Estrogen is found in both men and women, but most dominate in females as it is mainly a female hormone responsible for various functions. Any imbalance in either less secretion or overproduction, increased exposure, or reduced detoxification and elimination.
Mainly reduced detoxification leads to increased oestrogen dominance and which leads to the following problems:-
- Weight gain, around the midsection and hips
- Fibrocystic breasts in women and male breasts in men
- Fatigue
- Low sex drive
- Mood swings
Stress and its effect on oestrogen levels
If the stress is higher than the COMT enzyme, responsible for metabolising stress hormones and oestrogen effectively, but it might be slow in others.
Chronic stress increases the demand for COMT, leading to a high-estrogen scenario independent of estrogen production inside the body. Nutrients like taurine, magnesium along with certain herbs like ashwagandha, Rhodiola, ginseng can help enhance the functioning of the enzyme and support metabolise stress.
Progesterone
Stress may also subdue the levels of progesterone. The lower progesterone-to-estrogen ratio may produce symptoms of oestrogen dominance, even in the presence of normal estrogen levels.
Leaky Gut
Chronic stress exposure creates an imbalance between beneficial and less beneficial bacteria in the digestive system.
It leads to leaky gut, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and impaired oestrogen detoxification as well. Therefore, leading to weight gain and oestrogen dominance.
What to do to maintain proper levels of oestrogen?
Eat foods which offer the following nutrients:
B vitamins
Selenium
Taurine
Magnesium
Iodine - kelp, seafood help oestrogen metabolism
Improve on your gut health
Have fibre rich foods- fruits and vegetables
Whole grains - millets, whole wheat flour
Prebiotic rich foods to improve the growth of healthy gut bacteria. - bananas, raw garlic
Exercise - It is mainly needed for improved regulation of your hormones.
To conclude, focus on the root cause to manage your oestrogen levels and keep them in control.
REFERENCES
- Karalis, Katia, et al. (1996). Cortisol blockade of progesterone: a possible molecular mechanism involved in the initiation of human labor. Nature Medicine, 2, 556-60.
- Leo, Joyce C. L., et al. (2004). Glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid cross-talk with progesterone receptor to induce focal adhesion and growth inhibition in breast cancer cells. Endocrinology, 145(3), 1314-21.
- Holesh, Julie E., et al. (2020). Physiology, Ovulation. StatPearls Publishing.