FITFORGOOD GYM • June 17, 2020
Estrogen and Man Boobs
Hey! If you're a guy and your Chest looks like a pair of Breasts.. this post is for you!
One of a guy's biggest challenges, especially in the age of industrialized food, is Man Boobs or Gynecomastia.
Let's face it - we can have huge arms, but come summertime and you want to take your shirt off, you get conscious and you find yourself always thinking of it . How do I know? Because I had it! I still have some, but I'm on my way to get rid of it naturally.
Now, let's see what causes it. Gynecomastia is female breast tissue that forms in our chest and is caused by too much estrogen in our bodies. Men and women all have estrogen, but in men when an imbalance occurs between testosterone and estrogen and there is more estrogen, then there is a problem.
I'm going to list the 4 main things that cause high levels of estrogen. If we have too much estrogen, it means we have too much Aromatase enzyme, which converts testosterone to estrogen.
Too much estrogen in men causes:
- Excessive belly fat
- Fatigue
- Raises Cortisol levels
Estrogen Balance
Estrogen Balance is vitally important. Although healthy amounts of estrogen provide health benefits, abnormal levels will lead to various cosmetic and health ailments. High Estrogen value may lead to to loss of bone and muscle tissue, fat accumulation, insulin sensitivity. Increasing cases of polycystic ovary syndrome, infertility, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and gynecomastia have been seen.
Estrogen levels increased by:
- Regular use of Alcohol, heroin, methadone, amphetamines, marijuana, cannabis
- BPA products used in plastics
- Antidepressants
- Cosmetic fragrances
Aging
In Females , Estrogen levels decrease as menopause approaches. A fall in Estrogen causes an increased in activation of Estrogen receptors in tissues through the body making it more sensitive to Estrogen and is one of the factors that drive ER-positive Breast Cancer.
In Males,
Testosterone levels decrease, muscle mass reduces and body fat goes up. This accumulation of events causes more Aromatase activity and more processing of Testosterone to Estrogen, causing higher levels of free Estrogen and hence lowering Testosterone levels.
Body Fat
Obesity is an epidemic in North America. How do you know if your are Obese?If your body fat is above 33%
you are!
Estrogen is produced in fat cells, so the more fat you have the higher the chance of producing more Estrogen.
Increase in body fat increases productions of inflammatory cytokines that activate Aromatase(which converts Androgens and Testosterone to Estrogen), that causes higher levels of Estrogen and hence reducing Testosterone levels.
It is importance to note here that although higher body fat levels causes inflammation, other factors like psychological stress can significantly increase inflammation and affect Testosterone and Estrogen levels. So can autoimmune disorders.
The ONE food you must INCREASE to balance out your hormones...
Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, collard greens, cauliflower, etc. They contain Indoe-3-carbonol, which reduces excess estrogen in the body and also detoxes at the same time.
When is the best time to eat it? At night, when your estrogen levels are high.
DIM (DI-INDOLYL-METHANE)
DIM is a plant indole found in cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage. In animals it is able to help prevent certain forms of cancer.
DIM is able to stimulate better estrogen metabolism. These are able to help protect the heart and brain. Higher Estrogen levels increase the risk of weight gain or obesity and estrogen-related cancers, which often occur with aging.
ADDING DIM TO MY DIET?
DIM is found in cruciferous vegetables. To attain this amount of DIM(100 to 300mg) you would need to eat 500G of broccoli or cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and green cabbage daily. This adds up to approx 4 cups of chopped cruciferous vegetables daily. Men need about 200 to 500mg of DIM so it is a safe bet to adjust your nutritional lifestyle to incorporate 7 cups of vegetables a day.
SIDE EFFECTS of DIM
Hardly any. The only Side effects are extremely uncommon but may include dizziness or headache.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indole-3-carbinol
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