Dairy can throw off your body's own estrogen production by introducing artificial growth hormones. Dairy containing antibiotics will negatively impact your microbiome thereby preventing estrogen metabolism. Dairy depletes your magnesium stores which throws off your pituitary and the rest of the adrenal glands.
The small study of just 18 participants found that the female sex hormones significantly increased while the male sex hormones decreased in men following the consumption of cow's milk. Estrogen levels increased significantly in all participants — men, women and children.
Conclusions: The present data on men and children indicate that estrogens in milk were absorbed, and gonadotropin secretion was suppressed, followed by a decrease in testosterone secretion. Sexual maturation of prepubertal children could be affected by the ordinary intake of cow milk.
Milk and other dairy products contain a hormone known as Insulin-like Growth Factor 1. It promotes the production of androgen hormones such as testosterone, which can worsen hormonal imbalances.
What foods cause high estrogen? Foods that reportedly increase estrogen include flax seeds, soybean products, chocolate, fruit, nuts, chickpeas, and legumes. Before we delve into why these foods are said to increase estrogen, we need to look at two important definitions; phytoestrogens and lignans.
Cruciferous vegetables.
Broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, brussels sprouts, turnips, arugula and all the other wonderful, sulfur-rich foods in this plant family contain 3,3'-diindolymethane (DIM). DIM is chemoprotective, helps reduce high estrogen levels and supports phase 1 of estrogen detox in the liver.
Dairy products contain traces of estrogens from cows, and as milk is converted to cheese, the estrogens are more concentrated. While they are only traces, they appear to be biologically active in humans, increasing breast cancer mortality.
While almond milk does contain phytoestrogen, the compound has little impact on the body compared to naturally produced estrogen.
Prolactin (PRL), is a polypeptide hormone, which is found in milk of several species including cows, sheep, goats, saws, rats, and humans (11). In lactation period, PRL is released from the anterior pituitary gland in response to milking stimuli and suckling.
Soya milk, soya yogurt, tofu are healthy and tasty options which are proven to boost estrogen levels in the body.
Causes of Low Estrogen Levels
Excessive exercise. Thyroid conditions. Pituitary gland dysfunction. Anorexia, bulimia, or other eating disorders.
Oats contain phytochemicals, including polyphenols and phytoestrogens. The polyphenols found in oats may help a man to experience an estrogen blocking effect. This would prevent their body from converting too many testosterone hormones into estrogen.
All milk (whether from cows, goats, humans, or porpoises) naturally contains small amounts of various hormones, including estrogen and progesterone. Because hormones like estrogen are fat-soluble, the level of hormones is higher in whole milk than in skim milk.
Almond milk is hormone-free and,in unsweetened form, contains lesssaturated fat and calories than milk. The same goes for cashew milk. Coconut milk contains no addedhormones but does contain moresaturated fats than regular milk.
Dairy products, especially those with a full-fat content, contain high levels of oestrogens that can interfere with your own levels and promote endometriosis as well as, hormone-related cancers, like breast, womb or ovary.
While dairy is usually an area I tell women to avoid for hormone balance due to excess estrogen found in dairy, there is one exception. That one special exception is nonfat, organic Greek yogurt. Why? Well, for starters, just 6 ounces a day of dairy can actually help balance your estrogen, instead of harm it.
Consuming 200 milligrams or more of caffeine per day-roughly equivalent to two cups of coffee-can either increase or decrease a woman's estrogen level, depending on her ethnic background and the source of the caffeine, a study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) finds.
A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.
Exercise regularly. Research suggests that exercise can help to reduce high estrogen levels. Premenopausal women who engage in aerobic exercise for five hours a week or more saw their estrogen levels drop by nearly 19%. Cardio exercise helps the body break estrogen down and flush away any excess.
Magnesium promotes healthy estrogen clearance
By supporting the COMT enzyme (catechol-o-methyltransferase) in the liver, magnesium promotes the healthy excretion of estrogen (9). This may reduce the risk of the estrogen excess conditions (such as fibroids) associated with low COMT function (10).
Green tea consumption, but not black tea, was also associated with reduced levels of estrone and estradiol among postmenopausal women20. Green tea's estrogen reduction activity may result from tea polyphenols inhibiting aromatase, the key enzyme converting androgens to estrone or estradiol21.
Low estrogen levels in women can cause symptoms including irregular periods, hot flashes, painful sex, headaches, mood swings, and more. The most common cause of low estrogen is menopause. But too much exercise, disordered eating, or complications with your ovaries could also lead to lower levels.