Aaron Hartman, MDFunctional Medicine Specialist | Clinical Researcher

How Sugar Affects Hormone Detox Pathways #shorts

16 Apr 2026 · 1 min

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Dr. Aaron Hartman explains how sugar feeds yeast and streptococcal bacteria in your gut, which blocks the liver-to-colon pathway that clears estrogen and other hormones. The brief energy spike lasts 3-4 hours before a crash, and acts like an intoxicant that undermines hormone balance.

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Sugar is something else that people don't think about how it impacts your hormones. Sugar is very inflammatory. It drives yeast growth in your GI tract as well as strep. And one of the things about that is that affects your body's ability to detoxify estrogen and hormones and other metabolites from your liver to your bowel, out your, out of your colon. So if you're consuming large amounts of sugar, yes, you get the sugar high. Yes, you feel better for the 3 or 4 hours, but then you have the crash. But bigger picture, it can be a type of intoxicant. That will impact how your hormones work, whether you're not needing hormone replacement, hormone optimization, or if you're taking it and you feel like it's just not working as well for you.