Paleo effects on estrogen in women? page

[Alex Who_else]

Hi all,

after some troubles with Paleo the month before Christmas - i had to assist a very ill friend and drank (for my body) too much red wine..which - now hitting 40 - is really my personal weight thread....must have gained around 3 kilos in that time....i know that it must have something to do also with the increased estrogen (which might no longer be processed in the liver if the liver is occupied with ethanol processing)...this all sounds like an alcoholic, which i am not, i am just talking about around 3 glasses of red wine in that time every night....


now i am 100% strict paleo since 25.12.2012....with lots of vegetables that shall be good for the estrogen (brokkoli etc).... but now i have an extremeley bad PMS (swelling, hurting breasts) at day 13 of strict Paleo)....how can it be that estrogen is now again going up? or is this just normal and the adjustment process takes longer?

xx
Alexandra

[Kochin]

I found Paleo didn't touch my hormonal system apart from increasing testosterone (so a proportionate decrease in everything else).

How hormones move around depends on a lot of things. We'd need to know your weight (or weight category), an example of your daily diet and an example of your exercise, as well as whether or not you fast, to assess anything.
A lot of people would say hormonal trouble at 40 (or any health trouble at 40) is just a natural part of aging. I'd say not to believe that and to aim for awesome health into your 60s at least.

[Alex Who_else]

:-) i am starting to be terribly aware of the effects of age with water rentention issues (since 36ish or so) and gaining weight.... my typical day would look as follows:

breakfast: eggs, with some blueberries or prosciutto, coconut oil
lunch: meat with around 400 g of vegetables (such as brokkoli, cauliflower), sometimes 1 small normal fat yoghurt (i dont have issues with lactose), coconut oil
dinner: big green salad, with shrimps, and mayonaise

as to sports: i have torn a tendon in my left leg in autumn and i am thus just doing some power yoga and bodyweight exercises, nothing too serious, but if possible daily...

i havent been on a scale for a year or so....no idea where i am at the moment, could be around 63-65 kg at a height of 1.73 (sorry, no idea how this exactly translates into your American measurements.. - i am from Austria - old´Europe :-))

and what were the effects of the increased testosterone to you: more energy? bigger muscles?

[SophieScreams]

A lot of women say they notice a hormonal shift after going paleo, usually for the better. My bodyfat distribution changed drastically, though I did not lose weight. My breasts grew 2 cup sizes , my skin breaks out if I alter my diet from strict paleo, no more depression, and I can finally build muscle quickly like I used to, before hormonal BC. Overall, for me, it's been a shift in the right direction.

[Alex Who_else]

your breasts grews...really? you are not joking?...so i could still have some hope now being 40 :-)?? ... i would have thought that testosterone is "eating up" breasts... ;-)?

[Drumroll]

If anything, it will lower estrogen and increase testosterone for men and women alike. You mention the veggies (brassicas) that are primal staples that all have benefitial effects on lowering estrogen levels through a nifty little compound called indole-3-carbinol. But even more than that, testosterone is made from saturated fats and cholesterol, both of which will increase on a healthy primal diet. This is probably the single most important change that a primal diet has. It provides the raw materials for testosterone to be made by the body (which is often sorely lacking on a high carb, low fat diet) and this will beneficially increase the ratio of testosterone to estrogen in the body, and maybe even replace some of that excess estrogen.

It might not be a magical silver bullet, but it'll do nothing but help at least.

Weightlifting might be recommended once your injuries heal as this also has benefitial effects on shifting hormones to the anabolic side (testosterone and other male-associated hormones) which will thus lower estrogen somewhat.

If you're trying to INCREASE estrogen, then, ummm... Red clover is great for being high in phytoestrogens, black cohosh is loaded too, and take lots of flax seed. Grapefruit has a compound in it that reduces the liver's ability to break down estrogens. This is generally a bad thing, though, if you are estrogen deficient, this MIGHT be a good thing afterall?

I'd suggest soy as well, but that would be criminally negligent of me as a practicing primalite.

[Alex Who_else]

Drumroli - am impressed by your knowledge. You know, as a child i always detested meat....at 17 i turned ovo-lacto-vegetarian (as i became aware that i have not eaten meat for a while and my best friends very very left wing and started vegetarism for ethical reasons)...i then have sticked to strict vegetarian diet until i was 37... i had to force myself to eat the "dead bodies"...and once i had started...i even dreamed of blood and meat and had so strong meat cravings... extremely stupid of myself that i did not become aware of what my body is needing for such a long time...particularly with my sensitivity to insulin (which is apparently some genetical thing with me)...

your words tell me that i should not be so afraid of fat and maybe increase their daily dosis (i got so worried about my weight gain that i put myself on quite a calory restriction...)...

[Drumroll]

I leave you with these:

How To Increase Testosterone Naturally | Mark's Daily Apple

Testosterone and Women | Mark's Daily Apple

A Primal Primer: Estrogen | Mark's Daily Apple

[fiercehunter]

Estrogen dominance is normal in the 40s due to peri menopause. Xenoestrogens and stressful lifestyle choices like eating low carb, eating polyunsaturated fatty acids (nuts, vegetable oils, omega-3s etc), makes it worse. You probably want to start using progesterone to balance it; I've read good things about Ray Peat's Progest-e. You probably want to read his articles also:
http:// Ray Peat

[Drumroll]

Estrogen dominance is normal in the 40s due to peri menopause. Xenoestrogens and stressful lifestyle choices like eating low carb, eating polyunsaturated fatty acids (nuts, vegetable oils, omega-3s etc), makes it worse. You probably want to start using progesterone to balance it; I've read good things about Ray Peat's Progest-e.

Oooooh, eat sugar to lower estrogen!

Talk about something that boggles the mind... Danny Roddy couldn't sway this forum when he tried, but I honestly wish Ray Peat the best of luck!