Nature's Source Vitamins

Optimal ratios of fiber in the diet work in two key ways to positively affect hormones.

When daily fiber consumption is increased, it raises a substance in the blood called Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). SHBG is a water-soluble carrier protein. Fat-soluble hormones latch onto these molecules to be transported around the body. When SHBG is low, more “free” hormones are circulating throughout the body. Since estradiol and estrone are very resilient hormones, the body has check and balance points to minimize exposure to free estrogen. High SHBG levels decrease exposure to estrogen and have been co-related to a decrease in incidences of cancers.

After the liver has worked very hard to process hormones and send them to the bowel, there needs to be adequate/optimal amounts of soluble fiber present to soak them up and take them out in the stool. If the body does not get rid of these hormones via the stool within about twelve to thirteen hours, they will begin to be re-circulated back into the tissues through internal hepatic circulation. Increasing soluble fiber in the diet will help eliminate used hormones.

Increasing fiber on a daily basis to the amounts suggested will change the way you eat, in a good way. You will naturally speed up metabolism and lose weight when eating primarily low glycemic carbohydrates.

The battle cry shouldn’t be “low carb”- it should be “low glycemic carbs!”…and eat all you want! You need more carbohydrates than protein or fat on a daily basis.

Losing weight increases Sex Hormone Binding Globulin.

Being fifteen pounds overweight can significantly increase estrone production. It is estrone’s metabolites that are worrisome. Estrone is made and stored in the fatty tissue. If you are thirty pounds overweight your risk of endometrial and breast cancer goes up thirty percent. That is a lot.

If you are overweight you could likely be hyper-insulinemic. Hyper-insulinemia decreases SHBG. So now, you’re overweight and producing lots of estrone, and yet you have even less SHBG to bind it…elevating your free estrogen.

The ability of essential fatty acids (EFAs), to influence menopause related health issues is so strong that EFAs must be considered in a category by themselves. The ability of EFAs to maintain ideal cell membrane fluidity, allowing optimal transport of molecules such as insulin across the cell membrane, is critical for adult health. Proper EFAs also down regulate inflammation, and enhance tissue health and bone density.

After WW11 the American diet changed dramatically- from raw unprocessed foods, to an affluent diet that is low- fiber, high-fat, and promotes high acidity.

Before this dramatic dietary change, people consumed a balance of undamaged fats, primarily omega 3s, omega 6s, and finally some omega 9s. In today’s world, Americans consume primarily omega 6s, and damaged omega 6s (trans), at that.

Where do we get trans fats?

From anything that says hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oil. Margarine, and fast foods are some of the biggest sources of trans fats. Trans fats interfere with the “good” fat’s prostaglandin synthesis.

All fats and oils consist of fatty acids, arranged in sausage-like chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached to them. Different fats have different length chains. In nature, the hydrogen atoms are all on the same side as the carbons, in what is called a cis configuration. Because of their electro-magnetic charge, the hydrogens repel each other, causing the chain to adopt a series of U-shaped bends. These humps and hollows are the precise keys that fit the chemical locks in your brain to make healthy, leak proof cell membranes.

The cis configuration of most fats and oils is destroyed by modern processing methods including boiling, hydrogenation, bleaching and deodorizing. These man made “improvements” to natural oils, add hydrogen atoms and also rotate some of the existing hydrogen atoms, so they now lie on opposite sides of the carbon chain. This is called a trans configuration. It is very unhealthy because the carbon chain of fats in a trans configuration straightens out in places where the opposing hydrogen charges cancel each other out. They lose the humps and hollows that form the precise keys of Nature’s design.

The body uses these damaged fats, but because they don’t fit properly, the cell membranes leak and function poorly or not at all. Not only is the brain thirty percent fat, every cell in the body is surrounded by a cell membrane made of lipids (fat). These cell membranes are responsible for maintaining hormone receptor sights and producing favorable prostaglandins (powerful regulatory substances). If the cell membranes are made up of primarily omega 6s, they will produce more prostaglandins of the two series which are unfavorable and cause inflammation as well as other problems. If the cell membranes are made up of plenty of omega 3s, omega 6s, and omega 9s they will produce favorable prostaglandins.

External exposure (excluding HRT), to estrogen-like compounds occurs through consuming meat, poultry, and dairy products that have been given estrogen like compounds to fatten them up for market. Estrogen, being the resilient hormone that it is, hangs around in the fatty tissues of the animals and we eat them.

Organic chlorine compounds (fertilizers, growth factors and pesticides like DDT), and PCBs are other sources of xenoestrogens and have a powerful estrogenic effect in the body. Organic chlorine compounds and PCBs have something on them called a phenol ring which looks exactly like the phenol ring on estrogen. These potent man made estrogen -like compounds are ten to one hundred times stronger than any estrogen we naturally make and they fit into our estrogen receptor sights beautifully.

Another source of xenoestrogens is soft plastics, especially after it’s been heated.

Making an effort to eat only hormone free animal products, organically raised pesticide free produce, and using only hard plastics are a few ways to cut down on your xenoestrogen exposure.

In the journal JAMA 2000- It was stated that women in the highest food intake group for vegetables, fruits, and EFAs had a thirty percent decrease in ALL multi-variety cause mortality! There isn’t anything any doctor or health care practitioner can do for you that will reduce your mortality rate more than making some dietary changes.

It has become increasingly apparent that measuring just the estradiol level doesn’t give a broad enough picture. One could have a low level of estradiol, and yet be producing too much estrone. Remember, estrone turns into metabolites that are worrisome for cancer proliferation. If you are overweight or your diet is poor, you could likely have an elevated amount of estrone.

There are ways to influence what “pathway” estradiol takes in the liver. Ideally, the majority of estradiol will get sent down the ‘safer pathway’ of 2 estrone sulphate.

The liver needs something called DIM, or Indole 3 carbinol to activate stage one liver detoxification and turn estradiol into 2 estrone sulphate. DIM, along with B vitamins for methylation, vitamin C, and N-Acetyl L Cysteine (precursor to glutathione which conjugates neutral fat soluble toxins), all assist in stage one and two liver detoxification. After that the hormones, bile salts and toxins are sent to the bowel for elimination.

There are specific nutrients that support hormone production and metabolism. These include, selenium, zinc, chromium, B vitamins, antioxidants and many more. The really good news is that if you take a high quality multi- vitamin everyday, you will be supplying yourself with everything you need for good hormone production in terms of micro-nutrients. It is of course, possible to test specifically for individual nutrient mal-absorption.

To sum up; increasing fiber, essential fatty acids, cruciferous vegetables, eating hormone-free animal products and pesticide free produce, and supplementing with a good daily multi-vitamin/mineral will have a salutary effect on your hormonal system and metabolism.