9 Essential Nutrients for Beating Estrogen Dominance
We have researched and tested hundreds of different natural solutions to balance hormones.
Here are the 9 most essential nutrients to beat Estrogen Dominance and bring balance to your hormone life!
Estrogen Dominance is created when there is either too much estrogen. Or, there is not enough progesterone in your body.
Over the years, we have seen that 90% of women experience this situation. It is usually a combination of the the two issues.
Estrogen Dominance does not correct on its own. Consequently, we have found that a multi-modal approach is most effective.
For instance, saliva testing, diet modification, exercise, and intelligent supplementation, are the most effective ways to beat estrogen dominance and end hormone imbalance.
1. Bio-identical progesterone.
As our bodies age, we just do not produce enough progesterone to keep estrogen in check.
Firstly, start with supplementing with natural progesterone, which is the most effective way to increase the level of progesterone in your body.
Moreover, the most convenient way to supplement progesterone is a topical cream. Progesterone is fat-soluble and easily absorbed when applied to the skin.
“Most of the progesterone available to the body, filters readily into saliva where it can be accurately measured.”
-Dr. David Zava, Leading Hormone rResearcher
That is why saliva testing is the most accurate and relevant test in measuring available progesterone.
But, not all progesterone creams are created the same, since many contain unnecessary ingredients.
Be sure to do a 5 panel saliva test before using a progesterone cream.
2. Soluble and insoluble fiber.
Secondly, fiber is very important to naturally protect against estrogen dominance. It helps support adrenal health too. It also improves bowel function. Fiber is the Key!!
There are basically two kinds of fiber, insoluble and soluble fiber.
Food that does not dissolve but passes through the digestive tract as bulk is called insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber pushes food along with it.
Soluble fiber absorbs and grabs toxic chemicals that are circulating in your body and moves them rapidly through your body.
Moreover, soluble fiber has a sponge-like nature.
Insoluble fiber scrubs and cleans the thousands of nooks and crannies of your large intestine where carcinogens, like excess estrogen, can pass through the bloodstream.
Fiber reduces the amount of time that cancer causing chemicals spend in your body so they have less chance to damage cells.
Consequently, a high fiber diet helps beat estrogen dominance. It can also reduce high blood pressure, heart disease, and gall bladder problems.
Fiber also helps varicose veins, diverticulitis, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and hemorrhoids, just to name a few.
Excess estrogen can become a carcinogen in your body.
Unfortunately, bowel problems like constipation means that wastes sit longer in your colon, which leads to re-absorption of xeno-estrogens from waste and greater toxic estrogen load.
A bowel movement at least once a day (preferably two or more) assists the body in eliminating toxins more consistently rather than absorbing them.
In short, adding more fiber to your diet is a critical part of beating estrogen dominance naturally.
3. Indole-3-carbinols.
Scientists have identified indole-3-carbinol (I3C) as the active cancer-fighting ingredient in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower.
I3C initiates a series of reactions in the body that culminates in the elimination of estrogen.
I3C essentially “vacuums” away estrogen.
Technically, I3C funnels estrogen into a “tumor suppressing” pathway [known as the 2-hydroxylation pathway] eliminating the excess estrogen.
As a result, I3C acts as an effective weapon against breast, cervical, and skin cancer; and respiratory papillomas.
However, the challenge in the real world is eating enough I3C containing vegetables.
So, we have found it best to supplement with 200-400mg of I3C every day.
4. Diindolylmethane, also know as DIM.
When your body breaks down I3C, various by-products like DIM are produced.
DIM is an extract that comes from broccoli.
Basically, supplementing DIM gives your body even more ammunition when dealing with excess estrogen.
Gives your body more ammunition.
Scientists have found that DIM can influence the body’s metabolism of estrogen, which some believe may help protect against certain hormone dependent cancers like breast cancer.
5. Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin
Vitamin D is a powerful force for good in our body.
Some experts now consider vitamin D a hormone based on how it functions in the body.
Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to several types of cancers, including breast cancer, and heart disease, auto-immune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoporosis, and man more.
The easiest and most natural way to get vitamin D is from the sun.
With many people concerned about the effects of sun on the skin and the lack of sufficient sun exposure in North America, supplementing with vitamin D is imperative.
Vitamin D supplements are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. There are sprays, pills, powders, and liquid forms available. Consequently, when it comes to vitamin D, the more the better.
6. Vitamin C
Adrenal glands play a pivotal role in the health of hormones and vitamin C is the best way to support them.
Further, healthy adrenals support progesterone production and help the body deal with stress.
Vitamin C also reduces cellular DNA damage, supports heart health, and healthy blood vessels.
Many experts now recommend a least 3 grams of vitamin C a day…
even more when you are under stress.
There are many different sources for vitamin C, ascorbic acid being the most common.
Even though vitamin C from ascorbic acid is very effective, it can create some discomfort when taken in larger doses.
We have found that sodium ascorbate is a much more gentle form of vitamin C
7. R-lipoic acid
R-lipoic acid is the biologically active form of the key “mitochondrial antioxidant,” alpha lipoic acid.
Think of R-lipoic acid as vitamin C’s best friend.
R-lipoic acid helps your body absorb more of the vitamin C you take.
It also protects against diabetes and supports better brain function.
We believe that any vitamin C supplement should also contain its best friend, R-lipoic acid. Therefore, we get the most impact from our supplementation.
8. L-Arginine
Heart disease kills 8 times more women than breast cancer!!!
In addition, according to the World Health Organization, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) actually increases the risk of heart disease.
50% of all death in women is from heart disease and stroke.
Your risk increases 400% after menopause!
L-arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that has a profound impact on cardiovascular health. Because, the body converts it to nitric oxide (NO).
Nitric oxide helps reduce inflammation in the body, makes blood vessels from flexible, and supports optimal blood flow through out the body.
Arginine has also been shown to support increased fertility in both men and women. So, we highly recommend it for those want to get pregnant.
Experts agree that 2-3 grams a day is an appropriate level.
We have also found that any Arginine supplement should also contain the co-factor, L-Citrulline, which aids in your body’s utilization of L-Arginine.
9. Vitamin K2
Go back a few years and you could not escape commercials touting calcium as the de facto answer to most of women’s problems, especially osteoporosis in post-menopausal women.
We have found that progesterone is actually a more important factor in strengthening bones in post-menopausal women.
Calcium still has tremendous value for hormone and women’s health.
Calcium has been shown to positively impact healthy weight levels, decrease risk of colon cancer, symptoms of PMS, and more.
However, most calcium products are of little value because they use sources such as: calcium carbonate, dicalcium phosphate, coral calcium, or calcium citrate, which the body cannot absorb.
Evidence now suggests that calcium in our diets is nearly sufficient, so supplementing calcium is not as needed. It is more important that your body utilized the calcium it is already getting. That is why Vitamin K2 is now the more critical nutrient.
However, if you do supplement with calcium, keep it to less than 500mg a day, and make sure it is from a plant source for maximum absorption.
More recently, vitamin K2 has emerged as the much more important nutrient to support calcium utilization and therefore more important to supplement.
Vitamin K2 comes from animal-derived foods, like grass-fed meats, raw/fermented cheeses, and eggs. It’s also produced by the beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome.
The benefits include helping with nutrient assimilation, growth in infants and children, fertility, brain function, and bone and dental health. Unfortunately many people don’t get enough of this from their diets.
Vitamin K2 has shown tremendous benefits in preventing calcium from building up in the wrong places, specifically in soft tissues.
Also, deficiencies can contribute to plague buildup in the arteries, tartar forming on teeth, arthritic symptoms, stiffness, and pain.
Because of its hormone-balancing effects, women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and postmenopausal women can benefit from getting more K2 in their diets, according to recent studies.
K2 can also helps promote blood sugar balance and insulin sensitivity, which can reduce the risk for metabolic problems like diabetes and obesity.
Vitamin K2 is an important nutrient in overall health, but specifically for women because of its positive impact on hormone balance, fertility, insulin resistance, bone health, and cardiovascular health.
Other nutrients like b-vitamins and minerals, are great ideas too. After helping thousands of women over the last 30 years, these 9 are by far the most important.
We have proven their effectiveness through thousands of saliva tests and even more healthy women.