Reduce Estrogen For Less Fat Storage
Ill set the scene. Its the early-noughties and reducing estrogen had become The Thing To Do when working with females seeking weight loss. Gyms were separated into the trainers who were estrogen-literate and those stuck in the past. Learning about the importance of estrogen was a milestone for those of us in the functional nutrition field it was exciting to learn how intestinal balance could cause an increase in a chemical called beta-glucoridase, which interfered with the intestinal elimination of estrogen. Other papers showed DIM favourably altered estrogen metabolism and further research demonstrated that resveratrol had anti-estrogenic effects.
It quickly became gospel that one gave these ladies DIM, calcium-D-glurarate and resveratrol. You also avoided soy because soy increases estrogen dominance. There was only problem with this great advice it rarely delivered results for the ladies I worked with.
- The black-and-white idea that estrogen is bad, estrogen increases fat was far too simplistic
- Estrogen can have both positive and negative effects on fat
Can Hormone Therapy Help Lose Weight And What Type To Prefer
Can hormone therapy help lose weight when one uses creams or gels? Scientific studies have tested different forms of HRT and claimed that shots, pills, and implants cause more negative variables compared to gels and HRT cream and weight gain. Health advisors prescribe stronger variants for surgical menopause weight gain because in that case, the body lacks organs that produce reproductive hormones. If a person wants to relieve some symptoms, one can turn to hormonal forms which give fewer negative reactions like creams, gels, and pessaries.
Clinical trials state that bioidentical hormone therapy for weight loss is safer compared to the traditional one. Such hormones are native to the human body because their composition is identical. The organism does not reject them and is more likely to cope with problems initiated by the transition period. Studies also assure the beneficial influence of bioidentical hormone therapy for weight loss. Can hormone replacement therapy help you lose weight? Yes, but only when treatment unites professionals, unique approach to medication, and the most suitable form of hormones with the right dosage.
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Weight Loss Maintenance Trial
A detailed description of the WLM is published elsewhere . The WLM was a multicenter, randomized trial of 1,032 men and women with the primary aim to test the effects of two interventions compared with an advice-only control group for maintaining initial weight loss. The primary outcome of the trial was weight.
The trial had two phases. Phase 1 was a nonrandomized 6-month group-based intensive behavioral weight loss intervention of 1,685 participants led by a trained interventionist that promoted reducing caloric intake and increasing physical activity to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week . Participants were encouraged to follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet, which is high in fiber and low in fat content . Major inclusion criteria for participation in phase 1 were: body mass index between 25 and 45 kg/m2 current medication use for hypertension, dyslipidemia, or both access to a telephone and to the Internet and ability to keep a food diary for 5 days during the screening. Major exclusion criteria were medication-treated diabetes mellitus, a recent cardiovascular event or other medical or psychiatric condition that would preclude full participation in the study, weight loss > 9 kg during the last 3 months, recent use of weight loss medications and prior weight loss surgery or scheduled surgery for this purpose .
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How Is Low Estrogen Treated
Women who have low levels of estrogen may benefit from hormonal treatment. Hormonal treatment is the standard for low estrogen. There are non-hormonal options to help relieve symptoms. Non-hormonal options are preferred for women at high risk for breast cancer, blood clots, stroke, or liver disease.
Study Finds That Moderate Weight Loss Reduces Levels Of Sex Hormones Linked With Increased Risk Of Breast Cancer
SEATTLE â May 21, 2012â Even a moderate amount of weight loss can significantly reduce levels of circulating estrogens that are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center â the first randomized, controlled clinical trial to test the effects of weight loss on sex hormones in overweight and obese postmenopausal women, a group at elevated risk for breast cancer.
The findings by Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues are published online ahead of the May 21 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, a publication of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
âBased on previous research, our results suggest that losing just 5 percent or more of oneâs weight could cut by a quarter to a half the risk for the most common, estrogen-sensitive breast cancers,â said McTiernan, director of the Hutchinson Centerâs Prevention Center and a member of its Public Health Sciences Division. McTiernan cautions that these findings only apply to overweight or obese women who are not taking hormone-replacement therapy.
Epidemiologists have long noted a link between obesity and increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. A relationship between body fat and estrogen production is thought to contribute to this risk.
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How Is Low Estrogen Diagnosed
Diagnosis and treatment of low estrogen can help prevent many health issues.
If youre experiencing symptoms of low estrogen, talk with your doctor. They can assess your symptoms and make a diagnosis if needed. Early diagnosis may help prevent further complications.
During your appointment, your doctor will discuss your family health history and assess your symptoms. Theyll also perform a physical exam. Blood tests will likely be needed to measure your hormone levels.
Your follicle stimulating hormone levels may also be tested to determine whether your estrogen is low if youre experiencing:
- frequently missed periods
How Hormones Change Before And During Menopause
Hormone replacement therapy is the process of administering medication with female hormones. This medication is intended to replace the hormones that the body stops producing when a woman enters menopause.
When a woman enters the perimenopause stage, her progesterone levels start to decrease while her estrogen levels may wildly fluctuate. While theyll eventually trend downward, in the short term, they may be completely erratic and even fluctuate significantly throughout the day.
This is a miscommunication between the pituitary gland, hypothalamus and ovaries that results in fluctuating estrogen levels. Declines in progesterone tend to occur more steadily, over time.
As women enter the later stages of perimenopause, estrogen levels decrease. Once a woman enters menopause, her estrogen levels drop even more.
These changing hormones are responsible for many of the symptoms women experience, including hot flashes, changes in the menstrual cycle, headaches, depression and weight gain.
HRT seeks to stabilize the hormone levels so that symptoms are lessened and women are able to maintain a healthier, happier life. Fluctuating hormones are linked to higher levels of ghrelin, the hormone that indicates youre hungry.
Low estrogen levels impact the bodys ability to recognize when its full. Women may eat more calories than needed simply because their bodies havent indicated that theyve had enough.
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Obesity And Sex Hormones
Body fat distribution plays an important role in the development of obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, stroke and some forms of arthritis. Fat around our abdomen is a higher risk factor for disease than fat stored on our bottom, hips and thighs. It seems that oestrogens and androgens help to decide body fat distribution. Oestrogens are sex hormones made by the ovaries in pre-menopausal women. They are responsible for prompting ovulation every menstrual cycle. Men and postmenopausal women do not produce much oestrogen in their testes or ovaries. Instead, most of their oestrogen is produced in their body fat, although at much lower amounts than what is produced in pre-menopausal ovaries. In younger men, androgens are produced at high levels in the testes. As a man gets older, these levels gradually decrease.The changes with age in the sex hormone levels of both men and women are associated with changes in body fat distribution. While women of childbearing age tend to store fat in their lower body , older men and postmenopausal women tend to increase storage of fat around their abdomen . Postmenopausal women who are taking oestrogen supplements donât accumulate fat around their abdomen. Animal studies have also shown that a lack of oestrogen leads to excessive weight gain.
Which Hormones Help You Lose Weight
Hormones play a key role in weight management. When they are out of balance, it can result in weight gain or make it difficult to lose weight. If you are trying to lose weight, certain hormones must be available in adequate amounts for that to occur. Read more to find out which hormones you need to help you manage your weight loss.
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Hormonal Imbalances You Cant Control
Again, even if youre doing everything right and utilizing these tips to try to keep your hormones in balance, you may still require some help from your doctor.
Checking your hormone levels in order to find out which of these are higher or lower and which may require more balance can help. This way, you will know what is creating your weight gain or loss and how you can better manage the issue at home and with your doctors help.
Can Hormones Prevent Weight Loss
Hormones are chemical messengers that give crucial signals for regulating hunger, satiety, thirst, body temperature, or even weight .
With the help of the hypothalamus, a control center in your brain, the hormone balance is significantly involved in keeping bodily functions in a healthy equilibrium.
This principle of homeostasis also applies to essential metabolic processes. Hence, losing weight is hard once your hormones are out of balance.
Hormones decide whether you store energy or mobilize it, whether you are hungry or satiated, and how fat or muscle mass is distributed around the body.
Its not due to a mere lack of willpower that more than 75% of adults in the U.S. are already overweight or obese .
If your hormonal balance is set incorrectly, you will not lose weight no matter how much you restrain yourself from eating or exercising several times a week.
Therefore, pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig concludes that the obesity epidemic is due to a hormonal imbalance, not a caloric one.
The hormonal system has the primary role in developing obesity, even though the cultural changes of the last half-century initiated it .
And this Western lifestyle has long ceased to be a purely American issue but rather a global one.
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From Confusion To Clarity: Estrogen Receptor
The most important research paper I found was a Danish study that studied the density of the different types of receptors in the gluteal regions versus the abdomen. In short, that the gluteal fat cells had a high density of beta-receptors and the abdominal fat had very little. Importantly, whenever estrogen binds with the beta receptor, fat storage increases. This is found in multiple other studies . It is also relevant that activation of the estrogen-receptor beta can slow down mitochondrial energy production .
So could the dual roles of estrogen be explained by the two different types of receptor? Yes. Estrogen receptor alpha has pro-metabolic effects, reducing food intake but increasing metabolic output . It also encourages the formation of fat-burning brown fat over depot-style white fat and has adds to the effect of leptin at the hypothalamus, where it conveys a message of energy safety that permits the usage of energy throughout the body. It also curbs the activity of a wide array of lipogenic enzymes. No wonder women with reduced activity in the alpha receptor store more weight at the abdomen.
How Else To Lose Weight During Menopause
While hormone therapy is one of the most effective ways to prevent perimenopause and menopause weight gain in stomach, there are other things that women can do to control their weight at this time in their life, including:
- Get more sleep.
- Increase activity or stay active.
Another way to increase levels of estrogen in the body is to eat more foods rich in phytoestrogen, like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, berries and peaches. Phytoestrogen is a plant-made chemical that is similar to the estrogen produced by the body. Eating phytoestrogens can help control symptoms of menopause.
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The Connection Between Fat And Estrogen
When you look at a roll of fat on your abdomen or elsewhere on your body, you probably dont think of it as actually doing anything. But fat also known as adipose tissue produces estrogen, just like womens ovaries do.
High levels of estrogen circulating in your bloodstream are associated with a number of health issues, including an increased risk for breast cancer and liver cancer. Even though estrogen is commonly considered a female hormone, men produce estrogen too.
In fact, many of the symptoms associated with aging in men, such as erectile dysfunction, are due to low testosterone and excess estrogen. Just a few symptoms of higher-than-normal estrogen in both sexes include:
High estrogen in men can also lead to infertility and gynecomastia .
Free Phone Consultation With Our New Patient Coordinator
The health and safety of our staff and patients is a top priority for all of us at the office of Leigh Ann Scott, M.D. We offer both virtual appointments and in-clinic appointments, whichever you prefer. If you are coming in to see us in person, keep in mind that we maintain the highest standards when it comes to the safety of our patients. We sanitize rooms between patients and shared surfaces, such as door handles, throughout the day.
Should you choose to have a telemedicine appointment, you will still be able to see your provider, just as if she were standing in front of you in the office. Youll still get the same connection as if your appointment was in the clinic. Additionally, we have mobile phlebotomy services available if you do not want to go to a public lab.
Our providers at Leigh Ann Scott, M.D. are devoted to understanding our patients health concerns and symptoms. We use scientific-based protocols to find the root cause of hormonal imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, and more. We believe that spending quality, personalized time with each patient provides the necessary foundation to help you achieve optimal health and wellness. Our system incorporates provider consultation, comprehensive health assessment, and laboratory testing in a warm and caring environment.
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Treatment For Underlying Conditions
If a person has an ongoing health condition or is undergoing medical treatment that affects their estrogen levels, doctors may suggest other treatments. For example, a person with a thyroid condition may benefit from taking thyroid hormone medication.
The additional treatments a doctor may recommend will depend on the persons unique circumstances, so it is important to consult a professional if a person does not know the cause of their symptoms.
No natural remedies can reliably raise estrogen levels, but some may help reduce the symptoms of low estrogen levels.
The Risks Of Weight Gain After Menopause
Many of the risks of weight gain are well known: high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, to name a few. Extra fat at your waistline raises these risks more. Unfortunately, a bigger waistline is more likely after menopause. If you now have a waist measurement of more than 35 inches, it’s time to take steps to reverse this trend.
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The Role Hormones Play In Body Weight
Your hormones play a key role in metabolism, appetite, and hunger sensations. In fact, nine hormones directly affect your bodys digestive process and they can have a significant impact on your body weight, too.
Insulin is a hormone that influences metabolism, and insulin resistance increases your risk of obesity. Insulin resistance also increases your risk of diabetes, which can also make maintaining a healthy weight more difficult.
Leptin is the hormone that controls your appetite and tells you when youre full, and high leptin levels or leptin resistance can lead to overeating and weight gain. Ghrelin is the opposite of leptin. It tells you that youre hungry, but low ghrelin can make you feel hungrier and cause you to overeat.
Cortisol, the stress hormone, also influences weight. High cortisol affects metabolism and may increase your risk of overeating or make weight loss more difficult.
Finally, women with low estrogen levels during and after menopause may experience increased weight gain, while men with low testosterone levels often lose muscle mass and gain body fat.
Does Estrogen Affect Weight Loss
Weight loss is not always just a diet or exercise issue. Your hormones actually play a huge role in your weight loss efforts. In order to maintain a healthy weight, hormonal balance must be a priority. Once you understand the link between weight loss and hormonal health, you can start to take steps to balance your hormones and lose weight in a sustainable and healthy way.
Now, there are many different hormones that can affect your weight loss efforts, however, today we will be focusing on estrogen. The hormone estrogen is produced in the ovaries and is responsible for the female reproductive system. Estrogen helps control body weight and promotes the storage of fat for healthy reproductive years. That is why when your estrogen levels are balanced, the right amount of fat is carried out to the female reproductive functions. Alternatively, when you have too much or too little estrogen it often results in weight gain.
In addition, women who experience the fluctuation of hormones during menopause have reported having gained weight. This is due to the lower estrogen levels women face as their bodies begin to shift.
In order to balance estrogen levels naturally and lose weight in a healthy way, you may want to try the following
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Schedule a free consultation with me! During our consultation, we can discuss your concerns and explore how becoming a member of The Lifestyle Clinic can help balance your hormones and improve your overall wellness and lifestyle.
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