The foods you need to avoid include: flax seeds, dried fruits, sesame seeds, garlic, peaches, berries, wheat bran, tofu, tempeh, dairy products, meat, alcohol, grains, and legumes.
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.
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.
Research shows that avocados can help reduce the absorption of estrogen and boost testosterone levels. They also improve heart health and aid in satiety. We need enough healthy fats to make hormones, and avocados are a great source of hormone building blocks.
Your liver is the primary organ that breaks down and rids the body of excess estrogen, a common cause of hormonal imbalance. Therefore, you need to support the liver with supplements like turmeric, vitamin C, and alpha-lipoic acid. Eat plenty of vitamin C-rich foods like oranges and strawberries.
The reason behind the link between refined carbohydrates and early menopause is that these carbs increase risk of insulin resistance. This can in turn affect activity of sex hormones and raise oestrogen levels in the body. This can increase the number of menstrual cycles leading to the egg supply running out faster.
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.
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.
In terms of lowering estrogen levels, there is no surefire evidence that any particular drink can help women balance or lower their hormone levels. In saying that, research from the U.S. National Institutes of Health that drinking green tea daily could be linked to lower levels of estrogen in post-menopausal women.
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).
Eat lots of diindolymethane (DIM) vegetables.
These vegetables, also called cruciferous vegetables, include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage. The DIM within these vegetables promotes the metabolism of stored hormones, and estrogen is one of those hormones.
Burdock Root. Much like dandelion, burdock root is one of the herbs for estrogen dominance that works as a diuretic, helping to get rid of any excess estrogen in your body via your body's natural elimination process. The herb is usually taken as a tea.
Products like eggs or milk contain high estrogen levels because they are produced in parts of the animal's body that regulate its hormones. Eating high estrogen foods can help people who suffer from various conditions related to low estrogen levels.
Less Hormone Binding: Zinc deficiency reduces the ability of testosterone to bind receptors making it less functional. Zinc deficiency also causes estrogen receptors to attract more estrogen. Changes in hormone receptor binding lead to symptoms of testosterone deficiency and estrogen excess.
Blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries, and strawberries can all help to increase estrogen levels. As well as being rich sources of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, berries contain high levels of phytoestrogen lignans.
Letrozole (Femara).
Aromatase inhibitors are given as pills you take once a day. All three aromatase inhibitors work the same and reduce the production of estrogen in your body. How long you continue aromatase inhibitors depends on your specific situation.
Carrots actually contain unique undigestible fibres to help detox excess estrogen from the body. Raw carrots have been found to help by preventing the reabsorption of estrogen from the intestine, meaning the liver can more effectively regulate metabolism.
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.
Apple cider vinegar balances acid/alkaline levels in the body, allowing good bacteria to flourish in your microbiome. Your microbiome houses the estrobolome where excess estrogen is processed and eliminated from your body, preventing estrogen dominance.
In the study, Asian women who consumed more than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day had increased levels of estrogen compared to those who consumed less caffeine, but Caucasian women who consumed more than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day had decreased levels of estrogen.
When you consider turmeric's anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to diminish excess estrogen, it's a go-to in my practitioner's toolkit for managing hormones. Curcumin has been shown in study after study to help manage just about every common chronic disease in the modern world.