Populations consuming a diet high in soybean phytoestrogens (that mimic human estrogen) have lower incidences of several diseases, including breast and prostate cancer. Human estrogens and phytoestrogens There are not one but three different kinds of estrogen made by the human body: estradiol, estrone, and estriol. In fact, it is possible that taking phytoestrogen supplements may carry the same long-term risk of cancer as estrogen alone (see estrogen replacement therapy). To avoid some of the known risks of estrogen, some women take phytoestrogens, or plant-based estrogens. [2] phytoestrogen estrogen (anti-estrogen). phytoestrogen estrogen trong Soy contains high levels of isoflavones, which are weak forms of plant estrogen (also called phytoestrogen). Here’s one theory: Once digested, the soybean’s phytoestrogens mimic the activity of a woman’s natural estrogen hormones. Critics feared that soy phytoestrogens could increase a woman’s total estrogen level. But also, phytoestrogens can be helpful if your estrogen levels are high… Populations consuming a diet high in soybean phytoestrogens (compounds that mimic estrogen) have lower incidences of several diseases, including breast and prostate cancer. When estrogen levels are low (as in menopause) empty estrogen receptor sites can be filled with phytoestrogens that can exert a weak pro-estrogenic effect.

Identifying the phytoestrogenic activity of soybean isoflavones would benefit the nutritional health of the population in general, particularly women. The implication is that exposure to pathogen attack or other plant stresses may influence potential phytoestrogenic compounds in soybean in the field. sojae, which induce phytoestrogen levels in soybean cotyledons (seeds) several fold over non-induced cotyledons. Individual soybean phytoestrogens can effect a number of physiological events in mammals. Soy sauce contains very little phytoestrogen content, and many processed foods made from soybean concentrates have insignificant levels of phytoestrogens. An overall reduction in phytoestrogen levels of 12-14 percent was observed in the genetically altered soybean strains. Techniques are being determined by ARS scientists to manipulate phytoestrogen levels in soybean seed and soy-based products to maximize health benefits by their consumption. Soybean meal is an ingredient common to standard natural ingredient diets which contains a class of phytoestrogens called isoflavones. To provide growers with value added specialty varieties with phytoestrogen profiles of commercial value to major soybean utilizers. To provide growers with soybean varieties with high and consistent phytoestrogen content. To identify molecular markers in the existing maps of the soybean genome linked to genes controlling phytoestrogen content.

The present study tests the hypothesis that administration of a phytoestrogen-rich diet enhances motor and cognitive performance in young and aged mice. “These results show that women who are at risk for osteoporosis may directly benefit from eating a phytoestrogen-rich diet. For women who still get hot flashes in spite of a high phytoestrogen diet and/or use of phytoestrogen supplements, stronger therapy might be necessary. For many women, a safe and natural phytoestrogen supplement or high-phytoestrogen diet will do the trick. A Western diet contains amounts of phytoestrogens too low to allow their levels in plasma to become high enough for biological activity. Reducing the amount of phytoestrogen foods in one’s diet may be helpful. There are plenty of ways to add phytoestrogens to your diet. But loading up on supplemental phytoestrogens won’t undo the effects of a poor diet, he cautions. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of low levels of intake of phytoestrogens in Western habitual diet on vascular function. Short-term effects of phytoestrogen-rich diet on postmenopausal women. Restoring phytoestrogen intake http://www.phuketherb.com/phytoestrogen-natural-plant-estrogen.html



Thanks to Wirat Muenpan for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Symptoms Of Low Estrogen Levels

Menopause signals the end of a woman’s childbearing days. It is marked by the end of a woman’s monthly period. This is primarily because of the ovaries’ inability to produce eggs. Contrary to popular notion, women do not have a wellspring of eggs. Their ova also run out. Menopause is also caused by the decrease in the secretion of the female sex hormones, progesterone and estrogen.

Like all natural processes, menopause does not just occur without any warning signs. In fact, the body prepares for it, knowing instinctively that a woman cannot cope with the changes abruptly. The preparation of the body is a very gradual process that can take years. This is what the scientific and medical community calls Perimenopause.

Peri-menopause or what is called premenopause is the period in a woman’s life when her body is starting to ready itself towards menopause. This often occurs during the mid-40s; although some may experience some signs and symptoms in their mid-30s.

Perimenopause is not just a short period of time, In fact, it can last for as long as two to eight years depending on the person. Some clinicians even say that it can last for as long as 15 years!

Up until now, there is still no explanation why some women have longer periods of pre-menopause than others. Because there is no specific year span when it occurs, women and even their doctors often overlook the symptoms of premenopause and its effects in the body.

Unlike during menopause where levels of progesterone and estrogen go on a nosedive, hormonal levels during premenopause are erratic. Levels rise and fall. Because of these changes, women may experience disruptions in their monthly menstrual cycles. Menstruation may suddenly extend for a few days or shorten to just a couple of days.

Shortened cycles are the result of the drop in estrogen levels, leading to the shortening of the follicular phase. Cycles can shorten to 24-26 days. This means that there will more frequent monthly cycles than before. On the other side, women may also experience infrequent monthly flow because of the lengthening of the menstrual cycle.

Women in premenopause may also find it hard to conceive although it is not impossible. This is because there are menstrual cycles when women do not ovulate.

Like in menopause, declining levels of the female hormones may result in the experiences of a host of symptoms that are often seen during menopause; symptoms like hot flashes, where women will experience abrupt changes in their body temperatures; incontinence; vaginal dryness because of the decrease in lubrication and elasticity; breast tenderness; mood swings and see-saw of emotions; sleeping problems and other potential complications such as bone loss and osteoporosis.

Symptoms of course vary from one person to another. Some may experience all of them while others may not feel a thing. In fact, some women’s menstrual cycles will just stop without ever experiencing any symptoms at all. This is the reason why premenopause is so hard to detect.

Because of the appearance of these symptoms, many believe that when detected, women undergoing premanopause must begin hormonal therapy in order to balance or combat these problems.

Declining levels of hormones may become such a problem that some doctors may even recommend surgical interventions such as hysterectomy, a procedure wherein the uterus is removed. This however only happens to a very small percentage of women. If your doctor recommends this, try to get a second opinion, as this is not a small thing. Other doctors may provide you with alternatives to it.



Thanks to Nathalie Fiset for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Menopause And Bleeding

I always like to start out by stating I am not a doctor, I am not offering cures or medical advise. I am a concerned citizen who is interested in researching alternative options for health and wellness.

Since the 1930’s, American women have been trained to think that a “natural” part of growing older is Menopause, this “disease condition” requiring treatment. If Menopause is a disease, how did millions of women go through history without Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) drugs to deal with it? How do women in third world countries handle going through it without HRT’s?

Diet plays an enormous part in how we “go through” Menopause. For instance, Shangri-La place in the Himalayas called Hunza Land, famous for longevity to 120 years old, symptoms of Menopause were unheard of.

Natural Phytoestrogens (plant-estrogens) are found in plants like, licorice, soybeans, alfalfa, and many others. Phytoestrogens are weak estrogens and have the ability to block the stronger forms.

In 1966 a best seller, Feminine Forever, by Robert Wilson, a New York Gynecologist, explained that Menopause is an Estrogen- dificiency disease. Insufficient Estrogen supposedly caused women to lose her youth, beauty, cheerful attitude, vaginal dryness, hot flashes, bone density, all at once, with the onset of Menopause. The drug industry in a heart beat donated $1.3 million to set up the Wilson Foundation for the sole purpose of developing and promoting Estrogen drugs. The FDA’s approval for sythetic Estrogen was given based on one study. Throughout 1964 and 1965, fueled by advertising powers, Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT), a synthetic Estrogen was being popularly prescribed.

In 1975 a little snag came up, findings of increased Endometrial Cancer cases had gone up by 5 times. Unless they had been using the drugs for longer than seven years, then it was 14 times the normal incidence.

WHAT IS ESTROGEN?

Estrogen is really a general term for three seperate Hormones, Estriol, Estradiol and Estrone.

Estrogen is produced in three main places in a woman’s body, in the Ovaries, Adrenal Glands and the Fat Cells. 

What is Estrogen’s Main Purpose? The main purpose of Estrogen is the make the uterine lining, the endometrium, ready to implant a fertilized egg in the event fertilization occures. To aid in this function, Estrogen will promote…water retention, fat storage and maturation of the female adolescent. This is all fine, if pregnancy is likely, but EXCESS Estrogen throws off the timing. Excess Estrogen causes the body to prepare for embryo implantation all the time. This state of over-preparation is the cause of , sluggish blood circulation, migraines, increased clotting, high stroke risk, fibroids, endometriosis, weight gain and a host of other conditions as well as disrupted copper/zinc ratios in brain cells attributing to mood swings.

Estrogen has a sister hormone called Progesterone, whose functions are equally important.

What is Progesterone? Progesterone is the other primary female hormone. It is produced in the ovaries. It is the precursor for both Estrogen and Testosterone. Progesterones functions include, maintaining the endometrium in pregnancy, new bone formation, regulation of blood pressure, fat conversion, sugar metabolism, maintaining myelin sheath (nerve insulation) and regulates the Estrogen Production.

When an egg is presented once a month from the ovaries, wrapped in an envelope called a follicle. After the follicle lets go of the egg, the egg journeys down the Fallopian tubes on its way to the uterus, where it awaits possible fertilization. The burst follicle still has an important job to do: it begins to produce Progesterone, for the next two weeks. Progesterone’s job is to maintain the uterine lining until one of two things happen. Pregnancy or no Pregnancy, if Pregnancy occurs Progesterone production is taken over by the developing lining itself - the Placenta. If no Pregnancy occurs, the follicle stops producing Progesterone, which triggers the collapse of the blood-rich lining, which is then expelled as the woman’s monthly cycle.

So, these two hormones are responsible for entire infastructure of reproduction. So what then is the problem?

Back to Estrogen Dominance. If Estrogen is too high, Progesterone cannot keep the dynamic of balance. How does Estrogen get too high? Overrefined diets, external toxins from the environment, (xenoestrogens), and lack of excersise. These can raise abnormal levels of Estrogen. Lets focus on Xenoestrogens, or “foreign” Estrogens. Many external Toxins have been found to have Estrogen-like effects in the body, most are from Pesticides and Fertilizers, Petroleum Derivatives, Plastics, Soaps, (foaming agents, hormone laced meat and milk products, etc. This affects everyone on a daily basis, men, women and children. The research has shown that high levels of Estrogen in Men show Gonad shrinkage as well as up to a 50% drop in sperm count, in Women, overdeveloped Ovaries as well as the host of problems listed earlier and in children early onset of Puberty. Progesterone is simply overwhelmed by the dominance of Estrogens.

As Estrogen levels build up to twice the normal level, many systems of the body are adversely affected. Our Body Fat stores Estrogens. Estrogen Dominance can cause Sugar Metabolism Defects leading to Diabetes, Endometrial Cancer is increased by 5-14 times, Osteoporosis, Toxemia ( blood poisoning), leading to autoimmune disorders such as, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue, and Arthritis. The increase risk of Stroke is 50% with extrogen, according to an extensive project, known as the Boston Nurses Questionnaire Study, of 121,000 nurses. Estrogen Dominance can lead to Fibroids, Breast Cancer and it has a detrimental affect on B Vitamin depletion, leading to fatigue, sluggish memory and hair loss. “The only known cause of Endometrial Cancer is unapposed Estrogen,” Dr. Lee, author “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause.”

A growing number of medical researches who do not represent interests of the drug cartels are stepping forward to show that the symptoms of menopause are not caused by too little Estrogen, but by too much. American women arguably are among the most stressed people in history, emotionally and nutritionally, as well as environmentally. It is well known that stress depletes the Adrenal Glands. When this happens, Progesterone is converted to Adrenal Hormones, like Cortisol, to take up the slack and try to keep up with Adrenal demands. Remember Progesterone is their precursor. The result is further depletion of Progesterone, again promoting Estrogen Dominance.

Hormone Replacement Therapy, is this the right option?

There are MANY side effects of HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy), those of you who have either been on them or researched them know the whole list of possible side effects, many deadly. Synthetic Drugs, even ones that include “Synthetic Progesterone” is not handled by your body like a “Natural Progesterone,” one that is bio-identical to your bodies own Progesterone Hormone.

What Solutions are available to combat Estrogen Dominance?

Many of you may have already heard of Natural Progesterone Therapy. This is usually of Topical Cream applied for Transdermal absorption of a “Bio-Identical Progesterone Hormone”, one that your body will recognize and utilize. This is extremely important to incorporate into your daily routine to start reducing the effects of Estrogen Dominance.

We also need to focus on eliminating or at least becoming aware of the Xenoestrogens around us and find Alternatives. Many companies now are making Green Alternatives, including Natural Pesticides, SLS Free Shampoo’s, Soaps, Laundry and Dishwashing Detergents, Himalayan Salt Crystal Lamps, (which help combat negative ions in the air), Air Purification and Water Filtration, (filtering Chlorine & Flourides from your bathing and drinking water), Organic Clothing, (processed without chlorines, dyes and chemical agents), Solar options to try and avoid emitions from electronics, and much more. Also, supplementing with B Vitamins that can become depleted through Estrogen Dominance and the usage of an Organic Natural Progesterone Cream. One that I have found is NATPRO, an Organic All Natural Progesterone, made in the USA and available at http://www.mysmartalternatives.com

There are also, many of the other Green Alternatives and Supplements available at that website that you can start making positive changes to a healthier you!

I hope some of this information was helpful and can lead you to do some of your own research and educate and explore what options may be available to avoid the need for HRT’s. I would like to explore in a future article more in depth information on HRT’s and Health Related Issues to long term and in some cases short term use of these types of drugs.



Thanks to Jody for contributing this article to our Menopause blog:

Natural Relief For Menopause