In reality, the performance of many female characteristics and the physical state of women are actually closely related to the level of a hormone, estrogen. In a sense, the rise and fall of estrogen levels largely determines the various states of a woman’s daily life. Although we can’t stop aging, stop the slow decline of estrogen levels. However, it is still possible to adjust the hormone levels of the body to the best state through good living habits, making our physical and mental state more pleasant. Today’s topic is to talk about how estrogen affects women’s physical state and how to balance estrogen levels.
After reading this article, you will gain the following three knowledge points:
Female hormones
5 ways estrogen affects women’s physical state
how to balance and adjust estrogen levels
female hormones
Female hormones generally refer to estrogen and progesterone, both of which are produced by the ovaries and play a very important role in a woman’s life. Estrogen is actually a general term, including estradiol, estrone, and estriol. Among them, estradiol has the greatest impact on women, which not only has the effect of promoting the physiological characteristics of women, but also has obvious effects on the endocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic system, bone growth and development, and skin of women. It can be seen that estrogen affects almost everything in women. Estrone is a weaker estrogen, the only type of estrogen in women’s bodies after menopause. Estriol is associated with pregnancy. Progesterone, on the other hand, works synergistically with estrogen to promote the appearance of female physiological characteristics and maintain normal physiological needs and reproductive functions. In addition, testosterone is also secreted by women, but only one-tenth of the level of testosterone secreted by men.
Estrogen affects 5 aspects of women’s physical state
First, menstrual cycle state
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Estrogen is the hormone that has the greatest impact on a woman’s menstrual cycle. Each month the ovaries release an egg, while hormonal changes in the body prepare the uterus. Estrogen showed a trend of low level secretion at both ends of the menstrual cycle, and reached the highest point in a month around the 14th day of each month, and then decreased and then increased and decreased. The changes in estrogen also cause various states of the female body. During the follicular phase, when estrogen rises significantly, it is the best time for women to be in physical condition in a month. During the continuous ups and downs of the luteal phase, the synergistic effect of progesterone will cause a variety of reactions in the female body, but most of the body reactions are normal. The one-month cycle is not completed until the egg is unfertilized and the lining of the uterus is shed.
Second, estrogen and fat
The relationship between estrogen and fat is complex. Estrogen can be produced not only by the ovaries, but also by fat cells. Estrogen levels rise when body fat percentages are high. Elevated estrogen levels further suppress thyroid function, slowing down the rate of metabolism, making the body more inclined to store fat. The increase in fat in turn aggravates the imbalance of estrogen levels, thus forming a vicious circle. Meanwhile, fat cells also produce an enzyme called aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen. Originally, there are not many testosterone hormones in women’s bodies, and the conversion makes it more difficult for women to lose fat. In addition, as you gain weight and age, testosterone is also converted to estrogen through aromatase, which is one cause of various problems in women during menopause.
From the above, it seems that estrogen does not have a positive effect on body fat, but this is not the case. Estrogen is actually one of the most critical factors for women to lose fat. Estrogen can reduce the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), increase the activity of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL), and increase the action of epinephrine at the cellular level, thereby accelerating lipolysis. These two enzymes, LPL and HSL, can be simply understood as LPL is responsible for fat synthesis, while HSL is responsible for fat decomposition. If combined with high-intensity exercise, the body temperature rises and blood flow accelerates, and the increase in adrenaline levels can enhance the activity of HSL, thereby decomposing fat. Strictly speaking, the decomposition of fat should be hydrolysis. Hydrolysis does not mean that fat leaves your body, and there is a final oxidation step. In addition, estrogen also has the function of accelerating the production of growth hormone and inhibiting the secretion of insulin, which all make the speed of fat decomposition be improved.
The relationship between estrogen and fat should be said that estrogen has a more positive effect on fat decomposition under normal and balanced secretion.
Third, estrogen and appetite
Estrogen level in blood also affectYour appetite, the most obvious is about a week before your period, your belly is like a bottomless pit, that is because of the period when estrogen fluctuates more, of course, another female hormone, progesterone, will also work in synergy. The hypothalamus of our body is the commander of regulating appetite and controlling eating behavior. When the level of estrogen in women is stable and sufficient, the hypothalamus can sense the abundance of body heat and thus can control hunger well. As estrogen changes and decreases, especially in the days of menstruation, food cravings can be overwhelming. Therefore, by controlling estrogen within a certain range and understanding the changing characteristics of estrogen, you can well face the external changes brought about by your body, so you can adjust your diet.
Fourth, bone density
As age increases, women have more Men have a higher risk of osteoporosis because estrogen is at work. Our bone density is the result of the interaction between our osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which, as the name implies, are responsible for building bone strength, and osteoclasts, which make bones loose. Estrogen plays a role in inhibiting osteoclasts. As time goes on, women’s estrogen secretion levels become lower and lower, which leads to a decrease in the ability to inhibit osteoclasts, and osteoclasts become more active and more frequent. If a series of coping measures are not taken, the probability of fractures after menopause is quite high, especially the fracture of the hip joint is the most serious.
Fifth, menopause
I wonder if you have noticed a phenomenon that women after menopause, The big belly started to get bigger. This is actually most closely related to the decline of female estrogen. Estrogen can cause an increase in the number of anti-lipolytic α2A-adrenergic receptors, which simply means resistance to lipolysis, and these receptors are mostly found in subcutaneous fat. Therefore, women’s fat is more stored in the subcutaneous tissue of the human body. Due to its anti-lipolysis effect, the difficulty and frequency of fat cell decomposition will increase. In general, women have more subcutaneous fat than men, and for evolutionary reasons they tend to accumulate more around the buttocks and legs. Men, on the other hand, tend to concentrate more on the abdomen, forming visceral fat. From this perspective, it also explains why men with diabetes are higher than women, and estrogen levels are the key. However, with the advent of menopause, the level of estrogen decreases, the number of anti-lipolytic and anti-lipolytic α2A-adrenergic receptors decreases, and the ratio to progesterone and testosterone hormones also changes, and the efficiency of subcutaneous lipolysis improves at this time. At the same time, fat tends to be more concentrated around the abdomen, so there are many elderly women who have a big belly. In addition, the production of menopausal syndrome is also closely related to the decline of estrogen levels.
The above five points are the most important aspects of estrogen affecting women’s physical state. So how do you balance estrogen levels? The following points of attention are also within our ability to achieve, try to adjust as much as possible. Of course, if your body’s hormone levels are more severe, it is recommended that you see a doctor first. Natural remedies are never as quick and effective as medicines, but the negative effects of medicines, such as fat gain, can make it harder to lose fat.
How to balance and adjust estrogen levels
First, maintain a healthy diet
During the period of fat loss, women should not over-diet and the calorie deficit for fat loss should not be too large, 300~500 calories is appropriate. In daily life, try to avoid refined carbohydrates, such as noodles, rice and desserts, choose complex carbohydrates, such as brown rice, oats, sweet potatoes and corn, and reduce the intake of deep-processed products. The impact is very large. At the same time, stop soy products in moderation, because soy is a very powerful phytoestrogen that increases the level of estrogen receptors in the body. You can choose more dairy products, fruits, vegetables, etc. And please reduce bad living habits, such as tobacco and alcohol and other irritating substances, these bad habits will make women’s estrogen levels high.
Second, maintain a healthy weight
I just mentioned that estrogen can be produced by adipose tissue Therefore, maintaining a certain body mass index is of great benefit to the stability of estrogen secretion levels. Excessive and low body weight is not conducive to the balance of estrogen levels. Generally speaking, women with a BMI between 18 and 24 are ideal. In addition, for the sake of beauty, many women pay too much attention to weight numbers and pursue a low body fat rate, which is not a good practice. Paying attention to the balance of hormone levels in the body and the overall state of the human body may be a better choice.
Third, avoid excessive exercise and stress
In general, overtraining usually appear in fat lossAmong women, overtraining was accompanied by a severe deficit in dietary calories and a decrease in bone density. Therefore, the pursuit of goals should be relatively slow and more scientific training methods and methods should be adopted, such as moderate exercise, paying attention to increasing calorie intake, giving sufficient rest time, and increasing comprehensive intake of nutrients Wait. In life, women may face more stress, and stress can also cause disorder in the secretion of estrogen levels, such as daily emotional anxiety and poor skin, which are all caused by stress affecting estrogen levels. So, deal with stress too, or find someone to talk to, or divert the source of stress, or fix it with physical and mental exercise, outdoor exercise, and a good night’s sleep.
Fourth, avoid exogenous hormones
Please try not to be recommended by doctors Avoid using exogenous hormones. When the hormone levels in the body change, it is often not caused by a single factor, but more of the interaction and cascade relationship between hormones. Blind use of some exogenous hormone products, or health products, may only solve the current problem, but it will also cause imbalances in other hormone levels in the body. It is not a good practice to tear down the east wall to make up the west wall. At the same time, women’s cosmetics, beauty products, plastic (BPA) products, and environmental pollution may all cause imbalances in estrogen levels. Try to avoid or stay away from the above products, which will make the secretion of female estrogen levels more stable.
Write at the end
Estrogen itself is not good or bad, and balancing estrogen levels is the key. Too high or too low will adversely affect the state of the female body. Only within a certain range, estrogen will have greater benefits for the female body, the stability of the metabolic level and the control of the proportion of fat within a certain range. Although you can’t stop the changes brought about by the years, you can choose a better lifestyle. The harder you work, the luckier you get. Come on, everyone. Let’s encourage each other.