#hormones

#hormones

"Our findings reveal intriguing differences in the way men and women respond to obesity. They show just how important gender-specific research is."

Many women have endured difficulties with their menstrual cycles for years, often believing that their experiences were normal and that little could be done to help them.

The study found that the stress hormone cortisol significantly impaired the brain's navigation system, affecting how individuals orient themselves in unfamiliar environments.

Researchers studying brain-imaging data from people aged between 8 and 100 found that sex differences in the brain's connections are minimal in early life, but then increase drastically at puberty; some of these differences continue to grow throughout adult life. The study was published as a preprint on bioRxiv, and has not yet been peer reviewed. The work could help us to understand why men and women have different likelihoods of developing some mental-health disorders - and perhaps give insight into treating them, say the researchers.

When Lola was eight years old, she went through a massive growth spurt and started developing acne. Her mother, Elise, thought Lola was just growing fast because of genes inherited from her father. But when she noticed that Lola had grown pubic hair too, she was floored. A visit to an endocrinologist in 2023 confirmed that Lola's brain was already producing hormones that had kick-started puberty.

A plant-based diet rich in soy reduces moderate-to-severe hot flashes by 84%, from nearly five per day to fewer than one per day. During the 12-week study, nearly 60% of women became totally free of moderate-to-severe hot flashes. Overall they (including mild ones) decreased by 79%.

"I can't tell you how many times I've had patients who have had so much trouble losing weight complain to me that their friends can eat whatever they want and never put weight on," Perlman, an integrative and functional medicine doctor and former chief medical officer for Mayo Clinic's integrative medicine program, told Business Insider. It's also one of the biggest misconceptions he hears about metabolic health.