Men's Hormone Health

Estrogen Dominance

Age-related progesterone and testosterone decline in men can precipitate a hormone imbalance called estrogen dominance. In the male body, progesterone and testosterone help rein in the negative effects of excesses of estrogen that can trigger abnormal cell growth. If levels of these balancing hormones become too low to offset the negative effects of high circulating estrogen, health risks arise. Problems can include breast cell growth and prostate enlargement raising risks for cancer, as well as cardiovascular disease, bone density loss, high cholesterol and urinary and prostate disease. Men can take the proper steps to reverse estrogen dominance and lower their risks through bioidentical hormone replacement and lifestyle changes that encourage healthy hormone balance.

Tips for rebalancing naturally:

• If supplementing, request bioidentical hormones only
• Test and monitor your hormone levels to make sure the hormone is working for your body in the right amounts
• Arrest testosterone robbers like caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes
• Reduce overweight – fat cells lower available testosterone by converting it to estrogen
• Take up strength training to boost muscle mass and testosterone levels
• Counteract daily stress with daily exercise
• Choose hormone-free foods and products
• Take a daily multi-vitamin/mineral that includes zinc which inhibits the aromatase enzyme in fat cells from turning testosterone into estrogen
• Hit the sack before midnight
• Make time to do the things you enjoy!

Note: Contributing to the high incidence of estrogen dominance in men is the prevalence of xenohormones in our daily lives. The ‘xenos’ are found all around us, in household, hair and hygiene products, plastics, fuels, and numerous drugs. They are also found in many meat and dairy products, the result of chemicals and growth hormones injected in animals to accelerate growth or milk output. These foreign compounds, in addition to being highly estrogenic, are fat soluble and non-biodegradable. That means they can easily enter the body and interfere with estrogen metabolism. And, because they are far more powerful than natural estrogens – ten to 100 times - they overstimulate and add to the body’s  ‘estrogen burden.’

 Another threat to hormone balance is phthalates, chemicals used to soften plastics (also known as “endocrine disruptors”) that negatively impact the endocrine system; they have been linked to hormonal interference in boys and adult men. You can read more about environmental threats to hormone balance in our book, From Hormone HELL to Hormone WELL.