Most men’s low T is from too much estrogen
There is a testosterone craze going on. You may have heard the advertisements “Every man should get his levels checked and then get dosed to feel like they used too”, or maybe they mean the way they ‘ought’ to have or wished they had.
Overdosing testosterone, achieving levels above what the body would have ever made for itself, makes most men feel very good. It can also make them overly aggressive, hypersexual and inappropriate. They run a serious risk of throwing blood clots that can cause serious heart, lung and brain damage.
Primary Hypogonadism
Some men have lost their ability to make testosterone, and sufficient replacement is an appropriate treatment. This is easy to spot in a complete laboratory sex hormone assessment. The goal of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) should always be to restore normal levels, behaviors, and wellbeing without inviting devastating behavioral and health risks in the process.
Underproducing Testosterone is More Common
The even better strategy is to get the man making enough of his own testosterone again. Estrogen and estrogen-like compounds are the all too common and usual culprits in male low testosterone.
Estrogen is a normal and needed sex hormone for men. In the proper range, estrogen is important for bone health, brain function, fertility, sexual health, function, and desire. Excess estrogen is a feedback signal to the brain that prematurely shuts off the “make testosterone” signal to the testicles.
Excess belly fat (enlarged fat cells) express an enzyme called “aromatase” which converts testosterone to estrogen at an excessive rate. A man’s full testosterone potential is not met when there are too many estrogens countering the effects of testosterone in the body. Regular alcohol consumption can speed up the rate aromatase converts testosterone to estrogen, making the problem worse. The number one strategy for reducing aromatase is to lose the excess belly fat. There are both herbal formulations and off-label prescription drugs that can block the adverse effects of aromatase, allowing you to have the hormonal and metabolic tools to lose that weight and get back into proper physical condition.
Environmental Causes of Low Testosterone
Xenoestrogens are literally “foreign estrogens” that we cannot see or easily measure, but can have as much negative impact on testosterone levels through the same feedback mechanism as human estrogens. Two very common chemicals, bisphenol-A (BP-A) and glyphosate pollute all of us through the foods we eat and liquids we drink. A hormone balancing plan needs to avoid both as much as is possible and practical.
BP-A and its analogue BP-S are found in hard plastics used in reusable water bottles, food storage, food preparation, linings of canned foods, thermal credit card receipts and more. BP-A and related compounds are synthetic estrogens that leak out of these items into food and drink and cause estrogen hormone reactions in us. [1]
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup and competing products. Glyphosate and its breakdown product MMA are another pervasive xenoestrogen found in our food supply. Sprayed multiple times a growing season on Roundup Ready GMO corn and soybeans it is also sprayed on conventional grains and pulses as a preharvest dessicant. In all cases glyphosate sprayed on food crops becomes incorporated in the plant materials ultimately eaten by humans and livestock. [2]
Finally there are also phytoestrogens, plant compounds that behave like estrogens in the body. Soy, hops and cannabis being three common sources of plant estrogens that some consume in excess as part of a dietary philosophy and/or pleasure habits.