Men Beware Gaining Weight Can Increase Your Estrogen
Chris D. Meletis, ND (with permission from cpmedical.net, access pin: 587556)
There are many reasons why we should all be concerned about maintaining a healthy weight, as it can enhance our blood sugar metabolism, minimize inflammation as measured by C-reactive protein and dramatically contribute to normal blood pressure levels and sleep patterns. For men, there is another big issue and that is the more fat that is added over the years, the greater the risk of soaring estrogen levels.
The culprit is an enzyme called aromatase, which converts testosterone into a very strong estrogen called estradiol. The fact is that as men age, testosterone levels drop. At the same time, a substance called sex hormone binding globulin, which inhibits the effectiveness of what testosterone is present, climbs. This makes the circumstances even worse, because the estrogen-to-testosterone ratio gets further out of balance. Clinically, it’s always a good idea to routinely encourage male patients to get their testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, DHEA and cortisol levels measured. We are all influenced by hormones, and the aging process can be a whole lot more graceful when hormones are tested and maintained within healthy levels.
