High estrogen levels can partly be blamed for expanding waistlines and the development of “moobs” or “man-boobs” for adult men, or in a more scientific term: “gynecomastia”. It can also be impugned for the decrease in libido and sexual prowess of a man approaching middle age or older. Other known effects include the decline of muscle mass and the increase of body fat particularly in the midsection. Actually, a rotund belly, hips, and buttocks can be a telltale sign of high estrogen level for both men and women.
Although estrogen is primarily a female hormone, it is also an essential part of the male reproductive system and sexual function. There are actually four kinds of estrogen that occur in women, although the fourth one, estetrol (E4) is only produced during pregnancy. The other three are called estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3). Men naturally have a very low ratio of estrogen to testosterone from their teenage years to their mid to late twenties. As they grow older, however, their estrogen tends to increase while their testosterone level declines gradually.
One main reason for the said shift in the hormonal ratio is the conversion of testosterone to estrogen through aromatase reaction. Aromatase is adrenal enzymes that are ubiquitous in fat cells stored in our adipose tissues. If you are one of today’s many fans of zombie-themed books, movies, and TV shows, aromatase is like the bite that turns testosterone to estrogen. Not that I considered the latter hormone a ghoul, I am just illustrating the reality of the process and how treacherous aromatase can be, in affecting our body chemistry.
5 Ways to Lower or Control Your Body’s Estrogen Level
Let me change gear a little bit at this point. I am not encouraging anybody, even men of certain ages, to take estrogen blockers as the so-called female hormone is still essential not only for sexual functions but also for bone health. There have been reported cases that prolonged use and overdose of estrogen-blocker pills have led to lowering of bone density and joint pains. Instead, I am advocating natural means through the following tips:
1. Work Off Excess Pounds
As explained earlier, the abundance of stored fat cells in your body results in the profusion of aromatase, the enzyme that turns testosterone to estrogen. Beyond its unsolicited visible effects, excess fatty tissues have deeper and more distressing consequences to your body.
Looking portly is actually the least of your problems. The decrease of libido, erectile dysfunction, leaky gut, and fatigue, which are direct results of low testosterone – high estrogen ratio, are direr issues. But it doesn’t stop there. The unsightly excess weight in your midsection also endangers your body to various life-threatening illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, cancers, hypertension and a lot more.
You can start a fitness regimen on your own; just make sure that it includes both resistance and endurance training. Swimming can actually provide both, especially when you use basic gears that increase water resistance such as swim paddles. Biking is another great way to increase both strength and stamina. It was also found to be highly beneficial to maintaining sexual and reproductive health.
Working out in a gym is probably one of your best options. Besides giving you access to a wide array of exercise machines and free weights; you can also get regular tips and encouragement from both the in-house instructors and other gym-goers. You can likewise engage in strenuous sports that you really enjoy such as basketball, tennis, badminton, etc., or otherwise attend high-intensity exercise classes such as spinning, Zumba, boxing, and such.
2. Watch What You Eat
Improving intestinal health is paramount in keeping your body’s estrogen production and storage in check. A healthy digestive and endocrine system can effectively eliminate excess estrogen from your system, thus preventing hormonal and chemical imbalances. However, the regular diet of many people today is packed with processed food, refined carbohydrates and sugar, harmful additives and preservatives, alcohol, and other food components that cause some enzymes to disintegrate estrogen molecules and cause the fragments to be reabsorbed by the body.
Eat a lot of phytochemical-rich foods like cruciferous vegetables such as kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, collard greens, bok choy, and Brussels sprouts. Besides being effective in inhibiting estrogen production, they have high nutritional and satiety value and low caloric content. They also aid our digestive tract to function more efficiently to expel not only excess estrogen but also various toxins that made their way in our intestine.
Other foods that we should eat more based on the aforementioned purpose are red grapes, pomegranates, mushrooms, berries, flax, sesame and chia seeds, citrus fruits, fresh peppers, tomatoes, and whole grains. Fish that are rich in omega-3, lean poultry and cattle meat, eggs, and bone broths are not only great for muscle building but also for boosting testosterone and lowering estrogen. It is also helpful to supplement your diet with fermented or pickled vegetables such as kimchi and sauerkraut, as well as matcha green tea, which abounds with polyphenols.
Besides alcohol and processed food, other foodstuffs to avoid or limit include monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids, commercial dairy, glutens, soy, and legumes.
3. Don’t Overwork Your Digestive Organs
Your gut is not the only part of your system that metabolizes what you eat or drink. It needs valuable help from a trio of organs that produce, deploy or store the necessary enzymes and hormones needed for digestion, namely the liver, the gallbladder and the pancreas.
Your liver’s main function is producing bile from cholesterol and other substances to send to small intestines for digestion of food. It also metabolizes excess estrogen and other substances including various toxins and binds them into compounds that can be excreted by our bodies. However, there are food, beverages, medicines and other stuff we ingest that may interfere with the organ’s primal functions. If it is not working optimally, some of the stuff it is processing may not be immediately expelled out of the body and become toxic and re-absorbed by the body, sometimes leaving scars on the organ. Alcoholic beverages and drugs are among the most dangerous culprits, followed by many processed foods.
The gallbladder, on the other hand, is the repository of the processed bile, which it releases to the duodenum after we finish eating. There are substances that cannot be broken down totally such as polyunsaturated fats, which revert to the organ and form stones.
The Pancreas main function is producing insulin and glucagon, the hormones that regulate blood sugar and are used for energy. Any surplus and unused glucose are then deposited to the adipose tissues that become fatty cells. This cache is supposed to be a reserve fuel for future use, however, due to our poor lifestyle and eating habits, they lay dormant and stockpiled as new ones are continuously added into it. Not only does it result in unsightly jutting or even sagging belly mass, but it also increases the production of aromatase, which converts testosterones to estrogens.
More alarming health issues that may arise include deterioration of insulin insensitivity, and worse, development of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
4. Be Wary of Estrogens Found in Household and Personal Care Products
Estrogen is not only synthesized inside your body. It can enter your system through ingestion, inhalation, or even through skin contact. What many of us do not know is that various household and personal care products contain various forms of chemical estrogens. One of the most commonly used cosmetic or pharmaceutical preservatives is paraben. It comes in different types of compounds and is differentiated through their prefixes such as ethylparaben (E214), propylparaben (E216), methylparaben (E218), and more. What they have in common is that they all contain estrogen.
So, take the time to scan the label of every personal care product you buy such as shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, sunscreen, hand soap, and moisturizer, to see if it contains paraben or any other estrogenic compounds. Household products such as dishwashing soap, cleansers, and even insecticides may also contain xenoestrogens (environmental estrogens) or antiandrogens (testosterone blocker) so, you better watch out for those products too.
Moreover, even the plastic containers used for the aforementioned products, or even some plastic bottles used for water and other commercially sold beverages may possibly contain trace amounts of xenoestrogens and antiandrogens.
5. Have a Healthy Night Sleeping Habit
If your night sleeping habit is out of whack, you will be denying yourself the full benefit of two fat-burning hormones: Leptin and Adiponectin. The former affects your appetite and satiety factor, while the latter helps in metabolizing fat for energy consumption. Both said hormones are commonly released at night, so when your body gets confusing signals as a result of poor sleep pattern, it may result in a spike in insulin production and other imbalances.
This may trigger late night appetite for high-carb and sugary foods, which can be transposed to unused calories that end up as stored fatty cells. Moreover, when an insulin spike happens, your body drops any on-going fat-burning activity, as it detects another energy source that it needs to burn first rather than the “reserve fuel” (fatty deposits).
Conclusion
One of the estrogen’s main functions is causing secondary female sex characteristics including enlargement of breast tissue. Sadly, as men grow older and they do not do anything to mitigate the increase of estrogen level along with the decline of testosterone, their bodies not only morph into an undesired shape but it also increases their risk of getting prostate cancer and other potentially devastating illnesses. In fact, there were studies which show that there are some middle-aged men who have a higher level of estrogen than some menopausal women!
It’s not too late. You can still work towards your aspired physique and reverse the adverse effects of having high estrogen levels and low testosterone the natural way! Turn those moobs into pecs!