Marta León, a chemical engineer who specialises in female hormonal health, has published "El equilibrio perfecto. Cuida tus hormonas desde tu microbiota," a third book following two earlier titles on the same subject. She told ABC España that the microbiota should be cared for at every stage of life.
"Many women don't know that their bloating, poor digestion and mood swings have to do with their microbiota."
According to León, the microbiota begins to form from the moment of birth, and it is during childhood and adolescence that the internal ecosystem meant to accompany a person for life becomes established.
She said the importance specifically for women becomes visible from puberty onwards, when the first period arrives and "that cyclical hormonal dance needs a prepared intestinal ecosystem."
Caring for the microbiota from the teenage years through a diet rich in fermented foods, fibre from seasonal vegetables, fruit and legumes is, in her view, an investment in more harmonious first periods, bringing "less pain, less hormonal acne, less extreme mood swings."
