Nutritional Approaches to Balancing Hormones
Many of the conditions women experience are a result of estrogen dominance, either relative (meaning progesterone is lower than it should be) or overt (meaning estrogen is higher than it should be). Either way, the goal is to decrease circulating estrogens and increase progesterone, particularly in the second half of the cycle. There are several nutritional interventions that can help to reduce circulating estrogens by improving how your body makes and eliminates it.
Nutrients to improve elimination of estrogen
Estrogen is metabolized by the liver and eliminated from the body through the digestive tract and the urine. The liver makes estrogen water soluble, and thereby able to excreted in the urine, by adding a hydroxy molecule (OH) either at the 2 or 16 location. The 2-OH is a much healthier version of estrogen. The 16-OH is more potent, and is associated with a higher risk of cancer in estrogen-sensitive tissues, such as the breast, ovaries or uterus. Higher amounts of 16-OH estrogen are also associated with a greater risk of endometriosis, endometrial hyperplasia, uterine fibroids, painful menses, and fibrocystic breasts. There is a urine test that can check your ratio of 2-OH vs. 16-OH estrogens to see if this may be a cause of your symptoms. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts) contain high amounts Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and DIM which help the liver make more 2-OH estrogens as opposed to 16-OH. DIM has also been shown to increase progesterone production in the second half of the cycle. Increasing these foods or supplementing with DIM can help to restore the proper 2:16 ratio.
Estrogen is also excreted through the digestive tract. The liver adds a molecule of glucuronic acid to estrogen, making it inactive and too bulky to be reabsorbed. However, certain unfriendly bacteria in the intestines secrete an enzyme that can remove the glucuronic acid from the estrogen. Estrogen can then be reabsorbed into the bloodstream and contribute to a state of estrogen dominance. It will also have to go back to the liver to be processed again, which can put a strain on the liver and detract from its other necessary functions. Eating foods high in beneficial bacteria, such as yogurt or kefir, will help to repopulate the gut with good bacteria and eliminate the bad ones by competing for space and resources. This is important both for healthy digestion and proper estrogen metabolism. High amounts of fiber in the diet will also help move the bowels more efficiently and carry excess bile and estrogen out of the body.
B vitamins, and in particular B6, are needed by the liver to inactivate estrogen and have also been shown to increase progesterone levels. The B vitamins are particularly important for women on birth control, because the synthetic hormones tend to deplete levels more quickly.
Magnesium is required for almost every detoxification pathway in the body, including estrogen metabolism. It is also considered a muscle relaxer, so it can be very helpful for women with menstrual cramps, back pain, headaches, leg cramps, and can even help some women with high blood pressure. Magnesium is also relaxing mentally and emotionally, and can be taken before bed to help with insomnia or during PMS for irritability. Of course, magnesium is also required for healthy bones along with calcium and vitamin D.
Dietary Changes
Diet plays a major role, not only in providing us with the necessary nutrients for hormone production and metabolism, but also in changing the way the body metabolizes and stores fats and sugars. Sticking to a whole foods diet and avoiding highly refined carbohydrates and sugars is the best way to lower and stabilize blood sugar, reduce the amount of insulin your body needs and reduce abdominal fat (see below). Reducing belly fat and lowering blood sugar has the added benefit of reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Consuming foods that are high in nutrients and eliminating empty calories that simply spike blood sugar ensures that your body has what it needs to make and eliminate hormones properly. For many women this approach is helpful and may reduce symptoms, but it may not be curative by itself. In my experience, adding a homeopathic remedy specific to your symptoms drastically improves results. Women who receive a nutrient protocol that is tailored to their needs along with a homeopathic remedy will feel better faster and this approach will actually correct the underlying imbalance that caused the problem.
Make sure other hormones are balanced
Make sure other hormones are balanced There are several other hormones that play a major role in sex hormone production and release, such as thyroid, insulin, and adrenal hormones like cortisol. Imbalances in any of these hormones can directly affect the levels of estrogen and progesterone. It can be very helpful to measure the levels of these hormones in women who have additional symptoms, such as weight gain, fatigue, depression, constipation or insomnia. Excess body fat (particularly around the middle) can be both a cause and an effect of hormone imbalances. It can be indicative of low thyroid function or insulin resistance, and can also perpetuate imbalances in estrogen to progesterone ratios, because abdominal fat is able to convert other steroid hormones to estrogen (thereby increasing estrogen dominance). By correcting these other hormone imbalances and keeping the blood sugar stable, it is much easier to then balance estrogen and progesterone.
Avoid environmental sources of estrogen
In addition to processing our endogenous or natural estrogens, we are also exposed to “xenoestrogens” in our environment. These are chemicals that have estrogen-like effects in our body, and they are often far more potent than the estrogen the body makes. They are found in pesticides/herbicides, plastics, meat grown with added hormones and soaps/shampoos/detergents that contain parabens. They are often fat-soluble, so they accumulate in the environment and in the body over time, adding to an environment of estrogen dominance. Some pesticides/herbicides (particularly those containing dioxins) are designed to disrupt the reproductive cycles of unwanted pests, and there is evidence that these substances are also affecting the reproduction of other animals, such as birds. As they accumulate in the environment and our bodies, they are reaching levels that could also be interfering with the reproductive health of humans.
