Estrogen balance is essential for achieving and maintaining fat loss. In premenopausal women, too much estrogen, a condition called estrogen dominance can cause weight gain, anxiety symptoms, PMS symptoms, food cravings, irregular periods, fertility complications, water retention, bloating and a host of other health and wellness issues.
While premenopausal women with too much estrogen tend to have more weight at the hips, menopausal women with this excess estrogen tend to have fat deposition in the abdominal area.
In women, with stress and age there is a natural decline in testosterone and progesterone levels leaving a relative excess of estrogen. Women will also tend to experience poor digestive function and issues associated with it.
Causes of Estrogen Dominance
There are two ways to accumulate excess estrogen in the body:
- We either produce too much of it on our own
- We acquire it from our environment or diet.
Unfortunately, accumulating estrogen is not difficult to do. We are constantly exposed to estrogen-like compounds in foods that contain toxic pesticides, herbicides and growth hormones. Many of these toxins are known to cause weight gain, which serves to fuel the production of more estrogen from our own fat cells. More weight gain then leads to insulin resistance which, you guessed it, increases the risk of estrogen dominance.
What Can You Do?
Use these foods or specific habits to decrease harmful estrogen:
- Since the liver breaks down estrogen, poor diet, alcohol consumption and liver disorders can lead to a build-up of estrogen in the body.
- Bacterial imbalance in the gut and other problems that compromise digestion interfere with the proper elimination of estrogen from the body via the digestive tract. Be sure to include a probiotic to address the balance of healthy intestinal microflora. An added bonus, probiotics can also help with bloating and digestive function! Consult with a registered holistic nutritionist to identify the right probiotic for you.
- Choose organic dairy and meat products to reduce your exposure to hormone additives.
- Eat a balanced diet to help support hormonal, digestive and neurological function.
- The body requires sufficient intake of zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6 and other essential nutrients not only to support the breakdown and elimination of estrogen, but also to aid the function of enzymes responsible for the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. Be sure to add a high quality multivitamin supplement daily.
- Avoid exposure to xenoestrogens from plastics and cosmetics
- Avoid unfermented soy products like tofu and soy milk.
- As the body responds to high levels of stress, it “steals” progesterone to manufacture the stress hormone cortisol, often leaving a relative excess of estrogen. Stress management is essential!
- Poor sleep habits can cause a reduction in the hormone melatonin, which helps protect against estrogen dominance. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep per night in a cool, dark room.
Consult with our registered holistic nutritionist to identify the root cause of your hormonal imbalance