TestoFuel Blog : Make Gains & Pack on the Muscle
You’ve been looking at yourself in the mirror lately and you look, well, kind of different.
Your belly fat is as high as it’s ever been and you’re wondering just what happened to those chiseled arms and tight abs that you were so proud of.
You’ve been told by your health practitioner that your estrogen levels are high. But exactly what does this mean and how do you lower them?
In this article we take a look at estrogen and tell you exactly how to lower it for good…. and fast.
Here’s what we’ll cover…
Estrogen (E) is one of five types of steroid hormone – the others being androgens, progestogins, glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids.
It is produced mainly in the ovaries, as well as adrenal glands and breasts in women. Other organs such as adipose tissue (fat cells) can contribute significantly to the circulating pool of E as well, with higher fat levels meaning higher hormone concentrations [1].
Sometimes presented with the alternative spelling of oestrogen, it is commonly referred to as the ‘female hormone’ in the same way that the androgen testosterone is referred to as the ‘male hormone’.
This is because estrogen is particularly important in regulating the menstrual cycles of women.
Not only that, but it is also responsible for promoting secondary sex characteristics – pubic hair, development of breast tissue, it widens the pelvis and promotes softer, more feminine features too.
Estrogen is actually a blanket term for different types of feminizing hormones. The three major, naturally occurring forms in women are estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3). Each of these has its own role in maintaining and regulating everything from menstruation to metabolic health.
And as E levels begin to taper off after the age of around 40, the female slowly begins to reach menopause.
Although commonly thought of as a female hormone, men produce small amounts of estrogen too – from their testes and brain. It is also made by a process called aromatization where some testosterone is converted to estrogen in muscle, fat and liver cells by an enzyme called aromatase.
Surprisingly, you need this small amount to maintain your health. In men, estrogen helps you keep your bones strong, boosts cognitive function and is pivotal in maintaining normal cardiovascular functioning.
But even though you need estrogen to regulate health, we’re talking only a small amount – around 15-60 pg.ml of estradiol for example in men in comparison to over 3oo pg.ml in women around the time of ovulation.
During your twenties, you’ll naturally have higher testosterone levels. Not only does this promote masculine characteristics such as muscle mass, strength body hair, broad shoulders and a deep voice, they also override estrogen. This makes it hard for E to force femininity onto you becuase they are being battered into submission by the more dominant androgens.
But as you age, your testosterone levels naturally begin to drop off – by around 1-2% per year from the age of around 30.
And this can leave a gap for E to stake its claim. It’s a little like a seesaw – a balancing act between your male and female hormones. Only you don’t want E to dominance…
If estrogen begins to dominate your hormonal environment you become at risk of a number of health issues. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association [2] found that men whose E levels were either too low or too high had a significantly higher risk of death.
Here are just some of the side effects of elevated estrogen levels:
So now you know the consequences of elevated estrogen it’s important to take the next stop and look at exactly how you start to put the brakes on and reel it back to where it should be.
Is this number one for a reason? It most definitely is.
Aromatization speeds up when you have more fat – and that means more T converting to E if you don’t curb your fat levels. It’s a pretty much linear relationship – as fat goes up, T comes down.
If you’re wanting to slash your E levels and you just so happen to be overweight (chances are you are if estrogen is high) then this is the priority.
So aim to hit a calorie deficit and watch that fat fall off. Your body will thank you for it.
As well as dropping body fat, aim to maintain or even improve the amount of muscle mass you have.
Why? It will help to elevate your testosterone levels, boost your metabolic rate (helping you to burn fat more efficiently) and tone your body up helping you feel more confident. It also slows down aromatization too.
More muscle means more strength, better insulin resistance, elevated androgens and a more rounded, healthier body composition.
This one might be a tough one to crack, but if you can give up alcohol you’ll be well on your way better hormone balance.
Not only is alcohol high in calories (ethanol alone is 7 kcal per gram – and that’s without adding in calories from fats and sugars) it is also a potent estrogenic.
Various studies have found that regular alcohol consumption can directly blunt testosterone production, slows down glycogen uptake after exercise and slows muscle protein synthesis down – leading to a diminished muscle mass response.
With the ever-increasing low T issues faced by modern society, the supplement industry has spent billions researching the best ways to optimize hormone balance in men.
Providing your body with all of the natural testosterone-boosting nutrients it needs is a good way to balance out your hormones and support your lifestyle changes.
Nutrients such as zinc, oyster extract, vitamin D and D-aspartic acid have all been found to boost T levels, whilst others included in high-quality boosters will also reduce E and aromatization as well.
There are a number of foods that have been found to reduce E levels. They work by either directly elevating testosterone, inhibiting the binding of E to its receptors or by slowing down aromatization.
Foods such as broccoli and cabbage (which both contains the powerful E-fighting compound indole-3-carbinol) , and other cruciferous vegetables are both great choices – as are mushrooms and asparagus.
And if you really want to ramp up your androgen count then also add in foods such as eggs, oysters, pumpkin seeds and oily fish too.
Although as a man you need a small amount of estrogen to maintain health, too much is a bad thing. It causes obesity and other metabolic, vascular and neurological side effects that can lead to illness and early death. It slashes your libido and leaves you feeling tired and lethargic.
But there are many ways that you can fight back. Ultimately, your hormones are consequences of your lifestyle. If you want to get your health and youth back then follow these tips and you’ll get there in no time.
