It is a well-known fact that testosterone is a male sex hormone, and estrogens (estrone, estriol and estradiol) are female. However, men’s bodies also produce a small amount of estradiol, which actively participates in metabolic processes.
At the same time, an increased level of estrogen definitely poses a danger to the male metabolism. Typical symptoms include female-type obesity (including gynecomastia), potency problems, and growth retardation in teenage boys.
Estrogens in the male body
The term “estrogen” is a collective term for several hormones. The strongest of these is estradiol, followed by estrone and estriol. In their structure, these are steroid sex hormones responsible for regulating the biological functions of the body.
For women, the ovaries produce them, and they exert a pronounced feminizing effect on the entire body. Men synthesize estrogens in the testicles, adrenal cortex, brain, bones, and adipose tissue, with a predominantly local effect.
The rate of estrogen production in the body of an adult male is about 10-60 pg / ml for estrone, 10-40 pg / ml for the more powerful estradiol. For comparison, a woman’s body produces up to 500 pg/ml of various estrogens before menopause, which decreases to no more than 10-100 pg/ml after reaching 50 years.
Phytoestrogens in food
Some foods, such as soybeans and even beer, contain phytoestrogens. These nutrients are proteins structurally similar to estrogens. Although they can exert influence on the same receptors in the body, their level of impact is very limited.
Research does not show a link between eating reasonable amounts of soy or beer products on estrogen levels. However, research is underway on the possible negative effects of phytoestrogens on the body of adolescents.
Relationship with reproductive function
The effect of estrogen and testosterone balance on the male reproductive function is an actively studied topic. For example, in July 2020, researchers published data from an extensive study that analyzed the sexual health of 1,076 men.
The men studied suffered from one of three types of sexual dysfunction—erection problems, premature ejaculation, and difficulty achieving ejaculation. Low or high estrogen levels characterize each of these disorders.
Obviously, the difficulty in achieving ejaculation is due to high hormone levels. However, low estrogens were observed to contribute to erection problems. Finally, elevated testosterone levels are associated with premature ejaculation despite normal estrogen levels.
Benefit or harm?
Another study showed that low estrogen levels (against a background of low testosterone levels) negatively affected libido – while increasing blood estradiols to levels of at least 5 ng / dl had a positive effect on the male reproductive function.
Despite this, we are talking about extremely small amounts of estrogen, an excess of female hormones in a man’s body negatively affects the operation of many systems. At the same time, one of the key symptoms is gynecomastia – the growth of fatty tissue in the chest area.
Estrogens and gynecomastia
Men can develop gynecomastia, a condition characterized by the growth of fatty tissue in the chest area resembling that of females. One of the causes of gynecomastia can be an increased level of estrogen.
The disadvantage of gynecomastia is that when losing weight the breasts do not return to their normal shape. In this case, surgeons utilize a surgical operation in which they make a micro-incision to remove excess tissue.
Impact on adolescent growth
Excessive amounts of estrogen in the body of teenage boys leads to growth retardation and negatively affects testosterone. Excess weight, along with the regular consumption of foods containing phytoestrogens in the diet, can potentially play a role.
How to lower estrogen – nutrition
One of the easiest ways to lower estrogen levels in men is to exercise regularly, especially strength training. An increase in testosterone affects a number of processes in the body, including the activation of fat burning and muscle gain.
In addition, scientists recommend the following foods to reduce estrogen:
- Green vegetables – such as salad plants (arugula, iceberg) and various types of cabbage – they contain phytonutrients that block the production of estrogen.
- Mushrooms – naturally reduce the activity of the aromatase enzyme, which plays an important role in the process of converting androgens to estrogens.
- Whole grain cereals – Cereals (buckwheat, quinoa, spelt, oats) contain fiber, the use of which has a number of health benefits – including lowering estrogen.
Estrogens are steroid sex hormones that control the reproductive function of both female and male organisms. A decline in libido is associated with an excessively low level of estrogen in men, while a set of fat according to the female type is associated with an excessively high level.