Estrogen Dominance: Not Just a Woman's Predicament!
Would it surprise you to know that the hormone estrogen which has a major impact on the female reproductive cycle, is also coursing through the male bloodstream too? While estrogen in the man's body has an important role to play in cognitive function, blood clotting and emotional regulation, a lot of men have estrogen levels exceedingly high in relation to testosterone, a not so talked about imbalance known as estrogen dominance. Gynecomastia (male breasts), beer belly, impaired sex drive and even the development of certain cancers such as breast and prostate are characteristic outcomes of estrogen dominance and lingering high estrogen levels in men.
So how does it all go wrong... Liver function is especially important when dealing with estrogen dominance. Your liver is responsible for taking chemicals and hormones such as estrogens and making them more water soluble so that they are a) less harmful to the body, and b) easier to eliminate out of the body. When the liver is overburdened with alcohol, stress, hormones, medications or even certain natural compounds (such as grapefruit juice) the functioning of liver enzymes is impaired. Estrogen levels are then free to build up in the body's tissues like the breast, the colon, and the prostate, signaling them to grow not an ideal situation! Excessive aromatization Nothing to do with the smell of your mom's home cooking, aromatization is a process in which testosterone is converted into estrogen in specific tissues within the body. Guess which tissue this happens most in? That's right, fat cells! Fat cells along with bulging your midline alter your biochemistry and make you more susceptible to estrogen related symptoms like low mood, low sex drive and fatigue. Stress leads to fat's which leads to increased aromatization and an expanding waistline which leads to increased estrogen levels. See what's happening there?! "That sounds depressing, what do I do about it??" Here are five tips to help you dominate estrogen dominance:
