By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Men today face an uncomfortable fate that seems to be happening at younger and younger ages—at alarming rates.

Men’s testosterone levels have been declining for several decades. The average modern man has testosterone levels far below levels from even 50 years ago and most likely drastically lower than men hundreds of years ago.

While it is somewhat normal for testosterone levels to decline with age, there has been a generational drop, with every generation, since the 70’s or before. On average, our Gen Z men and millennials have significantly lower levels of testosterone when compared to their fathers and grandfathers—and probably farther back in the family tree.

Measuring testosterone levels in men only dates to the mid 20th century, and obtaining accurate measurement of testosterone in blood has only been possible since the development of radio immunoassay techniques in the 1960’s, otherwise, we would most certainly see a serious decline in testosterone going back several generations.

Average total testosterone level of a 60-year-old man in the late 80’s was approximately 17.5nmol/L or 504.32ng/dL, according to this 2007 study. However, a 60-year-old man in 2002 had an approximate total testosterone level of 432.28ng/dL. And this is 2023, with testosterone levels dropping even further. Based on this, average testosterone levels in men are declining by approximately 10-15% every year, but could be as high as a 25% drop in testosterone.

Research carried out on Finnish and Danish populations are showing similar trends. More recently, another large-scale study of Israeli men has shown average testosterone levels dropping between 2006 and 2019, by more than 10% across every age category.

This Finnish study also shows free testosterone levels declining, combined with higher levels of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG), a substance that binds up free testosterone, making it unusable in the body.

What is the Difference Between Free Testosterone and Bound Testosterone?

Total testosterone levels include both bound and unbound portions of testosterone. These are calculated in a simple blood test that measures testosterone levels.

Total testosterone levels have been a primary indicator of men’s health and fertility for many years. But when measuring testosterone, it’s important to look at both bound and unbound levels of this hormone.

Free testosterone is considered “unbound testosterone” and can attach to receptors on any cell in the body. Free testosterone can freely execute functions such as regulate metabolism and execute cellular functions.

There are proteins in the body called Sex Hormone Binding Globulins. SHBG is made mostly in your liver. It binds (attaches) to testosterone. SHBG controls the amount of sex hormones that are actively working in your body. When testosterone is bound to SHBG, the body cannot access or utilize testosterone that is bound. Body tissues can only use free testosterone.

For various reasons, SHBG levels can be overly high, causing more bound testosterone that cannot be utilized. So even if testosterone levels are normal, a man can have symptoms of low T, if there is too much SHBG attached to testosterone. High levels of SHBG combined with normal T levels, also contribute to the low testosterone epidemic.

However, the problem is not just bound or unbound testosterone levels in men. Sperm counts are dropping, along with other reproductive disorders, like ED, impotence, and testicular and prostate cancer.

Testosterone is an important hormone. Testosterone is not only considered a man’s sex hormone—the thing that makes a man a man—but testosterone also has to do with a man’s overall health and wellness. Testosterone helps with mood, motivation, drive, a sense of wellbeing, hair growth, bone density, weight management, muscle size, and more.

Why are testosterone levels falling?

That’s a complicated question. The truth is, it’s not entirely clear, but it most likely boils down to a combination of factors that exist in the modern world. These things were not present in earlier times—or at least not to the degree that they are now in modern industrialized societies. So, it’s no surprise testosterone levels seem to be plummeting overall.

High Levels of Xenoestrogens Everywhere

It becomes more and more difficult to avoid encountering hormone-disrupting chemicals in our food and water supply, personal care products, cookware, sunscreens, lawn care products, household cleaners, and even pharmaceutical products.

Many of these chemical-based endocrine disrupters are dangerous because they mimic estrogen in the body. These synthetic estrogen-like compounds are called ‘xenoestrogens’. Xenoestrogens attach to estrogen receptors and amplify harmful effects of estrogen, causing natural hormones to go askew.

Xenoestrogens can contribute to unnatural early puberty, hormone imbalances, reduced testosterone and fertility, reproductive problems, and a higher risk of certain types of cancers. Xenoestrogens are also responsible for weight gain, erectile dysfunction, and ‘man boobs’.

Xenoestrogens cause an unnatural increase in estrogen in men, block the natural production of testosterone, and lower sperm count and decrease fertility.

Obviously, xenoestrogens sound like something people should avoid at all costs. But how do we avoid them when they are everywhere? It may be difficult to totally avoid them, but there are definite ways to reduce exposure to xenoestrogens. Let’s look at where xenoestrogens are found:

Xenoestrogens can be found in pesticides, plastics, fuels, foods, preservatives, and drugs. Many xenoestrogens are present in processed, packaged foods and conventionally grown produce—as either preservatives or pesticides.

There are also xenoestrogens in conventional dairy, meat, and eggs. Commercial dairy and egg farmers often feed estrogenic chemicals to dairy cows and chickens because it will increase production of their milk or eggs. This makes conventional dairy, eggs, and meat major sources of xenoestrogens. Growth hormones given to commercial livestock have estrogen-like qualities as well.

Plastics contain a lot of xenoestrogens, particularly in softer plastics like water bottles, soft drink containers, and storage containers. Worst of all are the plastic food containers that are used to heat up leftovers in the microwave. Microwaving sends a large dose of the xenoestrogens from the plastic into food.

High Cortisol and Testosterone

Life has become very competitive and very stressful. Jobs, money, family, climate change, pandemics, wars, and on and on. More people than ever are dealing with unprecedented levels of chronic stress today. While you probably already know that stress can impact moods, sleep, and immune function—it also can affect your testosterone levels as well.

High stress levels cause higher cortisol levels. According to research from University of Texas at Austin, chronically elevated cortisol levels will lower testosterone, increase the occurrence of impotence, and lower libido by inhibiting testosterone production in men.

Stress and cortisol can come from physical stress like exercise, or mental and emotional stress. Male athletes who are training hard tend to have lowered levels of testosterone as well. Athletes who overtrain, and don’t take enough time off for their bodies to recover, tend to have lower levels of testosterone than average. Reductions in testosterone at the low end of ‘clinically normal’ is generally true particularly with excessive endurance training.

The problem with stress and testosterone is that it can turn into a vicious cycle. Low testosterone levels lead to more stress, which raises cortisol and causes testosterone levels to drop even lower.

Researchers are still learning more about the direct physiological connection between stress and low testosterone. In addition to the physical response other side effects of stress like poor sleep, and low energy also contribute to lower testosterone levels.

Excess Alcohol

Men’s bodies contain three glands responsible for production of testosterone in men: The hypothalamus, the anterior pituitary gland, and the testes. The hypothalamus releases a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which acts on the pituitary gland.

1. The pituitary gland releases luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
2. In response to circulating LH and FSH levels, your testes will begin to make more testosterone.

Alcohol disrupts testosterone production by interfering with the signals of all three glands. This results in the usual low testosterone symptoms: erectile dysfunction, infertility, and reduced male sexual characteristics. Alcohol also impairs the function of the testicular Sertoli cells that play an important role in sperm maturation.

Disruptions to these LH and FSH can lead a complete stoppage of sperm production. Studies have found that 50 percent of heavy drinkers had spermatogenic arrest compared to only 20 percent of men who were not heavy drinkers. They also found that men who drank heavily had significantly smaller testicles than men who don’t drink.

Alcohol is also a substance that can cause the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. When alcohol is consumed, alcohol stimulates an enzyme called aromatase, which initiates the process of converting testosterone into estrogen. So, testosterone levels decrease, and estrogen increases in response to drinking.

Overweight, Obesity and Testosterone

We all have body fat, but some of us have more than others. One of the biggest health issues in modern society is the prevalence of excess body fat and obesity. There are many reasons for this including, a poor diet high in carbohydrates and sugar, stress, lack of exercise, and sleep issues that can pile on the pounds.

Unfortunately, being a man and being overweight can cause free testosterone levels to drop drastically. There is a ton of evidence that shows obesity as being a primary factor in low testosterone levels. Obesity, in fact, is the number one most effective predictor of low testosterone in men—out of all possible risk factors.

The key reason is that fat cells contain aromatase. As with alcohol, aromatase converts testosterone and its ‘parent’ hormones into estrogen. What happens is this—when a man starts gaining extra fat, aromatase levels go up. This converts existing testosterone into estrogen. And by the way, abdominal fat contains the highest levels of aromatase.

Here’s an all-too-frequent-scenario of today’s modern man: Our modern guy is carrying around excess chronic stress from work, his home life, kids, and more. This causes him to have high cortisol levels which in turn begins to lower testosterone, and probably affects his sleep as well.

Cortisol also increases blood sugar and causes this guy to get the munchies and gain weight—especially around the midsection. Aromatase starts to increase.

To combat the excess stress, our guy goes out and throws back a couple pints every evening after work with his buddies, instead of heading to the gym to work out. The alcohol raises his cortisol levels and his aromatase levels. More testosterone is converted to estrogen and testosterone production also slows down. The excess alcohol, combined with the higher-than-normal cortisol levels begin to cause a ‘beer belly’ in our guy.

All these things increase aromatase, raising levels of estrogen, and lowering testosterone. Lower testosterone makes managing stress more difficult. In addition, low testosterone levels decrease muscle mass, instead of increasing it, meaning more body fat as well. Low T also means low motivation, so instead our guy feeling like he can ‘take on the world,’ he’d much rather sit on his couch with a cold one in his hand.

The result for our poor guy is a vicious cycle of low testosterone, high estrogen, low motivation, low energy, low libido, erectile dysfunction, ‘man boobs’, more body fat, loss of lean muscle tissue, along with irritability and depression. This is today’s man stuck in a downward spiral of stress, excess fat, and consuming too much alcohol and junk food. This happens every day, all the time, with too many men. No wonder average testosterone levels are way lower than the past!

Contrast that with a primitive man, who spent most of his day laboring or tracking animals. he was lean and muscular. Stress was short-lived, and not chronically present in his everyday life. Alcohol was not readily available, food was completely natural and void of excess sugars, and there were no processed vegetable oils and refined carbohydrates. And no xenoestrogens in his environment. This guy had plenty of testosterone, along with motivation, drive, high libido and energy.

How to Regain Control of Testosterone Levels

1. Cut out sugar, starches, carbs, and processed vegetable oils, and, if necessary, get a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to monitor blood sugar levels.
2. Eat REAL meat, especially grass-fed meat. Eat organic, grass fed dairy. Sorry vegans.
3. Cut way back on alcohol or quit all together. One drink per day should be maximum. Hint: sometimes it’s easier to quit totally then trying to reduce alcohol intake.
4. Remove or reduce xenoestrogens in your environment. Switch to natural, organic personal care products including shave cream, soaps, deodorant, shampoos, lotions, sunscreen, laundry soap, and cleaning products. Stop the cologne and body sprays. Avoid all plastic, especially if it is in contact with your food. Stop microwaving your food. Avoid other chemicals, solvents, and paints.
5. Get back to the gym! Lift heavy weights, sprint, and do intense exercise. Lifting weights and other intense exercise not only helps to increase testosterone levels but also burns fat, and increases lean muscle mass. Working out also decreases stress and cortisol.

As the article mentions testosterone is dropping at an alarming rate for men all over the world,  so if you’re a man over the age of 40, then pay attention…

If you’re a woman who loves her man, and is afraid of his increasing lack of masculinity, then please take a moment to read this very important message…

Today’s man, that’s you, is under attack from multiple angles – you’re being told that being a MAN is no longer allowed, and the foods and drinks you’re eating are slowly, and effectively stripping away your manhood, leaving you with…

An increasing amount of jiggly belly fat that will NOT go away, decreased sex-drive and E.D. problems, trouble sleeping, depression, lack of confidence, joint and muscle pain, risk of an early, and painful death…

…And just not feeling like a man anymore

But the good news is it’s NOT your fault – you’ve been lied to and deceived…

Click here to discover 1 simple trick, you can start doing today, to reclaim your manhood (more sex, less belly fat, more confidence, more strength, and…)

References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880087/
Ori Hofmekler, “The Anti-Estrogenic Diet, How Estrogenic Foods and Chemicals Are Making You Fat and Sick”, North Atlantic Books, 2007.
Joseph Mercola, “12 Food Additives to Remove from Your Diet’, Mercola.com,
July 14, 2009
Elizabeth Smith, MD, “Xenoestrogens interfere with Normal Hormones.” Endo101.com
https://ltmensclinic.com/how-stressful-times-can-impact-your-testosterone/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3880087/
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-alcohol-affects-testosterone#effect-on-sperm
Fui MN, Dupuis P, Grossmann M. Lowered testosterone in male obesity: mechanisms, morbidity and management. Asian J Androl. 2014;16(2):223-231. doi:10.4103/1008-682X.122365
Corona G, Rastrelli G, Monami M, et al. Body weight loss reverts obesity-associated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Endocrinol. 2013;168(6):829-843. Published 2013 May 2. doi:10.1530/EJE-12-0955
Cabler S, Agarwal A, Flint M, du Plessis SS. Obesity: modern man’s fertility nemesis. Asian J Androl. 2010;12(4):480-489. doi:10.1038/aja.2010.38T
Saad F, Aversa A, Isidori AM, Gooren LJ. Testosterone as potential effective therapy in treatment of obesity in men with testosterone deficiency: a review. Curr Diabetes Rev. 2012;8(2):131-143. doi:10.2174/157339912799424573
Vingren JL, Kraemer WJ, Ratamess NA, Anderson JM, Volek JS, Maresh CM. Testosterone physiology in resistance exercise and training: the up-stream regulatory elements. Sports Med. 2010;40(12):1037-1053. doi:10.2165/11536910-000000000-00000
Grossmann M, Matsumoto AM. A Perspective on Middle-Aged and Older Men with Functional Hypogonadism: Focus on Holistic Management. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2017;102(3):1067-1075. doi:10.1210/jc.2016-3580
https://www.everlywell.com/blog/testosterone/testosterone-weight-loss/
https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/shbg-blood-test/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3955331/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323085#high-levels
https://www.medichecks.com/blogs/testosterone/why-do-gen-z-and-millennial-men-have-lower-testosterone

The post The Great Testosterone Reset appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

I debated about writing on this topic, because I know there are many people who enjoy this substance, so I am here to apologize ahead of time for being the bearer of bad news.

This information I am about to present is about drinking alcohol and its effects on your brain, gut, mood, inflammation, DNA and hormones. It unfortunately applies to all drinkers including, and especially, those who may be mild to moderate regular drinkers (1-2 drinks per day).

This is quite frankly, information that cannot be ignored. While the research has been available for quite a while, it has been ignored, swept under the rug, or considered to be applicable only for those who participate in heavy usage of alcohol. Not true. If you drink on any kind of regular basis, this information applies to you, and you deserve to know about something that has such strong negative associations with your health.

Alcohol is a huge cultural and social institution. Most all holidays, year ‘round, revolve around drinking alcohol. Social gatherings including weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and other celebrations often center around alcohol usage. Then there’s football, baseball, and other spectator sports. What would the Super Bowl be without beer? And don’t forget daily Happy Hour.

In 2021, the global market share of the alcohol industry amounted to around 1.45 trillion dollars. This is an increase of 72 billion dollars over 2019. This is BIG money, and I suspect the reason most people don’t hear about alcohol’s dangers has a lot do with this huge trillion-dollar industry and how they control the negative information surrounding alcohol.

Alcohol, despite its worldwide acceptance, and its many social and cultural contexts, has a very dark side which doesn’t get much notice, or is generally just ignored.

Drinking alcohol is as dangerous or more dangerous than smoking cigarettes, even in small amounts. In fact, some studies have compared 10g of alcohol a day (that’s one small glass of wine, 1 shot of liquor, or a beer) to smoking a half a pack or more of cigarettes a week.

This recent survey found that most adults in the United States have little knowledge of the link between alcohol and cancer, even though about 60-70% of the adult population drinks.

Even worse, over 10% of respondents wrongly believe that drinking alcohol, especially wine, is good for you. Yes, red wine does contain resveratrol, a natural antioxidant that slows aging. Unfortunately for you wine drinkers, the amount of resveratrol in wine is low.

Resveratrol concentrations in wine can range from negligible to around 2 milligrams per liter (for Pinot Noir which has the highest levels of resveratrol). This means you’d would have to get in about 1000 milligrams per day to receive any health benefits it offers.

To put these figures into perspective, you’d have to consume more than 500 liters, which equates to about 650 bottles of wine, per day. I don’t think 600 bottles of anything a day will do you much good, especially 600 bottles of wine.

What Happens in Your Body When You Drink Alcohol

Alcohol is a water- and fat-soluble substance, which means it can penetrate all organs and tissues, except bone and fat–and it’s damaging effects cross the blood brain barrier to cause damage to brain cells as well.

There are three primary types of alcohol, according to chemistry: isopropyl, methyl, and ethyl. All are toxic, but only ethyl, or grain, alcohol can be consumed by humans. However, ethyl alcohol is still very toxic to the body, and it causes substantial stress and damage to your cells.

When you drink alcohol, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to your liver, where it is metabolized. The main enzyme responsible for metabolizing alcohol in the liver is called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH).

Alcohol dehydrogenase converts ethanol into acetaldehyde, a toxin, which is then further metabolized into acetic acid or acetone. Acetic acid is then broken down into water and carbon dioxide, which can be eliminated from the body through urine, breath and sweat.

The liver can only metabolize a small amount of alcohol at a time, and this varies from person to person. Generally, the liver can process about one drink per hour. If a person drinks faster than one drink per hour, the liver cannot speed up the detoxification process. Women metabolize alcohol slower than men, and older adults metabolize alcohol slower than younger adults.

Unmetabolized alcohol will circulate in the bloodstream, in the form of acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is the ‘poison’ part of alcohol, and the tipsy buzz you are feeling is actually the poison circulating in your bloodstream and your brain. In addition to making you feel tipsy, this poison is invading your cells and doing major damage to them.

1. Alcohol and Increased Cancer Risk

There is strong evidence to suggest that even mild to moderate alcohol consumption significantly increases the risk of certain types of cancer. The World Health Organization has classified alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning that it is a known direct cause of cancer in humans. Alcohol use is one of the most important preventable risk factors for cancer, along with tobacco use and excess body weight, according to the American Cancer Society.

Contrary to what most folks believe however, you don’t have to be a raging alcoholic to experience the damage that alcohol does to your body and your cells. It only takes one or two drinks a day, and the risk of increases as consumption increases.

Cancer and alcohol consumption have been studied extensively, with the following types of cancers most strongly associated with alcohol consumption:

• Breast cancer
• Mouth, throat, and laryngeal cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Liver cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Skin cancer

Let’s take a look how alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer increases by about 8-15%, per drink (10g alcohol) per day—for both pre-menopausal and menopausal women. That’s the equivalent of one glass of wine, 1 12oz. beer, or 1 shot of liquor. So, if you drink two glasses of wine per day, your risk of breast cancer goes up by 16-30%. There’s a similar increased risk for other types cancer as well. That’s pretty sobering if you ask me (no pun intended).

One of the ways alcohol increases cancer risk is by increasing inflammation. Cancer often follows inflammation. Alcohol consumption increases inflammatory markers in the body, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and increases levels of circulating pro-inflammatory cytokines, all of which can contribute to the development of health problem, including cancer.

There are several ways in which alcohol increases inflammation in the body:

• Alcohol damages the lining of the entire gut and gastrointestinal tract, leading to an increase in immune cell activity and widespread inflammation in the body.
• Alcohol stimulates the production of cortisol, adrenaline, and estrogen, which can promote inflammation that encourages cancer cell and tumor growth.
• Alcohol interferes with absorption and metabolism of nutrients that are important for healthy immune function, such as vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc. An effective immune system can fight and kill cancer cells.
• Alcohol increases oxidative stress and free radicals, both of which cause inflammation and cell damage.
• Most alcohol is high in sugar content, which further encourages cancer growth, as many different types of cancer feed on glucose.

The primary reason alcohol increases cancer risk is that it damages DNA in cells. DNA is the blueprint for healthy cell reproduction, and when this blueprint is damaged, the cells mutate and become cancer cells. Cancerous cells multiply into cancerous tumors, and then metastasize easily due to the high levels of inflammation and lowered immune response.

2. Alcohol and Mood Regulation

Alcohol hits your brain within about 5 minutes of ingesting it affects your brain function in about 10 minutes. This early stage is called subliminal intoxication. Reaction times, behavior and judgement are already impaired at this point. Just one drink suppresses the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which is responsible for impulse control and inhibition.

Early stages of drinking also spike the neurochemicals, dopamine and serotonin. This is why most people enjoy drinking. They feel relaxed, confident, and often a little giddy. Subsequent drinks cannot restore these feelings that result from the increased dopamine and serotonin. The toxic effects of alcohol disrupt the brain circuitry so that after the initial spike in dopamine and serotonin, these neurochemicals take a long slow downhill route, resulting in a more depressed mood overall.

The problem comes when people seek more of the dopamine buzz. The more people drink to get those good feelings back, the more fleeting that feeling becomes. This can cause many people to become addicted to alcohol and dopamine spike, however short-lived it may be. Sadly, chronic drinkers often have persistent anxiety and depression from the alcohol.

3. Alcohol Shrinks Brain Matter

Even moderate amounts of alcohol (1-2 drinks per day) can cause thinning of the neocortex and shrinking of the brain.

Studies show alcohol intake is negatively associated with global brain volume measures, regional gray matter volumes, and white matter in the brain. Although nearly 90% of the brain shows significant negative associations with alcohol intake, the most extensively affected regions included the frontal, parietal, and insular cortices, with changes also in temporal and cingulate regions. Associations are also marked in the brain stem, putamen, and amygdala.

This research showing shrinking gray and white matter of the brain holds true for younger adults as well as middle aged, and older adults.

Alcohol also changes the relationship between the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenals, and the hormones they secrete.

The hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands are all part of the endocrine system. The hypothalamus is a small region of the brain that produces hormones and neurotransmitters that control the pituitary gland, which is a small gland located at the base of the brain.

The pituitary gland, in turn, produces hormones that regulate various functions in the body, including growth, metabolism, and reproduction.

The adrenal glands are two small glands located on top of the kidneys that produce hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, which help to regulate the body’s response to stress.

Alcohol affects this relationship between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands by disrupting the production of hormones and neurotransmitters in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which can affect various body functions.

Alcohol increases production of stress hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, which increases feelings of stress and anxiety.

Alcohol also impairs the body’s ability to respond appropriately to the heightened stress.

In effect, regular alcohol consumption increases baseline levels of cortisol, leading you to feel more stressed and anxious, even when not drinking. This often leads a person to feel like they ‘need’ a drink after a stressful—or not so stressful day.

Although elevated baseline levels of cortisol can reverse after cessation of drinking, the problem persists quite a while after alcohol consumption.

Drinking alcohol makes you less resilient to everyday stressors, even when not drinking, and that increases your desire to drink more frequently.

4. Alcohol and Chronic Gut Inflammation

Rubbing alcohol is considered an antiseptic. The same goes for ethyl alcohol. Antiseptics kill bacteria, both good and bad. This also happens when someone drinks alcohol—it kills off the beneficial bacteria in the gut, and only a small amount of alcohol can cause damage.

Alcohol induces gut inflammation, which in turn promotes disease, both inside and outside the GI tract. In fact, many alcohol-related disorders, including cancers, liver disease, and neurological diseases, may be directly affected by the alcohol-induced gut inflammation.

The inflammation itself results from alcohol metabolism, that leads to leaky gut syndrome and increased system-wide inflammation, ‘bad’ bacterial and fungal overgrowth, imbalances in good and bad microorganisms in the gut, and alterations in immune function. Leaky gut can also cause food sensitivities and allergic reactions as protein molecules from food escape the gut and get into the bloodstream, where the immune system attacks them.

Along with the gut inflammation and gut dysbiosis, alcohol increases the risk of GERD, or esophageal reflux, which then often leads to esophageal cancer. Alcohol use can also cause gastritis, or inflammation of the stomach. Repeated episodes of gastritis open the door to ulcers and stomach cancer.

Gut inflammation often causes nutrients to be poorly absorbed and metabolized, leading to many nutrient deficiencies and decreased immune function. Some of the nutrients affected by alcohol include:

• Vitamin A, important for vision, immune function, and skin health.
• Vitamin B1 (thiamin), important for nerve function and energy production.
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) necessary for brain function, immune function, and metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates.
• Vitamin B12 (cobalamin), important for nerve function and the production of red blood cells.
• Folate helps produce red blood cells and promotes DNA synthesis. Because of its role in DNA synthesis, low levels of folate can increase risk of cancers. Folate is one of the nutrients most easily depleted by drinking alcohol.
• Iron, also key to producing red blood cells and transporting oxygen throughout the body.
• Zinc is necessary for immune function, wound healing, and appropriate taste and smell.

5. Alcohol Increases Testosterone to Estrogen Conversion in Men

Alcohol consumption can lead to an increase in estrogen levels in men due to its effect on the enzyme aromatase. Aromatase is an enzyme that is responsible for converting testosterone into estrogen. Regular alcohol consumption increases aromatase which causes more testosterone to be converted to estrogen.

The liver can normally break down and eliminate excess estrogen from the body. When the liver is inflamed by alcohol, it cannot break down estrogen as efficiently, leading to higher levels of estrogen circulating in the body.

This can happen to women as well as men. In women it causes symptoms of “estrogen dominance”, which can cause heavier than normal periods, exacerbated PMS, weight gain, and mood fluctuations.

Alcohol consumption also increases body fat, which also increases estrogen levels, as fat cells can create estrogen. Body fat can also convert testosterone into more estrogen. So, this increase in body fat can also increase estrogen levels in men lower testosterone. Lowered testosterone and higher than normal estrogen in men causes symptoms like gynecomastia (‘man-boobs’), lowered sex drive, loss of muscle mass, and erectile dysfunction.

Other Problems with Alcohol Consumption

When you combine the compelling reasons above with other potential problems that can happen with alcohol consumption such as:

1. Other health problems: Weight gain, poor skin texture, bloating, liver disease, pancreatitis, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, lack of quality sleep, and poor moods.
2. Addiction: It is possible to develop an addiction to alcohol, which can lead to physical and psychological dependence. People with an alcohol addiction may find it difficult to stop drinking, even if they want to.
3. Social problems: Alcohol use can lead to social problems such as arguments, fights, and relationship difficulties. It can also cause problems at work or school, and increase the legal issues, such as drunk driving, speeding and reckless driving.
4. Mental health problems: Alcohol use can worsen existing mental health problems or contribute to the development of depression and anxiety.
5. Financial issues: Alcohol is expensive, buying drinks with dinner can almost double the cost of a dinner out. Purchasing a bottle of wine daily or every other day can cost upwards of $300-$500 or more a month. People will often make impulse buys that are regretted later, while under the influence of alcohol.

Given all these serious negative results from drinking alcohol, I honestly do not see one thing about drinking that is good for you mentally or physically. If you feel you need to drink to get rid of stress, or feel more confident, try heading to the gym for a workout, or going for a walk or run in the fresh air instead. It will be far better for you in the long run.

One more important point to note: yes, our society has many social and cultural events and contexts that revolve around drinking alcohol. That doesn’t mean you have to avoid these things all together. Find an enjoyable, healthier drink and participate in the social activities anyway. I will say, however, I have found it is far easier to totally avoid drinking, than to try to cut back on alcohol.

The benefits of not drinking accumulate with every day of avoiding alcohol. My skin is clear and glowing, I sleep like a rock every night, I have more energy during the day, I am less often sick, I don’t have brain fog anymore, and my cells are better and healthier every day.

My partner and I found that we enjoyed having ‘Happy Hour’ every day at the end of a workday to relax and socialize and drink a glass of wine. While we did both stopped drinking, we continue that routine, but now we mix up a variety of fun non-alcoholic drinks like kombucha and mineral water, turn on some relaxing jazz, relax and catch up on the day, and feel good about it.

Enjoy your life, but without alcohol. You will be immensely better off for it. Cheers!

References
Hubermanlab podcast, “What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Brain & Health: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkS1pkKpILY
https://www.aicr.org/news/most-americans-still-unaware-that-alcohol-is-a-cause-of-cancer/
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/alcohol-and-cancer-risk-most-americans-arent-aware-of-the-link?slot_pos=2&utm_term=feature&utm_source=Sailthru%20Email&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=generalhealth&utm_content=2022-12-28&apid=32500293&rvid=9e37d77365364f9f3cb63f8a123d8d7cd4fa7795846d064738c35367c4d8da89#Researchers-concerned-about-alcohol-and-cancer-link
https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/20-10-2021-alcohol-is-one-of-the-biggest-risk-factors-for-breast-cancer
https://go.nature.com/3PNFj7y
Associations Between Drinking and Cortical Thickness in Younger Adult Drinkers: Findings From the Human Connectome Project: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acer.14147
https://usualwines.com/blogs/knowledge-base/resveratrol-wine
https://www.bgsu.edu/recwell/wellness-connection/alcohol-education/alcohol-metabolism.html

The post Five Convincing Reasons to Stop Drinking Forever appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-seller: The Diabetes Fix

Your thyroid gland is a small butterfly shaped gland that sits in your neck. It is responsible for important bodily functions such as breathing rate, heart rate, digestion, energy, weight gain or loss, and even your moods.

The thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate your body’s metabolism. These hormones are primarily, thyroxine (T4), and triiodothyroinine (T3). The correct balance of these hormones keeps your body’s functions running smoothly. The thyroid also produces cells called c-cells make calcitonin, which assists in calcium and bone metabolism.

When the body needs more or less of these hormones, the pituitary gland in the brain sends a hormone called “thyroid stimulating hormone” (TSH) that signals the thyroid to change the production level. High levels of TSH mean that the thyroid hormones are too low, and low levels of TSH mean that thyroid levels are too high.
Various conditions can affect the thyroid gland, and thyroid disease can develop when the thyroid makes too much or too little T3 and T4. Women – due to the complex balance between thyroid hormones and female sex hormones–tend to have thyroid problems more often than men or children; however, men, especially older men, can get thyroid problems as well.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is one of the most common thyroid disorders. This is “low” thyroid. This occurs when the thyroid does not produce enough T4 and T3. This can also occur when the thyroid cannot convert T4 into the more active thyroid hormone T3 for use in the body.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Fluid retention
• Muscle and joint pain
• Constipation
• Irregular periods
• Hair loss
• Feeling chilly all the time
• Depression
• Slowed heart rate
• Fertility problems

Hypothyroid treatment usually involves supplementing with thyroid hormones—either just a synthetic T4 medication, like Synthroid, or a natural combination drug that includes T3 and T4, such as Armour thyroid, or Nature-Thyroid.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks the thyroid gland, and it becomes chronically inflamed. This happens most commonly in middle-aged women, but can affect men and children as well. Over time, this chronic inflammation develops into hypothyroidism, causing:

• Weight gain
• Fatigue
• Sensitivity to cold
• Depression
• Hair loss
• Muscle aches
• Constipation

Those with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis may not show any symptoms early on, but may have the thyroid (TPO) antibodies detected in blood tests. TPO is an enzyme that plays a role in the production of thyroid hormones.

Left untreated, Hashimoto’s can gradually become worse and destroy thyroid function. Treatment for Hashimoto’s is like treatment for hypothyroidism and individual’s take either a synthetic or natural form of thyroid hormones. A blood test for thyroid function needs to be done every 6-8 weeks to determine correct dosages for medication.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone. While this does occur more often in women, it can also occur in men—especially over the age of 60. The symptoms of hyperthyroidism are just the opposite of hypothyroidism. These include:

• Nervousness
• Anxiety
• Muscle weakness
• Feeling hot all the time
• Insomnia
• Rapid, irregular heartbeat
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Mood swings
• Bulging eyes

Hyperthyroidism treatment involves taking an anti-thyroid or beta-blockers (medication which slows the heart rate), radioiodine therapy, or surgery to remove the thyroid. If left untreated, hyperthyroidism can cause serious heart, muscle, bone, fertility, and other health problems, because the body goes into overdrive with hyperthyroid conditions.

Graves’ Disease

The most common disease related to hyperthyroidism is a condition called Graves’ disease. This autoimmune disease causes the immune system to attack the thyroid, causing the gland to produce too much thyroid hormone.

Graves’ can create complications in many parts of the body, from the eyes and skin to the heart and bones.

One of the most serious complications of Graves’ disease is something called a “thyroid storm”. A thyroid storm is a life-threatening condition that can happen when Graves’ disease is not treated. It often develops in patients with long-standing hyperthyroidism. It can flare up when there are other stressors in the body, such as heart attacks or even infections. It can also occur following radioactive therapy for hyperthyroidism or from irregular use of anti-thyroid medications. Symptoms include a pounding heart, shaking, sweating, agitation, and confusion. Immediate emergency treatment is critical—a thyroid storm can cause cardiac arrest and death.

Causes of Thyroid Malfunction

1. Gluten – Gluten has been found to be linked to many cases of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. There are several studies show a strong link between autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), including Hashimoto’s and Graves’ disease, and gluten intolerance. This connection is well-established in the medical community and researchers strongly recommend that all people with AITD be screened for gluten intolerance.

How does this work? It’s a case of the body mistakenly identifying components of gluten in wheat, rye, barley, and other grains, for the thyroid gland. Gliadin, which is one of the protein components that make up gluten, resembles thyroid tissue. Repeated ingestion of wheat creates inflammation in the gut (whether you react to it or not). Chronic gut inflammation can cause tiny holes in the gut, where tiny particles of food can leak outside of the gut. When gluten is eaten, the gliadin from the gluten escapes the gut barrier and gets into the bloodstream, and the immune system attacks it. These same antibodies become activated to attack the thyroid tissue.

The immune response to gluten can last for 6 months each time you eat it. So, if you have any type of thyroid problems, it is critical for you to eliminate ALL gluten from your diet. Being mostly gluten—free will not help your gut or your thyroid function.

Standard lab tests for gluten are not very accurate. They only test for antibodies to gluten in the bloodstream. Antibodies for gluten in the blood are only found when the gut has been damaged to the point where the gluten is escaping the gut, which is a relatively advanced stage of this sneaky disease. Blood tests will miss the milder or early cases.

Additionally, when you are tested for celiac disease, you are tested for only ONE specific gliadin, alpha gliadin and tissue transglutaminase, tTG-2.

Consider this:

• People can react negatively to other components in gluten that are not included in the standard celiac/gluten intolerance test. And this includes your thyroid function.
• Even if you test negative for celiac disease you can have serious negative reactions to other wheat proteins or transglutaminases—which all can cause inflammation and problems with the thyroid gland.
• For every positive gluten test, there are many more that go undiagnosed—many with NO gastrointestinal symptoms at all.

If you have any symptoms of the above hyper- or hypo-thyroid conditions, it is best to avoid gluten totally. Partially avoiding it will not help your condition.

2. Hormone Imbalance

We often think of our sex hormones as functioning totally separately from the thyroid hormone. However, thyroid hormones are affected by estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol levels.

Women’s sex hormones — especially progesterone —can have a strong influence on the conversion and effectiveness of thyroid hormones. When sex hormones are out of balance, it will generally lead to hypothyroid symptoms, including weight gain, fatigue, and hair loss—even when your lab work tests in the normal ranges.

For women, the healthy hormonal balance between estrogen, testosterone and progesterone can become unbalanced after childbirth, from using oral contraceptives, or during perimenopause.

During perimenopause (the 10 or so years prior to menopause), women’s hormones begin to shift in as progesterone levels can drop quickly to about 75% of the previous levels. Estrogen decreases more gradually and can remain high, throwing off the delicate balance that exists. This causes a condition called “estrogen dominance”. The result is higher estrogen levels in relation to progesterone. Many of the typical perimenopause and menopause symptoms are often because of estrogen dominance.

When estrogen levels are high and progesterone levels too low, the liver increases production of a protein called thyroid binding globulin or TBG. TBG binds up the free thyroid hormones in your blood. TBG basically holds thyroid hormones hostage, and they don’t get to your cells where they need to. Instead, you get symptoms of low thyroid. The frustrating thing is that your thyroid lab work can look perfectly normal unless testing is done to look at the levels of TBG.

People who are hypothyroid also tend to overproduce estrogen and their body cannot detoxify as well, causing higher than normal levels of estrogen to accumulate in their body. So, this creates an ever-worsening problem. Regardless of the mechanism, you end up with long-term exposure to high levels of estrogen. Long term exposure to high levels of estrogen without enough progesterone to balance it out, can create serious health problems including diabetes, uterine fibroids, ovarian and breast cancer. In addition, prolonged exposure to an overabundance of estrogen (in relation to progesterone) is shown to significantly increase the production of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis antibodies, leading to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Progesterone also helps to facilitate the action of the thyroid hormones, while estrogen is antagonistic to thyroid hormone. So, women with low progesterone and high estrogen have a more difficult time getting the thyroid hormone to do its job.

Solution: Depending on hormone levels and a woman’s age, natural over-the-counter progesterone cream can be applied to the skin to help bring estrogen and progesterone levels back into balance. In turn this can help thyroid function return to normal.

3. Cortisol, Stress and Thyroid Hormones

By now we should all know that high levels of stress can cause increased cortisol. High cortisol can have wide-ranging effects including thinning of the bones, muscle wasting, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, high blood sugar, compromised immune function, memory loss and more.

Stress and cortisol also slow down immune function. High cortisol can inhibit secretion of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) from the pituitary gland, leading to suppression of thyroxine, which is the main hormone produced by the thyroid gland. Increased cortisol can shift the thyroid into an inactive state, elevating reverse T3, instead of the proper conversion of T4 into T3.

Chronic stress also has a big effect on progesterone levels. When your body is stressed, it works to produce higher levels of the hormone cortisol which helps to handle stress in your body. Progesterone is a master hormone and a precursor to cortisol. So, when cortisol levels increase, progesterone levels decrease, and this also causes problems with hypothyroid and puts you more at risk for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Receptors for all progesterone, thyroid and cortisol are in nearly every cell of the body, so the relationship between them and the adrenal gland, thyroid, and pancreas is critical for energy production and balanced physiology.

Solution: Vitamin C helps cortisol, as does meditation and exercise to relieve stress. Women may benefit from a natural progesterone cream as well.

4. Birth Control Pills and Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone replacement therapy at any point in a woman’s life, can create thyroid problems by creating an overabundance of estrogen in the body. This also slows production of the body’s natural progesterone, creating chaos in the endocrine system.

This creates a similar situation to the above, with low progesterone, high estrogen, and lowered levels of thyroid. High levels of estrogen also contribute to a rise in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Generally, this happens far more often with oral contraception, as opposed to dermal patches or sublingual treatments.

For women on long term birth control, estrogen in birth control pills increases the amount of thyroid binding proteins available to bind to thyroid hormone. What does this mean? If you have a lot of thyroid hormones bound to TBG, you’ll have less free T4 in your body that’s able to do its job.

And be aware, that if you are on birth control and you need medication for hypothyroidism, you might need a higher dose of thyroid medication to get to your normal thyroid levels. TBG starts to increase around two weeks after starting oral contraceptives.

Anyone who is taking thyroid medication, whether it’s synthetic T4 or T3, should be monitored for six to eight weeks after the oral contraceptives are started, to check thyroid hormones. If symptoms of hypothyroidism appear in a woman taking HRT or birth control pills, the best treatment, if possible, is to stop the treatment or birth control pill and see if symptoms disappear.

Women who have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and start on birth control pill, will most likely need more thyroid hormone as estrogen contained in the pill works against it. Women who are on any type of birth control pill may need to have a full thyroid panel done to check thyroid function frequently.

5. Nutritional Deficiencies

Believe it or not, nutritional deficiencies, even slight ones, can have a drastic effect on thyroid hormones. Inadequate intake of iodine impairs thyroid function and results in a spectrum of disorders. Other common deficiencies of micronutrients such as iron, selenium, vitamin A, and possibly zinc may interact with iodine nutrition and thyroid function.

Iodine is the main component in T3 and T4 hormones. But our bodies cannot produce iodine on their own, so it is essential to get enough iodine through the diet. In the United States and other countries, iodized salt was introduced many years ago, helping to eliminate problems with too little iodine in the diet. Other common deficiencies of micronutrients that affect thyroid function include iron, selenium, vitamin A, and zinc which all interact with iodine uptake and thyroid function.

Goitrogens are naturally occurring chemicals found in many plant-based foods. Goitrogens interfere with thyroid hormones and can cause thyroid malfunction. Consuming large amounts of these substances on a regular basis can affect thyroid health. The key goitrogen-rich foods include cruciferous vegetables, some types of fruit, nuts, and soy.

There are three types of goitrogens: goitrins, thiocyanates, and flavonoids. Some of the more common foods that contain goitrogens include:

• Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, collard greens, radishes, kohlrabi, turnups and arugula.
• Cassava (this is an ingredient very common in gluten free/no grain products)
• Pine nuts, peanuts
• Soy products such as tofu, tempeh, edamame, and soy milk

Foods that contain goitrogens disrupt thyroid hormones by slowing down the body’s ability to iodine. Goitrogens can block the process by which iodine is incorporated into the key thyroid hormones T3 and T4.

Goitrogens can also inhibit the release of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland and block the conversion of T4 into active thyroid hormone T3. In very large quantities, goitrogens can cause a goiter on the thyroid gland and act like anti-thyroid drugs, slowing down an underactive thyroid causing hypothyroidism.

Soy foods generally do not affect the thyroid function in people who have normal thyroid function and healthy iodine levels, but soy does interfere with absorption of thyroid hormone replacement medication. It is recommended that patients on medication for hypothyroidism take their thyroid medication on an empty stomach an hour so before eating.

Eating a diet low in nutrient dense foods or following a restrictive diet may lead to other nutritional deficiencies that affect thyroid function. The following supplements may help to support thyroid health:

Iodine provides the building blocks of thyroid hormones, and is essential to healthy thyroid function. Beware of too much iodine, however, especially if you Hashimoto’s, because this can stimulate the autoimmune antibodies.

Selenium is a critical element of thyroid hormone production. Selenium helps the thyroid convert T4 into T3. Selenium also helps to reduce thyroid antibodies that attack the thyroid.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to Hashimoto’s disease and helps to manage and balance hormones.

Zinc is necessary for DNA synthesis and immune function. This vital mineral is also needed for the conversion of T4 into active T3, as well as the production of TSH. Zinc is also required for the T3 receptor to adopt its biologically active status.

Iron is important to prevent iron-deficiency anemia, and helps to move iodine to the thyroid gland to create more thyroid hormone. Iron deficiency is associated with thyroid dysfunction.

Vitamin B12 is common in people with hypothyroid and Hashimoto’s disease. Taking a B12 or B complex supplement can help prevent and treat deficiency, as well as maintain optimal B12 levels. Be sure to take a supplement that contains methylcobalamin, the most absorbable type of B12. It is thought that B12 absorption may be affected by the presence of gluten sensitivity.

Magnesium is an often-overlooked critical mineral. Magnesium is responsible for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. Magnesium supports the immune system, helps maintain normal nerve and muscle function, regulates the heartbeat, strengthens bones, keeps blood glucose levels steady and plays a role in the production of energy. Magnesium is necessary for iodine utilization by the thyroid gland.

Dietary changes can have a positive effect on thyroid conditions. Some of the most important ones include:

• Adopt a gluten free diet—If you have ANY type of thyroid issues, whether it may be hyper- or hypothyroid; Hashimoto’s or Graves, it’s important to avoid ALL gluten in the diet. Gluten has been found as a contributing factor in a large percentage of thyroid conditions. Avoiding gluten 100% is the only way to avoid the inflammation that gluten can cause.
• Anti-inflammatory diet—Following an anti-inflammatory diet can be highly beneficial for anyone with Hashimoto’s disease and improving gut health. Avoid omega 6 vegetable oils, all forms of sugar, and other foods that trigger an immune response such as nightshades, dairy, grains, and even legumes, especially soy products.
• Organic foods—Eating organic foods will help you avoid environmental triggers that can harm the thyroid gland and contribute to thyroid problems.
• Reduce your intake of goitrogens—While cruciferous vegetables can be highly nutritious, reduce your intake of them and be sure to lightly cook them before eating. Avoid eating soy products as these foods are often from genetically modified soy, sprayed with pesticides—in addition to causing problems with thyroid hormones.
• Beware of ketogenic diets—Very low carb diets can negatively affect thyroid function. While this is not always the case for everyone, be aware that this type of diet may affect your thyroid function.

Proper Testing is Vital

There are many things that can negatively affect thyroid function. If you have any of the above thyroid symptoms: fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, depression, loss of appetite; or insomnia, racing heart, weight loss, nervous energy, and anxiety, be sure to get a full thyroid panel from your doctor. Just checking your TSH status will not always expose thyroid problems.

If you are on birth control pills, hormone therapy or are a woman experiencing perimenopause or menopause symptoms, it is wise to get your thyroid function tested completely. Often the same symptoms of menopause can be thyroid issues.

Getting a full thyroid panel from your doctor is the first step to feeling like yourself again. But many people overlook one key mineral their thyroid depends on every single day… and low levels may leave you feeling tired, sluggish, cold, foggy, and frustrated.

Your fingernails look like THIS when you’re deficient in selenium

Do your fingernails look like THIS?

A top U.S. Certified Nutritionist warns:

Here’s an easy way to tell if you’re deficient in selenium:

If you’re not sure whether or not your thyroid is low…

Check your index finger

1. If it looks like THIS… your thyroid is desperately starving for selenium.
2. I call this the 30-second test for selenium deficiency…

Because when most women experience:

⚖️ Sudden weight gain

🪮 Hair shedding

😩 Brain fog

Their “mystery symptoms” won’t go away and thyroid lab tests often show “everything’s fine”…

Even when they’re NOT.

In many cases, the answer (and the fix) is quite simple.

>>> Just use this 30-second fingernail test to see if you’re low in selenium

References
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/thyroid-gland-function#anatomy
https://chriskresser.com/the-gluten-thyroid-connection/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30060266/
https://www.thyroid.org/hashimotos-thyroiditis/
https://shop.forefronthealth.com/pages/hashimotos?utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=search&utm_content=hashimotos-landing-page&utm_term=Gen2&wickedsource=google&wickedid=CjwKCAiAvK2bBhB8EiwAZUbP1L1P_NFzicxOAUDHW7DhoKIQpLX1pDf2Nf1O91oWK4kTgUgJGFL2fxoC3gwQAvD_BwE&wickedid=619501432204&wcid=9900722625&wv=4&&&gclid=CjwKCAiAvK2bBhB8EiwAZUbP1L1P_NFzicxOAUDHW7DhoKIQpLX1pDf2Nf1O91oWK4kTgUgJGFL2fxoC3gwQAvD_BwE
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/thyroid-gland-function#common-conditions
https://www.fibrokur.com/hypothyroidism-thyroid-menopause-connection/
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-birth-control-cause-thyroid-problems/
https://blog.davincilabs.com/blog/warning-signs-of-high-cortisol-and-low-thyroid

The post Five Things that can Destroy Your Thyroid appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-seller  The Diabetes Fix

Are you at increased risk for bone fractures? The answer is most likely, yes—if you are over the age of 50. You probably have already heard of osteoporosis. This condition bone breakdown at a much higher rate, making your bones more fragile and putting you at a much higher risk of bone fractures.

Osteoporosis can be a silent killer. It’s an often-underdiagnosed condition, discovered when it’s too late to reverse. However, learning to prevent this condition before it develops into full-blown osteoporosis is the key to a longer, healthier life.

Before osteoporosis develops, a bone condition called osteopenia occurs. Osteopenia is a condition of low bone density, meaning the bones are not as strong as they should be. Osteopenia literally means, “poor bones”. Osteopenia often leads to osteoporosis, which is generally very difficult, if not impossible to reverse once your bones get to this point.

Prevention is key.

How Many People Suffer from Osteopenia or Osteoporosis in the United States?

Combined, the estimated number of adults with osteoporosis or osteopenia is 53.6 million, representing approximately 54% of the US adult population ages 50 years or older. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also finds that more than four times as many women as men have either osteopenia or osteoporosis. Asian and Caucasian women seem to have the highest tendency towards low bone mass, while African Americans seem to have higher bone density.

The skeleton is made of living, dynamic tissue that requires proper nutrition, exercise, and care that the rest of the body needs for good health. Further, your bones actually play an important role in metabolism, hormone production, blood cell formation, and immune health. Bone health becomes even more critical as we age. Few things in the body are as important to your longevity, mobility, and quality of life–as your bone health.

How Our Bones Grow, Develop and Function

Your skeleton is a living organ that not only provides a protective structure for your soft tissues and organs, but it also serves as the storehouse for essential minerals used by the body.

Bones are continuously in a process of tearing down old bone tissue and growing new bone tissue through a process called remodeling. Bone remodeling involves the removal of older, more brittle, mineralized bone. This older bone is broken down through a process called “resorption” and sent to the kidneys, where it comes out in the urine. New bone matrix is laid down that then becomes hardened and mineralized.

Bone remodeling consists of three phases:

1. Resorption, which is when osteoclasts digest old bone and get rid of it.
2. Reversal, when mononuclear cells prepare the resorbed surface for osteoblasts, which generate a newly synthesized, bone matrix.
3. Formation is the phase when osteoblasts lay down new, stronger, and more resilient bone structure, until the resorbed bone is completely replaced.

This process of bone remodeling adjusts the structure of the bone to meet the changing mechanical needs of the body. In other words, if you are stressing your bones (in a good way) through weight resistance training or running or other weight bearing activities, your body will stimulate new, stronger bone tissue to grow, which helps to strengthen, protect, and repair the existing bone matrix.

Therefore, weight resistance training and other stresses to the bones are the key to prevention of osteoporosis or osteopenia. Bone remodeling goes on all through a person’s life cycle, although peak bone mass usually occurs around of 20-30 years.

Bones also serve as a mineral storehouse which is affected by hormones that respond to changes in blood calcium and phosphorus. When calcium and phosphorus are in short supply in the body, the hormones that regulate these minerals will take them out of the bones to serve more vital functions in other systems of the body. These hormones include parathyroid hormone, calcitriol, growth hormone, cortisol, thyroid hormone, estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

When bone loss from excess bone breakdown, combined with low levels of bone rebuilding occur, osteopenia, or ‘thinning’ of the bones occurs, and if this process continues, osteoporosis will be the result. Osteoporosis literally means “porous bones”. This leads to very weak, brittle bones that can easily break with little force. Osteoporosis is officially diagnosed when there is a bone mineral density (BMD) of 2.5 standard deviations below the mean of healthy young individuals.

The scary fact about both osteopenia and osteoporosis is that these bone conditions are usually silent, developing over many years, and going unnoticed, until you experience a bone fracture. With osteoporosis can come major bone breaks, causing problems with healing, mobility, disability, and even life-threatening complications. In the elderly, there is an increased risk of death. About 20 percent of seniors who break a hip are still at high risk of dying within one year.

The most common symptoms of osteoporosis include:

• Fractures, most commonly in the hip, the spine or wrist bones.
• Limited mobility, along with difficulty completing everyday activities.
• Bone pain, which can be both permanent and intense.
• Loss of height or more than one inch.
• Hunched or stooped posture. “Dowager’s hump” which occurs when the vertebrae in the upper back become weaker or develop tiny breaks in the bones.

What Causes Osteopenia and Osteoporosis?

Often, chronic inflammation anywhere in the body can increase the risk of low bone mass. Low bone mass is usually caused by a combination of factors including:

• Being female
• Asian descent or northern European descent; having a small frame or being thin
• Sarcopenia, or low muscle mass
• Celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity (even undetected gluten sensitivity)
• Chronic inflammation in the body leaching minerals from bones, causing osteoporosis
• Sedentary lifestyle with no stress on the bones
• Diet—High sugar, processed foods, alcohol, soda
• Smoking cigarettes
• Too much calcium in diet or from supplements (higher than 500mg/day) which causes an imbalance in the other important minerals needed for bones
• Decrease in estrogen and progesterone in women (hysterectomy, perimenopause, or menopause), low levels of testosterone in men
• Aging
• High thyroid /hyperthyroid condition
• Nutritional deficiencies in vitamin D, vitamin K2, magnesium, phosphorus, boron, and other trace minerals
• Long term use of certain medications
• High chronic stress levels
• Extreme weight loss, severe dieting, malnutrition, poor protein intake

A variety of other health conditions can also lead to osteoporosis due to the inflammation involved, disease process itself, or medications used. These health conditions include:

• Breast, prostate cancer, or other sex-hormone related cancers
• Diabetes, type 1 or 2
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Cushing’s syndrome
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus, multiple sclerosis, Graves’ disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Female athlete triad–irregular/absent periods, premature menopause
• AIDS/HIV
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema
• Chronic kidney disease
• Liver disease, including biliary cirrhosis
• Organ transplants
• Spinal cord injuries

In addition, certain medications taken over a long period of time can also decrease bone density. These medications include:

• Corticosteroids
• Thyroid Supplements
• Hormone Blocking Drugs
• Certain Diabetes Medications
• Proton Pump Inhibitors or Antacids
• Mood Stabilizers Containing Lithium
• Some Blood Thinners
• Loop Diuretics
• Some Anticonvulsant Medicines for Epilepsy
• Antiretroviral Therapies
• Tramadol Pain Reliever

Diagnosing Bone Density

Prevention of bone loss is much easier than trying to reverse bone loss—especially when your bones become so thin and brittle that you are diagnosed with osteoporosis. Early diagnosis and monitoring of your bone health is key, especially if you are at risk of any of the above conditions.

Most physicians use a Bone Mineral Density test (BMD) often with a low-energy x-ray called a DEXA scan. Other tests used to help detect bone density include looking at medical history, urine and blood tests and checking inflammation levels in the body.

Conventional Treatment for Osteoporosis

Conventional medical treatment for osteoporosis usually involves prescription medications. There are a wide variety of medications available that act on your bones, your hormones, or other physiological functions. Doctors will also recommend exercise and taking calcium supplements.

Conventional treatment of osteoporosis is usually treated with a class of drugs called Bisphosphonates. These drugs include Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel, Alendronate, Actonel, Atelvia, Reclast, Zometa and more.

Bisphosphonates work by inhibiting the osteoclasts that tear down old bone tissue for resorption. Since osteoporosis is caused by too much bone resorption, bisphosphonates seem to make sense in the treatment of osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates, however, have been noted to have a significant collection of adverse side effects.

Yes, they do help to reduce some vertebral fractures by an average of about 49%. However, vertebral fractures are not the most dangerous type of fractures. Hip and leg fractures are. These kinds of fractures reduce mobility drastically and even with surgery, recovery can be slow, and there is an increased risk of death due to the fracture, the recovery process, and the lack of mobility.

Unfortunately, bisphosphonates are not very good at reducing hip and leg fractures. A review of the published studies with over 27,000 patients, found that taking alendronate (Fosamax) risedronate (Actonel) or etidronate (Didronel) does not reduce hip fracture risk in people who had not previously suffered a hip fracture. And in the cases of Actonel and Didronel, they did not prevent hip, leg, or vertebral fractures.

Other serious adverse effects of bisphosphonates include esophageal bleeding, stomach or esophageal ulcers, death of the jawbone (osteonecrosis) vomiting, bone pain, nausea, and acid reflux.

Bisphosphonates promote bone density by increasing the minerals in the bone. They do not build bones by promoting the connective tissue growth, which is also necessary for healthy bones. Because they inhibit the dynamic bone remodeling and rebuilding stage of bone growth, the bones themselves become hardened—but very brittle—and more prone to breaking.

Consequently, while bisphosphonates seem to help prevent osteoporotic bone fractures in the early years of treatment, beyond 5 years, femur fracture risk increases.

Natural Treatments for Osteopenia and Osteoporosis

The very most important thing you can do for your bone health is prevention. Bone health is critically dependent on getting the proper nutrients in the diet, effective and healthy ‘stress’ on the bones, and supplementing if necessary.

You can prevent bone loss by knowing your bone density, especially early on, so you can catch bone loss and take steps to prevent it. Frequent screening for bone density, every few years past the age of 40, is crucial to catch this bone disease before it gets too far.

It’s also prudent to check inflammation levels since inflammation is one of the leading contributors to bone loss. You can help lower inflammation in the body by avoiding processed foods, omega 6 vegetable oils, sugar, and grains.

Some inflammatory markers to ask your doctor to check include: hs C-Reactive Protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, plasma viscosity, fibrinogen, ferritin, and several other acute phase proteins.

Bones need stress to become stronger and to stay strong. You can place healthy stress on your bones by strengthening your muscles–the muscles pull on the bones, which helps make them stronger. Weight resistance is also an excellent way to stress your bones to add density.

Nutrition and Supplements for Stronger Bones

Calcium–While most conventional doctors will direct you to take in more calcium, calcium is usually not the problem. In fact, people in the United States have one of the highest intakes of calcium, through dairy products and calcium supplements, yet, the US also has one of the highest rates of osteoporosis in the world.

In this study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Harvard researchers evaluated evidence on dairy consumption and health outcomes, including growth and development, cancer risk, bone health, and body weight.

The conclusion was that high consumption of dairy products does not protect against bone fractures in adults and it may increase the risk for fractures, prostate cancer, and endometrial cancer. Evidence does not support an increase in dairy products for calcium.

Magnesium—In terms of bone health, magnesium is often defined as the forgotten mineral. Magnesium and calcium must exist in the proper balance for bones to absorb these minerals. It is known that a magnesium deficiency will contribute to osteoporosis by acting directly on the bone cells and indirectly by impacting on the secretion and the activity of parathyroid hormone (which governs bone health) and by promoting low grade inflammation.

Evaluating Magnesium/Calcium balance seems to be one of the more important assessments in terms of measuring bone density, but it is often overlooked. Optimizing Mg intake might represent an effective and low-cost preventive measure against osteoporosis in individuals with Mg deficiency (which includes about 80% of the population).

Protein–Protein makes up about half the volume of bone and about one-third of its mass. In healthy bones, the bone matrix is undergoing continuous turnover and remodeling, and an adequate supply of amino acids and minerals are needed to support the formation and maintenance of bone across the life span. Older adults tend to eat less protein than younger people, but because they need to feed not only their muscles–but their bones–older adults should be sure to include plenty of high-quality protein in their diets.

Vitamin K2—Vitamin K2, or menaquinone, is an often-overlooked vitamin which serves a very important role in bone density. While vitamin K1 comes mostly from leafy greens, it is a little more difficult to get vitamin K2 from our diets. Vitamin K2 is found primarily in grass fed dairy, sauerkraut, natto–a Japanese dish made from fermented soybeans, and grass-fed butter, meat, liver, and egg yolks.

Vitamin K2 works with vitamin D to help shuttle calcium in the body out of the blood vessels and into the bones and teeth. Vitamin K2 can lower the risk of cardiovascular damage and improve overall heart health, and bone health. According to this 2015 review article, K2 activates a protein that prevents calcium deposits from forming in the walls of blood vessels. Instead, vitamin K-2 promotes healthy bone mineral density by working with osteocalcin, a protein that binds calcium to bones and teeth.

Vitamin D—Vitamin D is a very important part of bone density. Research shows that inadequate vitamin D intakes can lead to bone demineralization. Low vitamin D levels can lead to decreased calcium absorption and ultimately a release of calcium from the bones to maintain circulating calcium concentrations. Continuous bone turnover and resorption can weaken the structure of the bones and increase the risk of fracture through secondary hyperparathyroidism. This can lead to the development of osteomalacia and osteoporosis.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids– Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils have been shown to decrease markers of inflammation and decrease death due to heart disease. Several studies in animals suggest that fish oil (with high levels of EPA and DHA) supplementation inhibits bone break down. Omega 3’s also helps to increase the amount of calcium absorbed from the diet and enhance the calcium placement in the bones.

Anything that causes inflammation will also activate the osteoclasts, the bone cells that break down old and brittle bone material. Once this happens, the osteoblasts are supposed to move in and start rebuilding new bone. However, when inflammation becomes chronic, it causes the bone-breakdown portion of remodeling to go into overtime. Too much osteoclast activity causes more bone thinning.

Your osteoclasts are only supposed to remove old and brittle or damaged bone. A job they do very efficiently. Then, they’re supposed to clear out and let the bone-building osteoblast cells start the more time-consuming job of rebuilding new bone to replace the bone your osteoclasts have removed.

But when inflammation is chronic, bone osteoclasts go into overtime. Since building new bone takes much longer than breaking down old bone, too much osteoclast activity can result in bone thinning (or osteopenia) and, ultimately, in osteoporosis. That’s where the omega 3 fatty acids come in.

Omega 3 fatty acids tune down the inflammatory signaling that causes the accelerated bone breakdown. So, omega 3 fats slow down bone loss and protect the bones.

Collagen—Collagen is a protein found abundantly in the body. It is used to make up the connective tissue, joints, ligaments, and tendons. Collagen is also what provides structure to the skin to help it look younger. Collagen is by far, one of the major substances in the bones.

As we age, collagen production in the body decreases, along with bone mass. Collagen supplements can inhibit the bone breakdown process that can lead to weakened bones and osteoporosis. Collagen also helps the bones retain their resilience and help prevent the brittleness that can occur with bone mass loss.

In this 1-year study, women took a calcium supplement with 5 grams of collagen or the calcium supplement without collagen. At the end of the study, the women taking the collagen had significantly lower blood levels of proteins that promote bone breakdown than those taking only the calcium supplement. One other study found similar results. The women taking the collagen showed an increase of up to 7% in their bone mineral density compared to those not taking collagen.

Hormones—The sex hormones (for men and women) are also extremely important in regulating the growth of the skeleton and maintaining the mass and strength of bone. The female hormones estrogen and progesterone, as well as testosterone, have positive effects on bone health in men and women. These hormones are essential to bone health because they promote the activity of the osteoblasts, the bone building cells. Many women take bioidentical estrogen and progesterone and testosterone to help keep their bones strong. Men often take testosterone to help with bone loss.

What About Calcium?

Your conventional doctor may tell you to take calcium supplements of 1000-1200 mg a day and nothing else. Unfortunately, studies show that calcium supplementation not only throws off the natural balance needed between magnesium and calcium, but it may also collect on the blood vessel walls, the kidneys and other delicate organs.

There may be a link between excessive calcium intake and heart disease. A study published in the British Medical Journal showed calcium supplements associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction.

A similar controversy surrounds calcium and prostate cancer. Some studies have shown that high calcium intake from dairy products and supplements may increase risk, whereas another more recent study showed no increased risk of prostate cancer associated with total calcium, dietary calcium, or supplemental calcium intakes.

Your best bet is to get calcium from your diet, but you don’t have to load up on dairy foods. In fact, too much dairy can have adverse effects on your health. This well-known study, called Milk and Health, shows the relationship of milk consumption to an increased risk of fracture, obesity, cardiovascular disease, allergies, and various cancers.

Dark leafy greens are one of the best sources of dietary calcium, and they contain a good balancing dose of magnesium, iron, potassium, and manganese. They also provide a good dose of K, C, E and B vitamins. Dark green vegetables also include many powerful phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves, like kale, and chard even contain small amounts of omega-3 fats. Sardines also provide a good dose of healthy calcium and omega 3 fats as well.

Lifestyle Changes for Your Bones

There are many studies showing how well strength training not only builds muscle but it slows bone loss, and some studies even show resistance training can build bone. This can be a big factor in slowing bone loss, especially for women after menopause.

Any activity that puts stress on the bones can promote bone-building cells to go to work. Stress that comes from the muscles and ligaments tugging and pushing on bones during resistance training will result in stronger, denser bones. Weight bearing exercise like running and walking are also helpful in stressing the bones to become stronger.

Weight training targets the bones of the hips, spine and wrists, sites that often are high risk for fractures. And best of all, weight training increases muscle strength, power, and balance which helps promote mobility, stability and reduces the risk of fractures as well.

Key Points for Better Bone Health

• Bone scans early on (age 30-40) can help to establish a baseline for your bone health. Bone scans should be done regularly starting at age 50 to catch any early signs of bone deterioration—before osteoporosis sets in.
• Don’t smoke cigarettes—they decrease bone mass.
• Avoid eating foods that contain gluten. Gluten can be one of the primary causes of bone loss.
• Eat a healthy diet, including lots of bright colored fresh vegetables, healthy proteins, and healthy fats.
• Avoid processed foods, omega 6 fats, sugar, and grains.
• Go easy on dairy products.
• Work on getting more vitamin K2 in your diet from grass fed butter, cheese, natto, meat and egg yolks.
• Review medications that may speed up bone loss with your physician and avoid taking them for long periods of time.
• Reduce inflammation as much as possible.
• Take additional supplements for bone health.
• Get regular weight bearing or weight resistance exercise. Stress your bones!

Remember preserving your bone health can lead to a longer, healthier life with better mobility!

Speaking about preserving our bone health, ever wonder how our own ancestors fared with their bone health.

While we’re on the topic of your bone density and preventing Osteoporosis, did you know there are 5 common foods that can slowly DISSOLVE your bones?

Yes, they’re really that bad – AVOID these foods if you’re over 60.

==> 5 foods to Avoid for Osteoporosis

References
https://arthritis-research.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/ar3325/figures/3
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db405.htm
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12107201/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17308163/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK45504/
https://www.hss.edu/conditions_bisphosphonates-concerns-regarding-risks-and-side-effects.asp
https://www.nbihealth.com/how-conventional-osteoporosis-treatments-fall-short/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4089021/
https://www.endocrine.org/-/media/endocrine/files/patient-engagement/hormones-and-series/hormones_and_your_bones_what_you_need_to_know.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4757905/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-big-number-141-million-americans-50-and-older-suffer-osteoporosis/2021/04/09/7ae5f382-9885-11eb-962b-78c1d8228819_story.html
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/skeletal-health/
https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/guide/osteopenia-early-signs-of-bone-loss
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7pox72DAmY
https://www.webmd.com/diet/foods-high-in-vitamin-k2
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325059#health-benefits
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/calcium-supplements/art-20047097
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen-benefits#benefits
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/estrogen-and-osteoporosis

The post The Truth About Osteoporosis appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

For men and women, aging brings some degree of hair loss or thinning. While we may not all be sporting a shiny bald head, both men and women can lose a significant amount of hair after the age of 40 or so. For women, this often coincides with menopause and declining hormones and can be especially distressing.

Men typically can inherit male-pattern baldness and it’s normal and well-accepted. Hair loss is quite common in women as well, especially if they are post-menopausal. Let’s tackle some of the reasons for this hair loss.

Genes vs. Hormones

Male-pattern baldness, as well as female-pattern baldness can be attributed to a condition called “androgenetic alopecia”. AA is one of the most common forms of hair loss in both men and women. The hormone at play here is a a substance called dihydrotestosterone, which is a form of testosterone.

About half of men over the age of 50 and half of women over 65 have this form of hair loss, while younger people can be affected as well. It’s thought that people have certain hair follicles that are either susceptible or resistant to dihydrotestosterone.

In a study published in the International Journal of Trichology, it was found that female patients with progressive hair loss had a strong correlation between hypothyroidism (low thyroid) and hypertension (high blood pressure). Many of these people were also low in vitamin D as well. So, while many think that genes are the cause of hair loss, hormonal imbalances and nutrition come into play as well.

In fact, many health professionals are beginning to note that hair loss can be due to diet, nutrition, stress, and other environmental factors as well. This means that some degree of hair loss can be controlled after all.

Hormonal Imbalances

Hormonal imbalances most definitely come into play when it comes to hair—for both men and women. Hormones that affect hair loss include:

• Imbalance in estrogen in relationship to testosterone levels in women. After menopause, women’s levels of both progesterone and estrogen decrease significantly. Estrogen affects hair growth and quality. When levels of testosterone are too high, and estrogen is too low, hair thinning, and excessive hair loss can occur—especially post menopause or perimenopause.
• Low levels of thyroid hormone for both men and women affect hair growth and quality as well. As women approach menopause, their levels of progesterone drop drastically. Low progesterone affects thyroid function and can cause hypothyroid conditions. This in turn, can cause hair loss and slow regrowth.
• Testosterone levels in men or women. While this may occur naturally, it also can happen with testosterone hormone therapy supplementation.
• Insulin resistance can cause a loss of hair in both men and women and can be one of the symptoms of pre-diabetes or diabetes.

Hormones that are either too high or too low can affect hair growth. Both hyper and hypothyroid conditions can cause hair loss and thinning. Additionally, too high levels of testosterone or too low levels can also affect your head of hair.

Diet and Nutrition

Nutritional status can affect hair growth and dietary deficiencies will cause hair thinning, breakage, and slow hair growth. Some of the key nutrients that affect hair growth include:

• Iron deficiency or anemia can be one of the primary causes of hair loss in pre-menopausal women, especially. Iron contributes to hemoglobin which supplies nutrients and oxygen to hair follicles. Vegans and vegetarians often report hair loss.
• Zinc is an essential mineral used by hundreds of enzymes. It is thought zinc shortage affects protein synthesis and cell division, affecting hair growth. For many men, it’s a combination of low zinc and copper that causes hair loss. Not only does zinc deficiency cause hair loss, but the remaining hair can be brittle and break off more easily.
• Selenium is an essential trace element necessary for proper thyroid function which affects hair growth.
• Biotin, Folate, and Niacin are all part of the B complex vitamins. Deficiencies can occur in people with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease and other malabsorption conditions. A B vitamin deficiency can also be caused by alcoholism, and certain medications. Vegans often have B vitamin deficiencies.
• Vitamin D plays a role in hair follicle cycling and affects the hair follicle’s growth and dormant states. Low levels of vitamin D may cause hair to thin or stop growing. Risk factors for vitamin D deficiency include inadequate sun exposure, dark skin, obesity, gastric bypass, and fat malabsorption.
• Vitamin A has been shown to activate hair follicle stem cells, however high levels of vitamin A can cause hair loss. Since vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, too much vitamin A can accumulate in the body, especially when taken as a supplement.
• Protein malnutrition can also result in hair thinning and loss, due to the lack of specific amino acids. Many vegetarians and vegans often notice hair thinning after being on a strict vegetarian diet.

People with vitamin and nutrient-related hair loss may lose more than just the hair on their heads. Damage to hair follicles can also cause the eyebrows and lashes to shed, if bad enough. Eating a diet rich in animal-based protein, healthy fats and fresh vegetables should suffice to help balance nutrient deficiencies. In cases of malabsorption or GI issues, extra supplementation may be necessary if hair loss is a problem.

Health Status

Health status has a lot to do with hair loss and hair growth. There are many contributing factors that can create health conditions that lead to hair loss. Some of those include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes or pre-diabetes and hypothyroidism. Autoimmune diseases can also be a trigger for hair loss as well, although many autoimmune conditions create more patchy hair loss than just thinning hair. Celiac disease, Crohn’s disease and other GI conditions can also create problems with your hair.

For these, simply getting rid of the sugar, processed grains and gluten can definitely put you back on the path to good health and a shiny, healthy head of hair.

One other health condition that is worth mentioning is having had Covid-19. Having Covid can affect people in different ways. Some can have a more severe version of the disease, while other have had a milder form. However, Covid and other contagious illnesses can have some long-term effects, including hair loss, otherwise known as telogen effluvium.

Many people notice hair loss a few months after recovering from a Covid infection. In fact, for those who were hospitalized, more than 20 % lost a significant amount of hair in the 3-6 months after recover.

Hair loss is a common response to physical stress such as a serious illness, surgery, or other types of physical trauma. Other studies that include people with milder symptoms suggest that hair loss after COVID-19 may be much more common than that.

A healthy, balanced diet that includes naturally raised animal protein, a variety of fruits and vegetables and a healthy intake of fat will help you regrow your tresses. Be sure to supplement if you or your doctor feel you may have nutritional deficiencies. There are other natural methods to help stimulate growth such as rosemary essential oil, omega 3 fish oils, coconut oil and even onion juice. Medical intervention can mean a prescription to Rogaine or Propecia to help promote growth.

Hair is an outward expression of your body’s health in addition to genetics. Take care of your health and your hair and skin will glow.

What’s been your experience with hair loss? Did you notice hair loss if you’ve had Covid? What other health conditions have you experienced that caused hair loss?

References
https://www.webmd.com/connect-to-care/hair-loss/vitamin-deficiencies-that-can-cause-hair-loss
https://www.goodrx.com/conditions/covid-19/covid-hair-loss
https://www.healthline.com/health/regrow-hair-naturally#9
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/hair-loss-looking-beyond-genetics/
https://draxe.com/beauty/hair-loss-remedies/

The post What You Need to Know About Hair Loss and Thinning Hair appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Have you ever had that phone call from your doctor when he (or she) says, “Your cholesterol is too high.” Other than going on dangerous statins, what do you do if your cholesterol is high? Do you cut out butter, eggs, and steak? The answer is no, you don’t have to eliminate all foods containing saturated fat or cholesterol.

I have good news for you. You can actually lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease, and continue to eat those nutrition-packed foods.

I recently had my cholesterol panel checked. I eat a Paleo/primal diet of naturally raised meat, fish, poultry, a little full-fat sheep yogurt or cheese, lots of fresh veggies, small amounts of beans, and virtually no foods made of grains, tapioca, or other processed starches. Although I had eaten a big hunk of steak the night before and put a big hunk of grass fed butter in my coffee just prior to my lab visit, my cholesterol panel ended up looking pretty darn good. Here’s what my labs said:

• Total Cholesterol—155mg/DL     Under 200 is good
• High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)—104    Over 50 is good
• Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)—38    Less than 100 is good
• Triglycerides—44    Less than 150 is good

As you can see, those cholesterol numbers are not too shabby.

While doctors tend to ‘freak out’ and want to put you on statins if your cholesterol is over 200, that’s not necessarily the best way to manage your cholesterol. Let’s look at where those numbers come from, and which ones are worth paying attention to.

Total Cholesterol

This is the number that many doctors tend to fixate on, and it’s actually pretty worthless. Guidelines show a total cholesterol between 200-240 mg/dl is best, there’s a lot more to the picture. Total cholesterol number will only tell us the amount of cholesterol contained in all of our lipoproteins, but it has nothing to do with which kind of lipoproteins.

Total cholesterol is determined by this formula: HDL-C+LDL-C+(Triglycerides/5) = TC.

Someone with low HDL and high triglycerides (not a good thing) could easily have the same total cholesterol numbers as someone with high HDL and low triglycerides (a very good thing) so long as the numbers work out.

Whether it’s used to predict health or disease, the total cholesterol number all by itself is pretty meaningless. So if your doctor is freaking out about your total cholesterol numbers, that is not as important as your LDL, HDL and triglyceride numbers.

Both LDL and HDL are critically important for heart health. And, surprise—diet and lifestyle are the keys to optimizing both levels.

LDL the ‘Bad’ Cholesterol

LDL is what is considered the ‘bad’ cholesterol and is one that concerns most medical professionals. However, did you know that higher blood sugar from eating a diet high in sugar and starchy foods contributes heavily to this number? High blood sugar means rising triglycerides. The liver then creates more LDL from this.

Why is LDL considered ‘bad’?

LDL particles, composed of a combination of fat molecules and protein (lipoproteins), transport cholesterol from the source in the liver to other organs.

Here’s a great analogy from Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple blog on cholesterol:

“…Both LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol, the standard, basic readings you get from the lab, do not reflect the number of LDL or HDL lipoproteins, or particles, in your serum. Instead, they reflect the total amount of cholesterol contained in your LDL and HDL particles…[this] is like counting the number of people riding in vehicles on a freeway to determine the severity of traffic. It’s data, and it might give you a rough approximation of the situation, but it’s not as useful as actually counting the number of vehicles. A reading of 100 could mean you’re dealing with a hundred compact cars, each carrying a single driver, or it could mean you’ve got four buses carrying 25 passengers each. Or it could be a couple buses and the rest cars. You simply don’t know how bad (or good) traffic is until you get a direct measurement of LDL and HDL particle number.”

Why is LDL Considered ‘Bad’?

The clearest picture of inflammation’s role in the onset of atherosclerosis comes from studies into LDL, the “bad cholesterol”. LDL particles, composed of fatty molecules and protein, transport cholesterol from their source in the liver and intestines to other organs. Scientists have long known that although the body needs LDL and cholesterol, excessive amounts promote atherosclerosis, which is, in layman’s terms, “clogging of the arteries”.

It is notable too, that LDL is made up of larger, fluffier LDL particles and also smaller, denser VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein) particles. These are generally the ones that are most damaging to blood vessels.

VLDL numbers are directly tied to triglyceride count. Since triglycerides come packaged inside VLDL, you can calculate VLDL by dividing your triglyceride count by 5.

At reasonable concentrations in the blood, LDLs can pass in and out of the inner part of the blood vessel walls. If there are excessive amounts, the LDLs can tend to become stuck, however. When LDL particles hang out in the blood too long, their fragile polyunsaturated fatty membranes are exposed to oxidation and the LDL particles oxidize.

Once oxidized, LDL particles are taken up by the inner layer of the blood vessels – to form atherosclerotic plaque. Sort of like a ‘band-aid’ in the blood vessel. When LDLs from the blood start to pile up in the blood vessels, the cells in the blood vessel wall interpret the changes as a danger sign, and signal for healing reinforcements from the body.

This begins an inflammatory response which is the type of chronic low-level inflammation that occurs in atherosclerosis. This inflammatory process changes the blood vessel wall, eventually generating a bigger, more complicated plaque. Ongoing inflammation signals to continue to build a bigger ‘band-aid’.

Other contributors to inflammation in the blood vessels include omega 6 fatty acids from vegetable seed oils (which are polyunsaturated) and elevated blood sugar levels from high sugar/carbohydrate diets. A high sugar/carb diet also leads to high triglycerides as well, which is sort of a precursor to higher levels of LDL.

LDL can also be abnormally high if you are losing weight, have a low thyroid, kidney disease, diabetes or Cushing’s syndrome.

Where Does HDL Come In?

The higher your HDL cholesterol the better, but benefits depend on how you get there.

HDL is generally very beneficial to the body. As levels of this “good cholesterol” decline, the likelihood of suffering a heart attack goes up. This is one reason why physicians measure cardiovascular risk by looking at triglycerides and the ratio of LDL to HDL.

HDL (the ‘good guy’ in the cholesterol panel) fights LDL (bad cholesterol). Like a well-trained military army, the HDL particles patrol the blood vessels, grabbing the cholesterol from circulating LDL particles and also from the dangerous, gunky plaque that lines blood vessels walls. This HDL army carries away their fatty cargo to the liver for recycling or disposal out the intestines.

However, HDL cholesterol is a bit more complex than just that. Instead of a single kind of particle, HDL cholesterol is a family of different particles. Some types of HDL are great at taking cholesterol away from LDL and blood vessel walls while other types are indifferent to cholesterol, and some even transfer cholesterol the wrong way — into LDL and cells.

Some HDL particles will protect LDL from oxidation, which is when LDL becomes dangerous. Other types of HDL particles can slow down inflammation and stimulate production of nitric oxide, a molecule that helps artery walls relax, and prevents blood clots from forming inside arteries, i.e., heart attacks and strokes.

So, the aim here is to keep the HDL numbers up. Exercise is a huge factor in raising up HDL numbers as is maintaining a healthy weight. And if you smoke cigarettes, quitting will raise up your HDL just by stopping—in addition to all those other health benefits.

In general, women tend to have higher HDL numbers than men, but postmenopausal women need to pay close attention to HDL numbers. After you’ve gone through menopause, HDL tends to decrease, raising your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

What About Triglycerides?

Having triglycerides over 150 can increase your risk of heart disease. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood. When you eat, your body converts calories—especially from carbs and sugars into fat, via the liver. The triglycerides are stored in your fat cells and in your liver. Along the way, triglycerides can be released for energy between meals or for endurance activities.

The triglyceride measurement is a ‘no-brainer’. If you eat more calories than you will burn, particularly from high-carbohydrate foods, this is converted directly into triglycerides.

Many people have high triglyceride levels due to being overweight/obese, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption and/or diet. High triglycerides are primarily a lifestyle-related risk factor.

High triglycerides are strongly connected to the more harmful smaller, denser VLDL. High triglycerides, then, could indicate that you have more oxidized (or oxidizable) LDL.

High fructose corn syrup, when consumed, is immediately turned into fat by the liver. This fat is triglycerides. Only two weeks of modest consumption of high-fructose corn syrup causes cholesterol and triglycerides levels to rise, and the more consumed, the greater the increases.

A study reported in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that the more high fructose corn syrup, the worse the lipid profile. So, if you consume a lot of high fructose corn syrup, you can drastically—and quickly–lower your triglycerides and LDL just by eliminating that one ingredient.

Side note: when I worked in the hospital as a nurse, it was very obvious to see which people had high triglycerides. Much like salad dressing that separates, you could actually see the fatty particle layer in someone’s blood.

Because of the conflicting information tossed about concerning cholesterol and saturated fats, you may think that cholesterol in foods and saturated fats are harmful substances that should be avoided at all costs. Many still do—in fact, many conventional doctors do.

In fact, though, quite the opposite is true. Cholesterol is an essential element in our bodies. It is found in all the cells of the body, particularly in the brain and nerve cells. As cells go through the constant renewal process of dying, and news ones are created, cholesterol is the major building block for our cell walls.

Cholesterol is also used to make a number of other important substances: sex hormones (including testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone), participating in the immune response, helping creating bile acids, and vitamin D 3. Our bodies use large quantities of cholesterol every day and it is vital to life.

Your cholesterol profile may be influenced by other conditions such as alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, hypothyroidism, untreated diabetes or pre-diabetes, pregnancy, lactation, stress, kidney disease, and liver conditions. Weight loss or fasting can also temporarily increase cholesterol. Ask your health care provider to measure other important biomarkers, including C-reactive protein (an inflammatory indicator), oxidized LDL, and ApoB, or Apoliprotein B.

Cholesterol may be derived externally from animal products in your diet, but this less than twenty percent of your body’s cholesterol needs. Your body will make up the difference. If you eat less cholesterol than you need, your body compensates by making more.

Key to remember:

• A raised blood cholesterol is not a predictor of coronary artery disease.
• Research has established inflammation as one of the primary factors in atherosclerosis.
• A low carb/low grain/low sugar diet consisting of grass fed meats, wild caught fish, free range chicken and vegetables combined with regular exercise and maintaining a good weight, can reduce risk of inflammation, heart attacks and strokes.
• The level of cholesterol in your blood is affected very little by the amount of cholesterol in your diet.

References
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sweet-tooth-spells-trouble-heart/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/cholesterol/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-interpret-cholesterol-test-results
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/triglycerides/art-20048186
https://www.healthline.com/health/vldl-vs-ldl

Barry Groves, PhD, “The Great Cholesterol Lie”
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/cholesterol_myth_1.html

By Peter Libby, “Atherosclerosis: The New View”, Scientific American, November 10, 2008.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/hdl-the-good-but-complex-cholesterol

The post The Truth About Cholesterol appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Alcohol usage went way up this past year and it’s pretty easy to see why. There was this pandemic that kept us all home, for one thing. Stress levels were high with kids and spouses all at home trying to work and study. And hey, it’s not difficult to just walk a few feet over to the fridge and pull out a beer with lunch or pour yourself a glass, or two, or three of wine. No worries about drunk driving, and hey–it’s a whole lot cheaper than ordering drinks in a restaurant.

I get it. It happens to the best of us. That slow and steady slippery slope. Before you know it, ‘Happy hour’ starts at 3pm and continues as long as you want it to.

According to a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, more people than ever used alcohol to cope with career, social, healthy and financial uncertainty and stress.

The study’s researchers found that alcohol consumption among adults increased 14% from 2019 to 2020. And women, in particular, exhibited a whopping 41% increase in heavy (four or more drinks in a 2-hour period) alcohol consumption last year over 2019.

There’s really nothing good that comes from excess drinking. Drinking does nothing good for your health.

With heavy consumption, alcohol can lead to damage to the liver, heart, brain, and many other organs in the body.

But even moderate consumption can wreak havoc on hormones, causing an increase in estrogen in both MEN and women!

In men, alcohol will cause testosterone to convert to estrogen, leading to low libido, ED, weight gain, man boobs, even shrinkage!

Drinking also has negative effects on women’s hormones. In women, alcohol will also cause a rise in estrogen, but this is not necessarily a good thing. Women who are in mid 30s, 40s and 50s, will find they can have an overabundance of estrogen, creating condition called estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance comes with its own problems including:

• Heavy periods
• Weight gain
• Endometriosis
• Depression/Anxiety/Irritability
• Low Libido
• Increased risk of breast and endometrial cancer

Excess estrogen also interferes with thyroid function and can slow the thyroid, creating symptoms of hypothyroid.

And for women who are on Hormone Replacement Therapy, alcohol can increase the amount of estrogen in the body by up to 300%, while decreasing progesterone. If you wonder why your HRT may not be working or why you are still gaining weight, it may have to do with your alcohol intake.

One other thing about alcohol—if you are dealing with menopause symptoms, drinking increases hot flashes and night sweats.

One other hormone that alcohol affects—cortisol. Alcohol consumption has been shown to increase cortisol in the body Cortisol is the hormone released by the adrenals when you are stressed. Excess cortisol comes with another range of unpleasant side effects including:

• Insomnia
• Stress
• Food cravings/Weight gain
• Anxiety and depression
• Increase in blood pressure
• Decrease in ability to focus
• Increase in blood sugar, insulin resistance

Alcohol also interferes with thyroid function, causing a decrease in T3, T4 and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) production. This creates a hypo, or low thyroid reaction to alcohol. Hypothyroid symptoms include:

• Weight gain, bloating
• Extreme fatigue
• Depression
• Hair loss
• Slowed thinking
• Decreased libido

Two other necessary hormones that alcohol doesn’t play well with—melatonin, our sleep hormone, and growth hormone. Alcohol inhibits the release of melatonin. And because growth hormone is released during our sleep, alcohol drinking reduces growth hormone release.

Human Growth Hormone or (HGH) is important for growth, cell regeneration, and cell reproduction. HGH helps to maintain, build, and repair healthy tissue in the brain and other organs.

This hormone can help to speed up healing after an injury and repair muscle tissue after exercise. Growth hormone helps to build muscle mass, boost metabolism, and burn fat. And HGH is also said to benefit the quality of the skin to help us look younger. HGH slows down the aging process.

One last thing, drinking not only makes you hungrier, but it also makes you lose your ability to control what you are eating. Before you know it, you are ordering that large order of French fries or mowing through that box of cookies. Not a great way to stick to a healthy diet.

Alcohol adds to depression and anxiety and it messes up your gut microbiome which affects everything–including your immune system!

Drinking makes your skin look pale and sallow. Drinking will also contribute to dehydration while draining your body of important nutrients—especially B vitamins B-l (thiamin), vitamin B-3 (niacin) and folate, as well as zinc and magnesium.

All that being said, I just want to say, it is OK to enjoy a drink now and then, so let’s talk about how to drink LESS and to stay in control if and when you have a drink.

First--Don’t reach for that wine glass as soon as you finish work. Start learning to associate a new ‘reward’ for the end of your day. Go for a short walk to relax. Do some yoga, play outside with the kids, stretch, meditate. It’s important to replace your drinking with something positive. Otherwise, you’ve just left a hole in your routine. Put something you look forward to in that place.

Find an a non-alcoholic or low-alcohol drink. I love mixing sparkling water with kombucha and adding a lime garnish. It’s delicious and refreshing. Or try some of the new hard seltzers or hard kombuchas. They are delicious and light with about half the alcohol of a normal beer or glass of wine.

Here’s an important one—don’t drink alcohol when you really should be drinking water. Often we are just thirsty and need a glass of water or something to hydrate with. So drink a great big glass of water before you have a drink. And when you do order a drink, order a glass of water or sparkling water to go with it. You should end of drinking half as much.

Learn to sip your drink and enjoy it, don’t guzzle it waiting for the alcohol to hit your system. Be mindful. And it helps if you order a drink that you have to sip slowly, like tequila, red wine, vodka on the rocks—anything that isn’t sweet.

And most importantly, have an accountability partner like a spouse, girlfriend/boyfriend or good friend. Let them know you want to cut back on drinking and have them help you out with that. It’s best to avoid people who are heavy drinkers, because willpower ends up going out the window. It’s tough to stop when everyone else is drinking. Be mindful of the people you hang around with.

It’s not that difficult to cut back on drinking. It’s just a matter of being MINDFUL of what you are doing, paying attention to the health risks, and take the above steps to deal with it. If you find you are drinking out of control, or if it is affecting your family or career, it’s time to ask for professional help. There is no shame in taking back control of your life.

Cheers, to you and your health!

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References
https://www.verywellhealth.com/covid-19-higher-alcohol-consumption-5094355#citation-1
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm
https://riahealth.com/2019/08/20/alcohol-and-womens-hormones/
https://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/how-drink-less
Pollard MS, Tucker JS, Green HD. Changes in adult alcohol use and consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(9):e2022942. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.22942

The post How to Drink Less Alcohol appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Perimenopause and menopause start in the 40s and continue into the 50’s for most women. Some of the uncomfortable symptoms can last for 10 years or more as hormone levels decline.

The majority of women in the U.S. and Europe and other modern countries experience many of the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, insomnia and fatigue.

As hormone levels continue to decline, menopausal women are at higher risk of developing serious chronic diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and fatty liver disease.

While hormone therapy is available, many women are not comfortable using it, often because of a fear of health risks. Some women have tried hormone therapy and found they experienced adverse effects from them and stopped using them. And other women just prefer to go it alone and deal with perimenopause and menopause naturally.

Many women turn to diet, lifestyle, natural supplements and other remedies for relief. These are the best options to consider first. The biggest plus about making diet and lifestyle changes is that these things have a positive impact on your overall health as well as helping with hormone balance.

Proper hormonal balance can change your outlook, your health, and the entire trajectory of your life. Hormones most definitely have an effect on us—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Hormones for women include more than the sex hormones of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Our bodies function optimally with the proper balance of sex hormones, thyroid hormones, leptin, insulin, cortisol, growth hormone, serotonin, melatonin and more.

When any one hormone level goes up or down, it can wreak havoc on all the other hormones. So instead of a symphony of hormones working together, out of whack hormones can become just a cacophony of noise. And that’s when we get a lot of the unpleasant hormonal symptoms.

Hormones can affect almost every function in our body. Hormones play a part in our hunger or satisfaction, how well we sleep, how we react to stress, how we respond to exercise, how we metabolize our food, our sex drive, our moods, our energy levels and how quickly we age. And, hormones have a lot to do with our feelings of self-confidence and overall wellbeing.

Signs that Your Hormones May be Out of Balance (no matter what your age)

• Weight gain—especially around the middle
• Low thyroid symptoms—weight gain, fatigue, depression, hair loss
• Moodiness
• Anxiety and depression
• Endometriosis
• PMS
• Breast tenderness
• Insomnia
• Irritability
• Loss of interest in sex
• Fatigue
• Hot flashes
• Hair loss or hair growth in unusual places
• Blood sugar instability
• Food cravings
• Lack of ambition and drive
• Fluid retention
• Headaches/Migraines

Estrogen and Health Issues

Estrogen is the hormone that makes us ‘female’ and is responsible for our female characteristics such as breast development, menstrual periods, and the tendency to store fat around our hips. Estrogen surges at adolescence and begins its decline in our forties.

Estrogen comes in different forms—estradiol, estrone and estriol. Each of these have different roles in our bodies. Estrogen is produced by the ovaries pre-menopause, produced in large quantities by the placenta during pregnancy, and even after menopause we still produce small amounts of estrone in the adrenals and body fat. The more body fat a woman has, the more estrogen is produced.

Estrogen also has a dark side and too much of it can cause many of the uncomfortable symptoms that women experience in perimenopause and menopause. Estrogen is responsible for causing weight gain, especially in the hips, thighs and breast tissue. Too much estrogen can also raise the risk of breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers.

What is Estrogen Dominance?

Estrogen dominance is a condition that occurs when estrogen levels are too high in relation to progesterone. This can be characterized by symptoms such as:

• Breast tenderness or fibrocystic breasts
• Premenstrual syndrome
• Mood swings
• Decreased sex drive
• Uterine fibroids
• Weight gain

Estrogen dominance also dramatically raises your risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Estrogen dominance can also contribute to depression, headaches, infertility, insomnia, thyroid dysfunction and water retention. Estrogen dominance is present in the majority of women in their 40’s and 50’s.

What Causes Estrogen Dominance?

• Conventional hormone therapy using synthetic estrogen, or contraceptive pills
• Exposure to Xenoestrogens (artificial estrogens in plastics, personal care and our environment)
• Being overweight
• Hysterectomy
• Declining progesterone levels (often begins in the forties)
• Peri-menopause
• Menopause
• Diet and inflammation

As we age, progesterone levels tend to drop fairly quickly after the age of 40 or so. By the time we reach menopause, our progesterone has hit rock bottom, while estrogen is still in a gradual decline. Due to diet and lifestyle factors, most women in American tend to have estrogen levels approximately twice as high as they naturally should be.

Many of the peri-menopause and menopause symptoms we attribute to lack of estrogen are actually from low levels of progesterone.

In fact, at menopause, progesterone decreases to about 1/120th of our premenstrual levels, while estrogen only decreases by about ½. While conventional thinking is that we have too little estrogen by the time we reach menopause, in fact, most women have too much estrogen in relationship to progesterone.

In less industrialized countries such as rural China and Japan, women who eat a primitive diet consisting of large amounts of vegetables, high fiber and wild caught fish, have far lower levels of estrogen. Not surprisingly, women from these cultures do not report difficulties with menopause or peri-menopause.

Fiber in the diet also helps to clear the body of excess estrogen by carrying it out in bowel movements. Circulating estrogen is sent to the liver to be processed, and then sent to the large intestine to be eliminated. If there is not enough fiber in a woman’s diet to carry out the estrogen, estrogen gets reabsorbed. So consequently, a diet high in fiber is helpful to balance out estrogen dominance.

What about Xenoestrogens?

Let’s talk briefly about Xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens are artificial, chemically-produced estrogens. Xenoestrogens are far more potent and dangerous to our health than natural estrogens. Xenoestrogens compete at the same receptor sites in our bodies as our natural hormones and can easily cause estrogen dominance. In fact, Xenoestrogens are powerful enough to affect even men. Ever seen a man with ‘man boobs’? This is the effect of Xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens can dramatically increase cancer risk (for men or women) as well as exacerbating estrogen dominance.

Where do Xenoestrogens come from? Unfortunately, they are all around us. Xenoestrogens are in pesticides, herbicides, our food supply, birth control, car and truck exhaust, nail polish, cosmetics, toiletries, shampoos, dry cleaning chemicals, and nearly all plastics. However, you can minimize the effects of Xenoestrogens by being aware of them by eating organic foods, naturally raised meats and using only natural personal care products on your body. You should also minimize your use of plastics and avoid toxins in your environment.

What About Progesterone?

Progesterone is what we call a ‘master hormone’. It is essential as a building block for our other hormones. Even men require small amounts of progesterone as a precursor to testosterone. Progesterone is made by our ovaries. Progesterone for women serves as a balancing hormone to estrogen and offsets the risks of too much estrogen.

When progesterone levels plummet in a woman’s forties, supplemental progesterone can actually help to reduce many of the symptoms of estrogen dominance. But that’s not all, progesterone can have far-reaching benefits for the whole body. Other benefits of progesterone include:

• Reduces ovarian cysts
• Helps prevent uterine cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer
• Lessen the chances of ovarian cysts
• Stimulates bone formation
• Helps prevent autoimmune disease
• Improves estrogen receptor sensitivity
• Helps prevent arterial plaque and prevents heart disease and strokes
• Lessens fibrocystic breast issues
• Aids the body in metabolizing fat
• Gets rid of excess stored fluids
• Increases GABA in brain and drastically reduces anxiety
• Antidepressant
• Facilitates deeper, more restful sleep
• Helps balance and normalize thyroid function
• Normalizes and balances blood sugar
• Protects against blood clots
• Helps with weight loss
• Protects the brain from injury after strokes or traumatic brain injuries
• Important for repair of nerves, especially the myelin sheath (MS)

Is it any wonder we have noticeable symptoms when progesterone drops?

The Dance of Hormones

Our bodies also create other hormones including:

• DHEA-made by the adrenal glands, and a precursor to testosterone, estrogen and some progesterone. DHEA peaks at age 25 then declines. We need it to help fight aging.

• Testosterone-made by the ovaries and adrenal glands. Helps burn fat, build muscle, create stronger bones and adds to motivation, energy and a sense of wellbeing

• Cortisol-Made by the adrenals and also from progesterone. Helps us manage stress, maintains blood sugar, and metabolize nutrients. Too much cortisol (usually from stress) can cause weight gain, sleeplessness, other health problems. A progesterone imbalance causes problems with cortisol. Low cortisol also equals poor thyroid function.

Chronic stress can affect many bodily systems and can wreak havoc on hormone balance. Chronic stress can make you feel exhausted and ‘out of gas’ and cause adrenal fatigue. Stress can affect insulin, progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, melatonin and cortisol levels. Nothing in the body works as it should with high levels of stress.

Estrogen, Progesterone and Thyroid Hormones

The thyroid hormone regulates metabolism. A low thyroid or hypothyroid can cause you to gain weight, have low energy, hair and nails grow slowly, intolerance to cold, and low immune function. A hyperthyroid causes high metabolism, weight loss, hair loss, sleeplessness, and anxiety.

Women with estrogen dominance and low progesterone often have symptoms of low thyroid—even if thyroid lab work shows up normal. Other issues that interfere with thyroid function include high cortisol levels and gluten intolerance.

Thyroid hormones include T3 and T4. T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone in the body. If your body is not efficient at converting T4 into T3 you can have low thyroid levels, but it may not even show up on a standard thyroid test. Many physicians never check this part of thyroid function, but it is essential. If the thyroid is not functioning optimally, cortisol, estrogen and progesterone may be low as well.

Inflammation and Hormones

Many people have chronic inflammation due to poor diet, too much sugar, food sensitivities, toxins in the environment, high stress, and lack of sleep. Chronic inflammation can show up in many different forms including: Belly fat, chronic pain, accelerated aging, food allergies, blood sugar problems, autoimmunity, IBS and other inflammatory bowel diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, skin problems and hormone imbalances—especially thyroid hormones, estrogen and progesterone.

Inflammation levels can be tested by looking at C-Reactive protein (CRP), blood sugar levels (HbA1c), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and plasma viscosity (PV).

However, our hormones are at their highest levels in the mid-twenties and as they decrease, inflammation levels tend to rise. Changing one’s diet to avoid inflammatory foods like sugar, refined flours and processed foods lowers inflammation. In addition, following an elimination diet to eliminate any foods you may be reacting to, will lower inflammation levels as well.

How Do We Get Our Hormones Back into Balance Naturally?

These steps will help you lower inflammation, regain balance in your hormones and lose weight:

1. 1. First, eliminate inflammatory foods along with strategic detoxes that clear excess hormone levels from the body, stop food sensitivities, and clear hormone receptors. A diet that eliminates all grains, dairy, and all processed foods and vegetable oils is a good start. Eat only whole foods, lots of organic veggies and naturally raised meats/fish/poultry, along with healthy fats. Be sure to get lots of fiber which helps eliminate excess estrogens. Avoid sugars of all kinds.
   2. Avoid dangerous hormone-disrupting artificial estrogens in the environment by avoiding commercial home cleaning supplies, pesticides, weed killer, laundry soaps, dry cleaning, toiletries, makeup, shampoos, hair styling products, pesticides and other chemical-based products.
   3. Practice good self-care to lower stress such as meditation, getting good sleep and daily exercise.

Generally, these steps will often make a huge difference in how you feel and help to bring your hormones back into balance. If you still feel ‘off’, as your functional medicine doctor or health practitioner for a saliva hormone test to determine your hormone levels.

Natural Supplements to Ease Hormonal Symptoms

And lastly, some natural hormone supplements are available over the counter without a prescription that are safe and easy to use.

While some of these therapies are backed by clinical research, many others have very little research, and only anecdotal evidence to support their use.

Always talk to your doctor or other healthcare provider before you try any alternative treatment. They can discuss possible dosage, side effects, and interactions with you.

Here are the most common natural supplements for reducing symptoms of menopause:

B vitamins

B vitamins, especially with methylfolate (a usable form of folate), methylcobalamin and other B vitamins help the body with the methylation cycle. The methylation cycle is key in the transfer of the fat-soluble form of folate into the brain, as well as contributing to the formation of important neurotransmitters: epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin. B vitamins are also responsible for energy, brain and nerve function.

When methylation is going well, the process helps repair your DNA, regulates hormones, produces energy, protects against cancer, supports detoxification, keeps your immune system healthy, supports the protective coating along your nerves, strengthens the nervous system and on and on and on.

Methylfolate (the most bioavailable form of folate) is helpful in reducing the length and severity of hot flashes. And B vitamins are great to prevent anxiety, depression and irritability by regulating the brain neurotransmitters responsible for mood regulation.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a powerful hormone of its own. Vitamin D will boost your immune system, help maintain a strong bone structure, and help and with hormone regulation and vaginal dryness. IT’s also known to improve your moods.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Omega 3’s may help lubricate your body and decrease vaginal dryness. Omega 3 fats are also vital to healthy brain function and lowering inflammation. When taken in addition to B vitamins and magnesium, omega 3 supplements improve depression.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral that most of use do not get enough of. Women in perimenopause or menopause can definitely benefit from magnesium supplements. Magnesium is known to help sleep by regulating the body’s circadian rhythms, and promoting muscle relaxation. This small study found that 500mg of magnesium daily led to a significant increase in sleep quality, as well as melatonin production.

Adequate magnesium levels may also lessen anxiety and depression, improving brain function, mood regulation and reactions to stress. Magnesium also lowers blood pressure, lowers inflammation, and decreases the risk of heart disease.

Herbal Supplements

Some herbal supplements claim to help manage perimenopause and menopause symptoms. However, it is important to remember that the FDA doesn’t regulate supplements and there is little research on many of them—especially for menopause symptoms.

It’s important to talk to a healthcare provider before adding supplements. Potency of herbal supplements can vary widely, and some products may also interact with over-the-counter and prescription medications.

Black cohosh

Black cohosh is a flowering plant that is often suggested to help with hormonal symptoms. Taking black cohosh may help decrease the frequency or severity of hot flashes.

Dong quai

Dong quai is an herb often used in Chinese medicine. Dong quai works like a phytoestrogen (plant based estrogen) in the body. Phytoestrogens are weaker than normal estrogens and take up the estrogen receptors in the body, helping to lessen the effects of estrogen, and balancing your hormones during menopause. Dong Quai helps to enhance metabolism, improve liver function (which improves the excretion of excess estrogen), aids in the utilization of vitamin E, and has a mild sedative activity.

Maca

Often suggested as a supplement for men, maca works for women as well. Maca works to improve sex drive and sexual function, while helping balance hormone levels.

Valerian Root

Valerian is an herbal tranquilizer and is often used to alleviate anxiety and insomnia—two problems women in perimenopause and menopause report frequently.

Over the Counter Natural Progesterone

Natural progesterone is inexpensive, safe and easy to use. Natural progesterone may help ease the symptoms of estrogen dominance (see list above), help you feel calmer, relieve anxiety and promote sound sleep. Natural progesterone may also help thyroid function, as well as reducing the risk of breast and endometrial cancers. Natural progesterone when used regularly, can balance hormone levels and help eliminate some of the negative symptoms of estrogen dominance.

Natural Hormone Balance

There is a natural way to rebalance your hormones and get your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid back into balance. In the process, you will most likely lose weight, sleep better, feel better, eliminate anxiety, and also get rid of many of those unpleasant menopause or peri-menopause symptoms.

Making changes in diet, weight loss, removal of Xenoestrogens and lowering inflammation will help you regain hormone balance—perhaps even better than ever!

And if none of the above things help you, it may be time visit a doctor who specializes in natural hormone replacement therapy and investigate bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

Check out this next story below if you want an innovative new way to lose weight:

> Do THIS 1 hour before bed to pee out stubborn fat in the morning

References
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/magnesium-for-menopause#sources
https://thrivenfunctionalmedicine.com/methylation/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11-natural-menopause-tips#TOC_TITLE_HDR_12
https://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/alternatives-to-hrt#herbal-supplements
https://www.drnorthrup.com/traditional-herbs-or-bioidentical-hormones-which-is-better/
https://www.naturalgrocers.com/article/natural-menopause-symptom-relief

The post Natural Solutions for Hormone Balance (for women only) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling 

Cabbage of all different types is serious superfood. As one of the members of the cruciferous family, it contains real fat-burning compounds. Napa cabbage contains the highest amounts of the essential B vitamin, folate. Folate is especially important to synthesize and repair our cells’ DNA, which helps to maintain healthy cell division. Unhealthy cell division results in mutations and cancerous cells, so maintaining healthy DNA is essential to avoiding cancer. Folate is also absolutely necessary for healthy pregnancies and maintaining healthy nerve growth and spinal cord growth in fetuses. Folate also helps to prevent B-vitamin related anemia.

All cruciferous vegetables fight cancer with some amazing phytochemicals. Cabbage contains glucosinolates that have some real cancer-fighting potential. Hundreds of studies have looked at cabbage and cruciferous vegetables and their cancer-destroying properties. Eating two or more servings of cabbage a week will help to fight off a variety of cancers including, bladder cancer, breast, colon, and prostate cancers.

Cabbage also contains tons of healthy fiber and ingredients called “aromatase inhibitors”, which help to block estrogen in the body. Estrogen can be carcinogenic and dangerous, especially xenoestrogens, dangerous artificial estrogens we get from our environment.

Salad Ingredients

2-4 boneless, skinless cooked chicken breasts or thighs, sliced into thin slices

2-3 cups Napa cabbage, sliced thinly

½ cup red cabbage, sliced thinly

1 small sweet red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

4-6 green onions (scallions), chopped

2 carrots, grated or cut into matchstick slices

½ lb fresh snow peas, sliced on diagonal into thin slices

Handful of cilantro, chopped

1-2 cups mung bean sprouts

½ cup sliced or slivered almonds

Dressing Ingredients

¼ cup Rice wine vinegar (seasoned is best if you can find it)

Juice of ½ fresh lime

1 Tbsp of honey

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp sesame oil or toasted sesame oil

Pinch of red pepper flakes, to taste

1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root

Directions

Slice all vegetables into thin slices and place in large salad bowl. Whisk together dressing ingredients, making sure honey is well blended. Add chicken and almonds to salad, pour on dressing, toss and serve. Serves 4.

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The post Asian Chicken Salad appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

by Catherine Ebeling & Mike Geary
co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging &

Surrounded by a sea of plastic and hormone-disrupting chemicals that includes plastic water bottles, plastic soda bottles, plastic bags, plastic food containers, soaps, shampoos, food packaging and pans treated with nonstick coatings, studies are showing definite connections between plastic compounds and serious diseases like diabetes and obesity. Not only that, but more and more evidence is also pointing to other serious health issues such as infertility, hormone-related reproductive cancers, neurological issues and other disorders.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC’s) also referred to as “Xenoestrogens” or synthetic estrogens, cause serious health problems because they mimic estrogen among other hormones. By hijacking important chemical messengers in the body, EDC’s actually can change the way cells develop and grow. These chemicals are showing up in men, women, breastfeeding mothers and babies.

Xenoestrogens actually amplify the effect of estrogen in the body. These toxic hormones actually can build up over time, creating an overload of estrogen. Individuals with any kind of estrogen dominance health condition (such as breast or ovarian cancer) should be especially careful to avoid xenoestrogens. And this is especially harmful to men.

Xenoestrogens have been linked to feminization in men (man boobs, loss of testosterone, low sperm counts, etc.), infertility, and unnaturally early puberty in girls. This buildup of synthetic female hormones increases the risk of reproductive cancer as well.

Exposure of lab species and wild animals to xenoestrogens has been found to cause abnormalities in the reproductive systems of these animals. Xenoestrogens bind to estrogen receptors in both animals and humans including: reproductive tissue, body fat, the hypothalamus, and pituitary glands. And, studies in mice show that xenoestrogens can cause progressive degeneration of testicular tissue and sexual dysfunction in both sexes.

According to Andrea C. Gore, Professor of Pharmacology at University of Texas, and chair of a task force on hormone disrupting chemicals, “The evidence is more definitive than ever—EDC’s disrupt hormones in a manner that harms human health. Hundreds of studies are pointing to the same conclusion…You may have a healthy meal, but if it’s in a plastic container [or cooked in a nonstick pan], it’s leaching chemicals.”

Based on information from over 1,300 studies, there is strong evidence to show a link between common hormone disrupting chemicals and serious health issues such as:

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Obesity
• Heart disease
• Infertility/Impotence
• Hormone-sensitive cancers in women (breast, endometrial, ovarian)
• Prostate cancer
• Thyroid problems
• Poor brain development and brain function in young children
• Feminization in men: low sperm count, breast development

While there are about 85,000 chemicals known to be in use, it is not known for sure how many of these chemicals actually disrupt hormones, but at least 1,000 are known human toxins.

Some of the known EDCs include bisphenol A (BPA) found in food can linings, cash register receipts; phthalates found in plastics and cosmetics; flame retardant chemicals and various pesticides. The chemicals are so common that nearly every person on Earth has been exposed to at least one or more of these.

And a mother’s exposure to even tiny amounts of EDCs during her pregnancy can trigger obesity in her child. These EDCs can target cells in the pancreas, the liver and the fat cells in the body, leading the way for insulin resistance, and high insulin levels which are direct risk factors for the development of Type 2 diabetes.

When looking at just one of these endocrine disrupting chemicals, it was found that having higher BPA levels was associated with a diabetes rate 50% higher than having lower levels of this harmful chemical!

Two other chemicals, di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) and di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), both known as ‘phthalates’, used in plastic food wrap, soaps, cosmetics and food containers have been directly linked to insulin resistance and diabetes in children and adolescents, as well as high blood pressure.

• These chemicals are not the only offenders. Endocrine disrupting chemicals and xenoestrogens also include:
• Bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S, which are used in some plastics, metal food cans, and cash register receipts
• Phthalates, a class of chemicals that are used to soften plastic and also used in some perfumes, soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics
• Some pesticides, like DDT
• Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical

These chemicals can act at very low doses.

EDC’s, which include xenoestrogens, can be found in pesticides, plastics, fuels, personal care products preservatives and drugs. Below is a partial list of some of the EDC’s we come into contact with on a daily basis:

• alkylphenols (chemicals used in the manufacture of other chemicals)
• atrazine (a common household weed killer)
• 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (sunscreen lotions)
• 4-hexylresorcinol (color preservative for shrimp and shellfish).
• butylated hydroxyanisole / BHA (a very common food preservative)
• bisphenol A (used in plastics including food containers and water bottles)
• DDT (insecticide)
• erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3 (food coloring)
• ethinylestradiol (oral contraceptive pill)
• heptachlor (insecticide)
• nonylphenol and derivatives (surfactants, cleansers, emulsifiers for detergents; pesticides)
• pentachlorophenol (wood preservative)
• polychlorinated biphenyls / PCBs (oils, lubricants, adhesives, paints)
• parabens (skin lotions)
• phenosulfothiazine (red dye)
• phthalates (plasticizers)
• DEHP (plasticizer for PVC/polyvinyl chloride used in pipes and many other applications)
• Propyl gallate (used to protect oils and fats in foods from oxidation)

Many of the EDC’s listed above are contained in processed, packaged foods and in conventionally-grown, non-organic produce as either preservatives and/or pesticides.

Another group of xenoestrogens is found in commercially-raised dairy, meat and eggs. Commercial dairy and egg farmers often feed estrogenic chemicals to milk cows and chickens because it will increase production of milk and eggs. Commercially-raised meat and dairy get a double dose of xenoestrogens from the pesticides they ingest in their feed source as well. This alone makes commercial dairy, eggs and meat major sources of xenoestrogens.

Yes, this list can be mind-boggling and overwhelming. So what are the TOP TEN endocrine disrupting items to avoid? Let’s take a look at this list Dr. Joseph Mercola recently published:

1. Pthlatates in personal care products
2. Tap water AND individual plastic water bottles
3. Canned foods
4. Conventionally grown produce
5. Conventionally raised meat, poultry and dairy
6. Fish containing mercury
7. Kitchen products—nonstick cookware, plastic storage containers
8. Cleaning products
9. Office products—printer’s ink and toner
10. Cash register receipts

Yes, we are surrounded by these chemicals in every aspect of our lives, and they are hard to avoid. Here are some ways to minimize your exposure EDC’s and xenoestrogens:

• Avoid all synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides by eating organic whenever possible, especially the “dirty dozen*” of the highest sprayed produce.
• Avoid using pesticides and herbicides outdoors, especially on your lawn.
• Avoid all plastic containers, especially individual sized water bottles, and plastic food containers. Do not store hot food in plastic. Use glass whenever possible.
• Avoid microwaving in plastic and avoid using plastic wrap.
• Avoid using nail polish, avoid acrylic nails and nail polish remover
• Avoid lotions, hair products and cosmetics that are not “all-natural”. Especially avoid products containing parabens. Unfortunately, the more inexpensive brands usually have the most toxic ingredients.

• Eat only organic, grass fed meats and wild caught fatty fish as much as possible. Consume only organic dairy products.
• Use organic, natural soaps and toothpastes.
• Use natural household cleaners.
• Use only naturally based perfume or essential oils. Most commercial perfumes are full of petrochemicals and preservatives containing xenoestrogens.
• Use naturally based, non-petroleum based laundry detergents and dish detergents.

A healthy diet rich in certain foods is also a key way to avoid and combat these estrogenic compounds in our environment. Specific components of these foods help to block uptake and absorption of xenoestrogens as well and cleanse the body of any excess that may be stored. Eating a whole foods based diet, high in plant-based organic foods will help to keep your system clean. Follow a Paleo-style, unprocessed foods diet, like the Fat Burning Kitchen diet will also help you avoid these dangerous chemicals.

Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, and cabbage are estrogen inhibiting and prevent these artificial hormones from being absorbed into our system. Onions and garlic contain quercetin that is also anti-estrogenic, immune enhancing and detoxifying.

Omega 3 fats such as those in grass fed meats and wild caught fatty fish are also essential as a safeguard against xenoestrogens. Omega 3 fats have been found to be highly beneficial in estrogen balance and metabolism.

Other helpful foods included green tea, citrus fruits, organic (full fat) dairy such as grass fed butter and raw grass fed cheeses, raw nuts and seeds, avocados and organic virgin olive oil. Eating organic greens, herbs and organic fruit also adds to the antioxidant potential in the body further protecting and enhancing the body’s natural balance.

Protecting your body from these harmful chemicals is of the upmost importance, we cannot forget the importance of hydration for the body.

While science has proven drinking water regularly can help you lose weight…

You’ll need to drink at least 2 liters of water everyday for 3-6 months to see a difference.

Talk about endless trips to the toilet!

Not to mention, you’ll also need to follow a restrictive diet.

Thankfully, that’s all about to change.

Researchers at the University College of London discovered that when you add two tablespoons of this fat-burning “soda powder” to a glass of water…

Your body can flush out fat up to 720% faster!

Without having to wait 3-6 months to see any changes…

Thousands of people are losing up to 20 lbs of fat within just 2 weeks without following any

particular diet or exercise program.

You may find it hard to believe, but you can click the link below to see the shocking proof:

Add two tablespoons of this “soda powder” with water to shed up to 20 lbs of stubborn fat in weeks.

*The Environmental Working Group publishes yearly a “Dirty Dozen “list of top endocrine disrupters, and a “Dirty Dozen” list of the produce with the highest pesticides and preservatives. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database lists brands that are free of most must-avoid ingredients and Care2 has compiled a list of non-toxic nail polishes. PETA also features a comprehensive index of beauty brands that do not test on animals.

Sources:

The Endocrine Society. “Chemical exposure linked to rising diabetes, obesity risk: Endocrine Society releases scientific statement on endocrine-disrupting chemicals.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 28 September 2015. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150928124400.htm.

Ori Hofmekler, “The Anti-Estrogenic Diet, How Estrogenic Foods and Chemicals Are Making You Fat And Sick”, North Atlantic Books, 2007.

Joseph Mercola, “10 Common Sources of Endocrine Disrupters and How to Avoid Them”, July 2015. Mercola.com

Joseph Mercola, “12 Food Additives to Remove From Your Diet’,
July 2009. Mercola.com

Quinn Phillips, Diabetes from Plastic?, November 8, 2011. Diabetes Self Management. Diabetesselfmanagement.com.

Chemical Exposure linked to Rising Diabetes Risk, Science Daily, September 2015.

Elizabeth Smith, MD, “Xenoestrogens interfere with Normal Hormones.” Endo101.com

News-Medical.net, Chemicals used in plastics linked to increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes in children and adolescents. July 9, 2015.

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