You know the deal with sexual health hormones; it’s testosterone for men, and oestrogen for women, right? While, to a certain extent, that’s true, all men do have some oestrogen, and all women do need a small amount of testosterone. That said, there’s still a lot wellness experts don’t know about the effects of oestrogen in men, and more research needs to be done into this area. What we do know is, like all hormones, oestrogen needs to be kept in check, or else it could have a detrimental effect on male and female wellbeing. However, as a bloke, you’re more likely to experience chronic health conditions as a result of oestrogen levels becoming too high.
In your body, testosterone and oestrogen are actually very closely related, with very similar chemical structures. Yet, the impact these hormone have on your body are substantially different. As a man, testosterone affects nearly every cell in your body, working to improve your muscle mass, bone density, heart and blood vessel health and cognitive wellness. An enzyme called aromatase actually makes oestrogen from the circulating testosterone in your body and, as you age, your body starts making more oestrogen and less testosterone. While oestrogen can be made in your liver, muscle and brain, much of the concern lies in the oestrogen made in your fat cells. As obesity rates rise around the world, men will begin making increasing amounts of oestrogen and decreasing amounts of testosterone, which is a dangerous thing indeed.
The right balance of testosterone and oestrogen is a beautiful thing; with enough testosterone, men may be able to prevent heart and vascular disease, and have better moods, muscles and blood sugar levels. High rates of oestrogen, however, mess with this latter benefit, which is why you’ll find that diabetics tend to have higher rates of oestrogen. Low levels of testosterone have also been linked to a higher rate of depression, while too much oestrogen might make you more likely to have a heart attack or develop prostate cancer. For years, testosterone has been blamed as the cause of prostate cancer, but actually research is finding that an imbalance of oestrogens in your body is more important in preventing or causing the condition. When all is said and done, too little testosterone and too much oestrogen may play a role in nearly all chronic diseases in men.
Oestrogen isn’t necessarily bad for you, but you need to have it in balance. One study recently investigated the role of oestrogen in heart failure, and found that the men with the lowest AND highest amount of oestrogen had the greatest problems – indicating that a happy medium is key. Plus, another research showed that giving elderly men testosterone supplements increased their spatial memory and verbal memory. Seeing as testosterone supplementation also naturally increased the enzyme aromatase, oestrogen levels also rose which, in this case was a good thing. When the researchers blocked the aromatase – and, consequently, the oestrogen – the men did not find any improvement in their verbal memory. This implies that you need some oestrogen, just not too much.
So how do you find that happy balance of oestrogen and testosterone? As obesity is perhaps the greatest hindrance to maintaining a healthy hormone balance, getting trim and building muscle through exercise can give you extra insurance against hormonal imbalance and chronic disease. Increased use of alcohol can increase production of oestrogen in men, and so sticking to the recommended limits can help keep things in check. You should also limit your exposure to plastic chemicals, as these may also disrupt proper hormone function. This means avoiding microwaving plastic containers and preventing water bottles from getting too warm in the sun.
