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Scientists propose a new frontier in nutrition science: tailoring diets to account for sex differences in digestive efficiency
Last reviewed: 15.07.2025
A study conducted at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology has revealed significant differences between the male and female digestive systems: men and women digest milk and its plant-based substitutes differently.
The results of the study were published in the journal Food Research International. The research was led by Professor Uri Lesmes, PhD student Lichen Mashia, lab director Dr. Carmit Shani-Levy and undergraduate student Eden Beck, who participated in the study while completing her undergraduate degree.
According to Professor Lesmes:
“The motivation for this study was the global trend towards plant-based diets and the increasing consumption of meat and dairy substitutes.
Given the increasing consumption of such products, we wanted to understand whether men and women benefit equally from them, focusing in particular on milk and its plant-based alternatives. While previous studies have looked at digestion in the average adult, few have considered gender differences."
The team developed a unique model of digestion that mimics the male and female digestive systems. The results were surprising.
In the male digestion model, milk proteins were broken down more efficiently, whereas in the female model, oat-based plant milk demonstrated higher protein digestion efficiency.
The scientists suggest that these findings may correlate with what we know about hunter-gatherer societies – or, more accurately, (male) hunters and (female) gatherers, where men primarily provided animal foods and women provided plant foods. Although food was shared within the community, it is likely that men consumed more animal products and thus evolved over time to digest such proteins more efficiently.
In-depth analysis revealed differences in the concentration of amino acids and peptides (protein fragments) formed during digestion. Men had more antimicrobial peptides, while women had more of a peptide associated with bone formation (osteoanabolic peptide).
This is particularly interesting given that osteoporosis is significantly more common in older women: one in three women over 50 will experience an osteoporotic fracture, compared to one in five men. This may indicate a unique nutritional advantage for women in choosing plant-based protein sources.
In conclusion, the study highlights the influence of biological sex on the digestive process and recommends that this be taken into account when developing nutrition and especially in future food engineering.
Professor Lesmes notes:
"Food technology has enabled humanity to become modern. It is time to use such research for the next stage of food engineering in the 21st century - based on science, nutrition and health."