(1) Cruciferous or Brassica Vegetables
Cruciferous or brassica vegetables include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale and bok choy. These vegetables contain high levels of phytochemicals, known as indoles, can help support the body's ability to convert oestrogen into waste products in the liver.
Diet-related causes of elevated estrogen levels
Your overall diet can impact your hormone levels. Research shows that Western-type diets high in ultra-processed foods, added sugar, and animal foods (like red meat and eggs) are associated with high estrogen levels.
If your estrogen levels are too high or too low, then magnesium can help bring them back to stable levels, which will positively impact testosterone and progesterone.
Tomatoes, kiwi, citrus fruits, cantaloupe, peaches, artichokes, bananas, asparagus, corn and cauliflower all boast great levels of vitamin C and they possess the phytoestrogen power you might be looking for to boost your estrogen.
Avocados appear to have anti-estrogenic effects as a result of their plant sterol content. Avocado cell walls are a rich source of β-sitosterol, which binds competitively to both forms of the estrogen receptor, ERα and ERβ. As such, avocados have the potential to reduce ER+ breast cancer risk.
Caffeine and Estrogen: A Complex Relationship
In fact, if you're trying to balance your hormones, caffeine may be a no-go. Research shows that it can increase estrogen levels. While caffeine is known to give you a quick energy boost, it can also disrupt your hormones, particularly estrogen levels.
Elevated estrogen levels in women have been linked to conditions such as polyps, fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis pain, and ovarian tumors [1]. Other conditions associated with high estrogen levels include dementia, heart disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, insulin resistance, and uterine cancer [4,6].
But citrus fruits may be able to take things a step further. Fruits like oranges, lemons, and grapefruits contain phytochemicals that can act as antiestrogens and target estrogen receptors, preventing the growth of cancer cells.
Dried fruits such as dates, prunes, and dried apricots contain high amounts of phytoestrogens (chemicals similar to estrogen that may have estrogen-like effects in the body), making them some of the foods to avoid with high estrogen levels (3, 49).
Eggs likely contain estrogens since they are produced directly in the hen ovaries, a steroid-hormone synthesizing gland.
High estrogen levels can cause symptoms such as irregular or heavy periods, weight gain, fatigue, and fibroids in females. In males, they can cause breast tissue growth, erectile dysfunction, and infertility.
Having a high body fat percentage can lead to estrogen dominance. This may be fixed by having an active lifestyle and exercising regularly. Studies have pointed out that weight loss has the potential to reduce circulating estrogens, and the best results may be obtained by combining regular exercise with a healthy diet.
Medications used as estrogen blockers include: Aromatase inhibitors (AI): This medication can increase testosterone, along with other hormones, by inhibiting the ability of androgens to be converted to estradiol in the body. This decreases the overall level of estrogen in the body.
Genes associated with follicle growth were not significantly altered by vitamin D3. However, it increases expression of genes involved in the estrogen-biosynthesis. Further, estrogen concentrations in porcine granulosa cell-cultured media increased in response to vitamin D3.
Elevated levels of estrogen through consumption of chicken products has been connected to health problems later in life, like breast cancer and polycystic ovary syndrome.
Nuts, like peanuts, walnuts, cashews, almonds, and pistachios, are one of the most effective foods that increase estrogen levels in the body. They are also a rich source of several vitamins and minerals, offering a myriad of health benefits. They can be easily added to your diet.
For these reasons, regular exercise and anti-inflammatory supplements are often used in treatment of estrogen-dominant conditions. Lifestyle habits also influence estrogen excretion. Women eating a vegetarian diet have a three-fold increase in fecal estrogen excretion and have lower serum estrogen levels by 15%-20%.
Zinc can rebalance these hormone levels through its antiandrogenic activity which will raise estrogen and progesterone back to baseline.
Bread which contains wholegrains, such as flax, rye, wheat, barley or oats, have naturally high levels of lignans, a kind of phytoestrogen, and depending on the concentration in an individual loaf, can be an excellent way to help boost estrogen levels through food.