DM'd Dr. Emily Prpa, who is a PhD prepared nutrition scientist who has taken the time to educate us on a variety of social platforms. So, you are taking the hard science, and you're digesting it yourself and saying, what do I need to feed to women so that they really understand not only their gut health, but nutrition and how to not feel guilty about food and how to have a better relationship. And I'm supposing that's all really important to you, but tell us what's really important to you as you work so hard to do this.

**Dr. Emily Prpa** (0:46)
Oh, I loved that first question. And first of all, I'm so excited. And when you slid into my DM, Dr Buller, I was like, next, I will happily come on and speak to you and your audience. So where do I begin? I think as someone that has studied nutrition science now for the best part of the decade and really saw how quickly I think sometimes marketing of the wellness industry can kind of overtake where we are in the science. And I think the wellness industry overall and food and nutrition, this whole space, which is like, it's even more making more each year than I think the pharmaceutical industry at times. And it is built on the backs of women. I think even when men are taking a supplement, it's usually because their missus has told them to start taking these kind of things. It's all targeted at us and it can be really difficult to know what works, what doesn't. And from where I was sat for so long, so much of what we are told as women in how to eat is based on male data and it completely ignores how we respond differently throughout our each month, but we'll say throughout our lives compared to men. And I was getting to the point where I was on the speaking circuit a lot in the UK and a lot of questions would come at the end of my talks, all women raising their hands. It was the same questions coming up and I was like, wow, everyone is so confused. And it was back last year that I was like, I've got to step into this space now and try and cut through some of this noise. So it's something I'm so passionate about. And I try and be a very relevant, culturally relevant voice in this space. Show women how to eat at the same time as doing it all. You know, this is a time for women and particularly women who around your audience, when they say, are kind of at the peak of their life, you know, you've made their career and all of these things. And then all of a sudden, perimenopause hits, and we're just staring into the barrel of the abyss. And it's like, what can we do that will genuinely help us live our best life?

**Dr. Vonda Wright** (2:51)
At this point in my life, I reflect back when I was going through perimenopause more than a decade ago. I know I wasn't doing it perfect, but I kind of had a nutrition routine. I know how my body responded. I knew what I could get away with. I knew that my body, when I just focused a little more, would respond by getting rid of five pounds of fat or something. And I never have been a diet person. I've always been, how much muscle do I have? But still, I knew what was coming. Oh my God, Dr. Emily. Time changes. You got to tell us what's going on in our gut. Time changes, nutrition is different. I suddenly was bloated. I'll just tell people my own story as a place for you to start. Suddenly bloated, I didn't know exactly what to do. I had to start eating yogurt for the first time in my life. Thank God, it was much better than I anticipated it would be. Just to re-regulate, so why do our guts change and therefore, our nutrition needs to change?

**Dr. Emily Prpa** (3:49)
Great first question. Maybe I don't even just start around perimenopause, but really show people how throughout our life, the female gut changes through key life stages.
The audience might be aware that actually as women, we are significantly more likely than men to experience digestives of dislike, bloating and constipation throughout our lives, which is great. Good for us. One of the main reasons for this is because of the interplay between our guts and our female sex hormones, most notably estrogen and progesterone. So our gut, when I say guts as well, I'm talking about this nine meters long tube that starts in the mouth and goes through to the glamorous exit of the other end.