Evidence mapPaperPMID 35283442Full record

SynthesisJournal of clinical gastroenterology

Association Between Sex Hormone Levels and Gut Microbiota Composition and Diversity-A Systematic Review.

Manfredi d'Afflitto, Advait Upadhyaya, Alicia Green, Madusha Peiris

Open access · greenAbstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of clinical gastroenterology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 87 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
87citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
8.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

87 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 114 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. The Gut Microbiome-Endocrine Axis in Obesity: Mechanisms and Therapeutics.Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026
    Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Observational
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. The Urinary Tract commensalbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  19. Review
  20. Review

27 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Manfredi d'AfflittoCentre for Neuroscience, Surgery and Trauma, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Advait Upadhyaya
Alicia Green
Madusha Peiris
Queen Mary University of London · GB

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BBS/E/F/000PR10355
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

GOALS/

backgroundAnimal studies have highlighted how the microbiota acts in a sex-specific manner with sex hormones demonstrating an association with the composition and diversity of the microbiota. This systematic review aimed to gather the available scientific evidence to explore the association between sex hormones and gut microbiota composition and diversity, in humans. STUDY: Four bibliographic databases were searched in July 2020 using terms related to "microbiota," "microflora," "sex hormones," "testosterone," and "estrogen." Human studies that investigated the correlation between sex hormones and the microbiota composition or diversity using next-generation sequencing were included.

resultsA total of 10,468 records were screened with 13 studies included in this review. In healthy women, higher estrogen levels were found to be associated with a higher abundance of Bacteroidetes, a lower abundance of Firmicutes, the Ruminococcaceae family and increased diversity. In healthy men, raised testosterone levels positively correlated with Ruminococcus, Acinetobacter, and an increased microbial diversity. Escherichia and Shigella spp. were correlated with raised testosterone in healthy women whereas Ruminococcus spp. was negatively associated with elevated testosterone levels. Women with altered testosterone/estrogen profiles (such as in polycystic ovary syndrome), had a differing gut microbiota compared with healthy women.

conclusionsThe findings gathered highlight an association between sex hormones and the gut microbiota composition/diversity and may contribute to the sex-based variations observed in disease pathogenesis. Factors such as age and medical conditions are implicated in the associations observed and should be accounted for in future studies. As the understanding of the complex symbiotic relationship between humans and their gut microbiota increases, microbiota modulation could be an attractive option for the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders.

Indexed as

Gastrointestinal MicrobiomePolycystic Ovary SyndromeAnimalsEstrogensFecesFemaleGonadal Steroid HormonesHumansMaleTestosteroneEstrogensGonadal Steroid HormonesTestosterone

Identifiers

PMID35283442
PMCPMC7612624
OpenAlexW4220890529

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.