Fake Estrogen: Effects and How to combat them
How testosterone is impacted?
Fake estrogens or xenoestrogens work like estrogen mimickers. Our body contains estrogen receptors which intercept free estrogens and after binding onto them nullifies any possibility of their abundance.
Xenoestrogens often latch on to estrogen binders by fooling your body into believing that chemically they are actually estrogen and not some foreign chemical compound. This results in a surplus of estrogen in the body.
While testosterone is responsible for the primary and secondary characteristics in the male body, Estrogen is primarily known as its female analogous i.e. it is responsible for all female sexual characteristics and functionalities.
Xenoestrogens thus interferes with the functions of the testosterone hormone in the male body by giving the body wrong feedback regarding its estrogen levels. As xenoestrogen mimics how the female sex hormone works, the rising level of pseudo estrogen concentration impairs and inhibits the functionality of testosterone.
Why Estrogen Dominance shouldn’t be ignored
Especially observed in males 35+ ages above, estrogen dominance is an alarming condition when the body might house deficient, normal or excessive amount of estrogen but only has a low amount of progesterone to counterbalance the estrogen. Thus when xenoestrogens implicitly increase the estrogen content in the body, naturally the progesterone balance is skewed and an estrogen dominance is formed. It is this estrogen dominance in turn takes its toll upon the body’s natural level of testosterone.
What are the impacts of Fake Estrogen?
Male Infertility
Testosterone is a count of virility in a man, and also an account of the fertile strength of a male. A healthy cocktail of Testosterone with small amounts of Estrogen and Progesterone is crucial for a healthy reproductive and sexual life. However, estrogen being a female sex hormone, an abundance of it can cause serious alterations of male sex hormone levels and thereby it can seriously diminish the male sexuality, slowly opening up the advent of infertility. Fake estrogen, which confuses the body into believing that they are actually estrogen, does exactly this by misbalancing the ratio of male to female sex hormones. In the end, even the sperm produced might become low in motility, impairing fertility.
Lack of libido
Sex drive is another key factor of a man’s identity. It bolsters confidence, boosts the ability to compete and perform. Any change in a man’s libido and sex drive levies a huge low to the psycho sexual awareness of self. It leads to lack of confidence & a negative outlook. Losing interest in sex and thus not being able to engage and/or perform in sexual intercourse can be a devastating side effect for a man. Studies have linked xenoestrogens with males losing interest in sex across several species. Fishes and birds are known to have voluntarily undergone a sex reversal process due to an abundance of xenoestrogens.
Prostate Cancer
One of the most intimidating forms of carcinoma is the cancer of the prostate gland. Let’s take a look how dangerous this terrifying disease is. In a study in the year 2013, the number of men living with Prostate Cancer in the USA was a staggering 2,850,139. Based on data collected between 2011 and 2013, the percentage of men who will be diagnosed with some form of prostate cancer during some point at their life is 12.9%. Xenoestrogens, specifically industrial compounds such as Bisphenol A, are linked to a number of prostate cancer cases.
Decreasing Sperm Count
We have discussed how fake estrogen messes with the motility & mobility of sperms by severely affecting the sperm production process. Not only that, xenoestrogens and the compound effect of testosterone affected by xenoestrogens also adversely effects the amount of sperm produced in healthy adult males. Sperm Count has been clinically proven to be seen plummeting over the decades in 30 – 40 year old males. Careful analysis has shown that this is because the abundance of fake estrogen harnessed from sources like environmental pollution, pesticides, plastic based chemicals and pharmaceutical drugs.
Fat Retention & Obesity
On average women have 10% more fat deposited in their body than an average male of the same age range. This phenomenon is facilitated by female sex hormones like estrogen. If there is too much xenoestrogen in the blood, they latch on to the receptor cites where estrogen is originally supposed to be link. Thus the abundance of estrogen, which now goes unaccounted and left, circulating in the blood flow, leads to conditions like water retention and weight gain. A silent cause of obesity, this is a slow but frighteningly common health issue prevalent in today’s day and age starting from a very early age. Additionally, the fatter you are the more estrogen you are prone to retain and store, thus making a vicious cycle of problem.
Enlargement of Tumors
Xenoestrogens have already been linked to carcinogenesis and carcinoma propagation. Additionally they are also being studied as a cause of tumor enlargement.
Erectile Dysfunction
Fake estrogen is shown also to be a reason for outright Erectile Dysfunction in men on top of a pronounced lowering in sperm quality. By altering the delicate balance or estrogen progesterone and testosterone, fake estrogens can disrupt the reproductive and sexual life of an affected person. At 35+ age, most men are already stressed out with mounting professional pressures and personal commitments. Erectile Dysfunction could just add to the problems and almost ruin your love life.
Psychological Impairments
Hormonal imbalance is a leading cause of mood swings and distress related to emotions. Fake estrogen creates an artificial abundance of estrogen in the body which is not beneficial for a man’s psychosomatic well-being. Most notable moodiness and irritability are the prime symptoms. Neglected for a long time and only now being studied in detail are timidity, a constant feeling of weakness and loss of ability to concentrate in males. It also gives rise to memory failures and a lowered intellectual responsiveness in general. Hypochondria (also known as illness anxiety disorder) are also reported to be affected by the presence of fake estrogen.
Other impacts of fake estrogen
Xenoestrogens are a pervasive source of chronic illness and is not just linked to effects upon the male species through targeting testosterone only. Thus it is imperative that we also take a brief look at the tertiary effects of fake estrogen which are not strictly related to any gender and can occur in both males and females.
The following diseases and conditions are shown to have linked with fake estrogen also:
- Insomnia: Lack of undisturbed sleep for a prolonged period of time
- Osteoporosis: A condition of the skeletal structure where the bones become weak and brittle
- Thyroid dysfunction: Xenoestrogens adversely affect thyroid glands and can hinder metabolic rate and protein synthesis
- Allergies & Dry skin: Such hormonal imbalance leads to skin conditions
- Hot flashes: Changing hormone level can cause hot flashes
- Thinning hair: Along with dermatological concerns, fake estrogen also is cause of hair fall
Just so that you are aware, in females the following are some of the key adverse effects of xenoestrogens:
- Early Puberty
- Heightened cramping and bleeding during menstruation
- Breast Cancer
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Early Menopause
How to combat xenoestrogen & estrogen dominance
There are two primary ways to go about this process of taking an informed stand against the influx of fake estrogen in to the body. One is to detoxify excess estrogen out of the body naturally and the other is to minimise exposure to the harmful xenoestrogens.
Choosing the Right Nutrients
- Organic food is the key as they do not contain chemical compounds (such as Artificial food additives, Artificial sweeteners, Monosodium glutamate) aiding in Xenoestrogen propagation.
- Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels sprouts and Cauliflower are some of the cruciferous vegetables that help the body in detoxifying against estrogen.
- Food containing Phytonutrients (beneficial natural chemicals found in plants) such as Whole grains, Nuts (Almonds & Pecans to be specific), Hemp seeds, Beans & Tea should be included in one’s daily diet.
- Increase your intake of Omega 3 fatty acids. Fish oil, fish eggs, wild salmons are prime examples of items that contain a strong concentration.
- Organic acids and plant based oils are also excess estrogen cleansers: Avocado, coconut oil, fresh lemon extract all fall under this category.
- Onions and Garlic are also low glycaemic foods which gives a big boost in your fight against the estrogen dominance.
- Red wines (specifically of Sardinian and Sicilian origins) which are high in reservatrol decrease estrogen levels.
Blocking out the fake Estrogen
- Choose farm fresh produce which are not contaminated by questionable growth hormones or pesticides. It is imperative that you wash your vegetables and fruits before consuming them. Peeling the fruits is also a good idea as it helps to take out the polluted outer layer.
- Eat only seasonal fruit or vegetables. Most untimely crop is hormone induced.
- Using Ceramic, Steel or Glass containers is to be preferred over using plastic containers or cups or trays. Plastic is one of the most common ways of xenoestrogen being introduced into your system.
- Never use any plastic container in the microwave or to store warm food or liquids. Look for signs that mention BPA/phthalate free plastics to use.
- Make sure that the dairy products like milk and cheese you are buying are taken from bio harms not subscribing to practices like injecting growth hormones into the cows.
- Similarly, for meat products, the animals should be natural grass fed and not injected with endocrine disrupting hormones.
- Fast food or any item bought from the supermarket come in paper or cardboard wrappers that are coated with PFCs, the toxic peroxide forming compounds. Steer clear from such food packaging.
- Do not buy fruit and vegetables which are covered in plastic casing or wrappings.
- Avoid drinking bottled water that comes in plastic containers. Avoid storing water in plastic bottles.
- Do not freeze water while in a plastic container.
- Using shampoo, lotions and cosmetics which contain a lot of harmful chemical compounds such as fluorides, sulphates and parabens is detrimental. They are one of the hidden causes of such widespread xenoestrogen penetration all around us.
Conclusion
In this day and age, it is extremely difficult to stay completely away from a lifestyle that is far removed from the ill effects of estrogen dominance. Only by learning how to detoxify our bodies from the excess estrogen present alongside limiting ourselves from the exposure to xenoestrogen is the way to go forward. Understanding and analysing our lifestyle and dietary choices will enable us to ascertain where we can improve in our day to day life. Minor adjustments to our habits and additions and subtraction from our habit are sure shot ways of optimising our health.