Posted by Marianne in Articles | 10 Comments
Estrogen Dominance and Fat Loss
Hi everyone,
Due to extremely bad weather and lots of night duties, I thought I would write about another factor that often inhibits efforts to lose body fat and reduce water retention and get that leaner look. I promise a new workout is on it’s way soon, but in the mean time you may be interested to read about estrogen or oestrogen (depending on which side of the Atlantic you come from) dominance.
In order to understand why the dominance of this hormone is a problem, let’s first review its primary role within the body. Estrogen is the name given to a group of hormones of which the primary role is to maintain the growth and function of the uterus so that the sex organs can become adult sized, and prepares the uterine lining to accept an egg. Additionally, estrogen affects skeletal growth, skin, fat and protein deposition, and electrolyte balance. Men also produce a certain amount of estrogen and as a result can suffer the effects of estrogen dominance too.
Estrogen Dominance is caused by either too much estrogen in the body, or an imbalance of estrogen in relation to other hormones, most commonly, progesterone.
Some of the effects of estrogen dominance are water retention, weight gain, breast and uterine cancers, fatigue, mood swings, slow metabolism, excess abdominal body fat in men and PMS to name a few!
When I read the list of symptoms associated with this imbalance I could relate so many of them to, not only myself over the years, but also many of my friends and patients I care for in my work.
After several hours of research I have come to realise that most people are at risk from estrogen dominance as we are constantly surrounded in synthetic, natural and pseudo estrogen’s. From medications to foods, to cosmetics to pollution, there is estrogen everywhere!
Below is a list to summarise where all this excess estrogen come from:
- Progesterone deficiency.
- Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) and birth control pills.
- Xenoestrogens (meaning foreign estrogens) – found in certain pesticides, plastics, fuels and drugs are usually synthetic and difficult for the body to break down, therefore amplifying the effects of natural estrogen. In addition, Xenoestrogens can be found in some meat and dairy product in the form of chemicals and growth hormones that are given to the animals.
- Phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) – naturally occurring estrogenic compounds that are found in a variety of foods, herbs, spices. Their chemical structure resembles estrogen. Phytoestrogens have been shown to inhibit the conversion of T4 to the active T3 thyroid hormone, and can trigger hypothyroidism and therefore slows metabolism.
- Stressful lifestyle – can inhibit progesterone production, allowing the dominance to shift towards estrogen.
Now that we know what causes estrogen dominance, what can we do to counteract the effects of it:
- Avoid xenoestrogens when possible
- Reduce consumption of phytoestrogens
- Aim to reduce stress in our lives
- Increase our intake of magnesium, B Vitamins, Zinc and Vitamin E as these all tend to be low in the presence of too much estrogen.
- Exercise more, lowering body fat can help reduce the negative effects of estrogen.
- Help our bodies metabolise harmful estrogens by taking
Diindolylmethane (DIM) - a powerful NATURAL metabolizer of estrogen, assisting in removing excess estrogen and benefiting conditions associated with estrogen dominance. - Consider supplementing with a natural progesterone cream to counteract the imbalance.
There are many things we can do to help improve the symptoms of estrogen dominance, I for one take DIM and it has really helped me, plus it’s all natural.
Here are some useful links for further information (hover your curser over them to follow the link):
More Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen Dominance affects MEN too
This topic is obviously something I feel strongly about as I have seen first hand the effects of estrogen on my body. I have also seen vast improvements since I became more aware. Consider your diet, lifestyle and medications in the equation and decide yourself if Estrogen is a problem for you too.
Let me know your thoughts on the topic by leaving a comment below.
Thanks
Marianne
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I have been on the pill and Depo (the shot) and can tell you that they both made me gain weight, at least 10 pounds in a few months. My doctor told me the weight gain was just a side effect from BC, but didn’t seem all that worried about it – and I wasn’t worried about the weight gain I was worried about WHY I was gaining weight. Apparently in order to work, the hormones store themselves in your fat cells. The BC sends messages to your brain telling it that your body needs more fat in order to be able to function properly, so the brain in turn sends messages to your cells to store more energy as fat. I still don’t quite understand it, but we all really need to understand what is being put in our bodies and what it is doing to us.
*sigh I am off of my soapbox now. I need to sleep, my mouth tends to run when I am tired. :p
Melissa
Hey Melissa, Doctors tend to be pro-medications as this is generally all they know. I was on the combined pill (estrogen and progesterone) from the age of 17 until about 24, and that’s when I gained about 2 stones!! It gave me depression and headaches so I changed to the “mini” pill, which is progesterone only and the weight fell off! However when I came off that, I gained a bit of weight because I must have estrogen dominance, so I started taking DIM and it has really helped.
It is amazing the effect hormones have on the body. Some Estrogens are potentially a very dangerous. I could hardly believe the amount of environmental estrogen there is. We all need to get us more progesterone.
The link below shows a comparison between the two hormones and their effects within the body. It’s very interesting:
http://www.johnleemd.com/store/premenstrual_syndrome.html
I could talk about this all day LOL
I think its important to specifically mention soy here as a source of phytoestrogens. It finds its way into so many “healthy” products, including protein shakes.
Hi Ed, you’re so right about soy. I know from personal experience it is full of estrogens. I used to drink loads of soya milk thinking it was more healthy and I blew up like a balloon with water retention caused by too much estrogen. Came off it, and affer a while it went away.
Interesting topic. I was recently prescribed estradiol (estrogen supplement) due to balance the effect of the levonorgestrel (progestin hormone)released by my IUD (Mirena). It all sounds complicated to me.
So now I take this lose dose of estrogen (3rd day) and I am really unsure of how it will affect my weight loss efforts and overall health. Have you run across any valid data on this?
Hi Yvette,
Thanks for the question.
I can certainly see how it is confusing. But in the human body, it is often the imbalances that cause problems. Manmade hormones such as those in the pill, and Mirena Coil will raise either estrogen or progesterone depending on their mode of action.
I wrote about estrogen dominance because I have read a lot of information about the accumulative effects of estrogens, not just within the body, but from the environment too. If estrogen dominance is an issue, it can be corrected, or even just improved by being more aware of the causes.
With regards to progesterone dominance, I know there are negative effects such as tiredness. I am not sure why you would need to take an estrogen supplement. Another thing to consider, when you have artificial progesterone (progestin), your body will produce less natural progesterone, which inturn causes a shift to estrogen dominance. I realise that Progestin mimics the natural hormone so the effects may not be apparent until you no longer take it.
As for your weight loss efforts, it’s hard to say. Drug companies often disguise the weight-gaining effect of estrogen pills in the phrase “may cause weight changes”. But they have to sugar coat it because they want the drugs to sell. In addition it is often the same drug companies who fund research into the effects of the drug on weight gain or loss. Therefore it is difficult to attain “true” evidence that taking this estrogen every 3rd day will negatively affect your weight loss efforts.
One link I would suggest you read is a comparison of the roles of the 2 hormones. Imagine if one was dominant, which would you rather it was?
http://www.infertilityworkshop.com/articles/hormonalhealth/estrogen.htm
Does your doctor think you are having negative side-effects from too much progestin? What was her reason for supplementing estrogen?
Marianne
I think its a shame that doctors recommend birth control pills so easily without talking about the risks. I have been on BC pills from age 14-23. I finally educated myself and decided to stop taking them-my weight hasnt changed dramatically but my skin has really suffered…particularly my chest and back.
Thinking back, I just cant believe that doctors are willing to put such a young girl on the pill…how can they not see that putting teenagers on hormones while their body is still growing and trying to adjust itself is a horrible idea?
Here here Alice! Thanks for your comment. I too was put on the pill without any other alternative. Exercise and diet would’ve sorted my painful period problem, or herbal remedies. Not messing up my hormones. Doctors just do what is easiest sometimes.
Cheers
Marianne
interesting article, ive ppublished a link to this page on my fitness website http://www.quakefitness.com. Hope thats okey.
Quake Fitness – Connecting Fitness and Health Blogs
Yes, thanks for letting me know