5 Things You Didn’t Know About Estrogen Dominance [+ 7 Easy Fixes]

​​Studies have shown that consuming high levels of processed meats and red meat can be linked to an increase in circulating estrogen levels. Interestingly, red meat consumption is also linked to breast cancer. In fact, one study even showed that a serving a day of red meat intake during adolescence was linked to a 13 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer in one’s lifetime.

I know we already covered this a bit, but it’s worth repeating and elaborating upon. Estrogen dominance is becoming increasingly common in men. In fact, I had a male patient in his 30s that was experiencing symptoms of estrogen dominance. So what was the cause? As it turns out, he was consuming GMO soy products nearly every single day. A type of compound found in soy, called isoflavones, are also similar to estrogen and can have the potential to cause estrogen-like effects in the body. That’s not to say that all soy is unhealthy — in fact, in some cases it can have anti-estrogenic effects — but when eating soy, it’s best to consume it in moderation and always organic whenever possible.

When we talked about xenoestrogens, we talked about the overall estrogen burden on the body. Well, we can’t finish that conversation without talking about oral contraceptives, which contain artificial versions of hormones, mostly estrogen and progestins. These compounds must also circulate throughout the body, broken down by the liver, and then excreted by the digestive system. Again, if encountering an imbalanced gut microbiome, the metabolized estrogen can be released and recirculate back into the body leading to dominance. Many women don’t notice the effects of estrogen dominance until they stop taking the pill, but it’s often a factor in estrogen dominance.

As we learned earlier, estrogen has to be excreted through the GI tract. But what happens when your GI tract is moving on the slower side? The answer is that the estrogen tagged for elimination from your body can actually be reabsorbed and contribute to estrogen dominance. To combat this, it’s important to get plenty of fiber — preferably, a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber, which will work to draw water into the intestines to keep you regular and feed healthy gut bacteria that help with motility.

Another great way to support the gut microbiome is fermented foods, which inoculate your gut with beneficial bacteria and allow for more efficient estrogen metabolism. Including more fermented foods in your life can mean eating more plant-based foods like sauerkraut and kimchi or dairy ferments like Kefir and yogurt. These are different from pickled veggies, so read the labels and try to avoid excess added sugars or try making your own . You’ll get the hormone health benefits of fermented foods but also a long list of other benefits , too.

As I mentioned earlier, estrogen can also be produced by fat cells. Therefore, it makes sense that the more fat cells you have and the bigger they are, the more estrogen you’ll have in your body, right? This is what we often find in individuals with excess weight, which we now know can contribute to estrogen dominance. Elevated estrogen also explains the connection between obesity and breast cancer; for example, the authors of a study published in Endocrinology wrote that “Elevated serum estrogen levels as well as enhanced local production of estrogen have been considered primary mediators of how increased body weight promotes breast cancer development in postmenopausal women.” If you want healthy estrogen levels for life, maintaining a healthy weight is key. Whether you’ve struggled with your weight for years, or you’ve recently put on the “quarantine 15”, losing excess weight is one surefire way to gain healthier estrogen levels. I do a deep dive into the more effective gut-centered weight loss strategies in my book, HAPPY GUT® .

Many of the xenoestrogens we are exposed to come from our kitchen, so a great way to avoid overloading your body with estrogen is to “green-ify” your kitchen by removing toxic cooking surfaces and utensils with estrogen-disrupting chemicals in them. The chemicals to look out for are PFAS, which stands for polyfluoroalkyl substances. This is a family of hundreds of chemicals that are used to make nonstick coatings on pans and other consumer goods, such as takeout containers and food wrappers.  Another chemical to look out for is BPA, which is often found in canned goods and in plastic storage containers.  To avoid these chemicals, opt for stainless steel, ceramic-enameled,  or cast-iron cookware and store your food in glass Pyrex dishes instead of plastic ones.

If you want to reduce the estrogen in your body, cutting down on your exposure to xenoestrogens is one way to do it. The good news is that there’s a great website called the Skin Deep Cosmetics database , which was created by the Environmental Working Group, that rates skincare and beauty products based on their toxicity. You can check the products you currently use and if they are scored poorly, you can look for alternatives. You can also browse the Credo Beauty website , which is akin to a Sephora for natural cosmetics and a company I gladly stand by because of their integrity in choosing non-toxic products.

Finally, there’s detoxification, which is arguably how all the steps above come together. If you’re not detoxing efficiently, you’ll have too much estrogen. And if you are estrogen dominant, your body isn’t detoxing enough. Luckily, I designed my HAPPY GUT® RESET: 7-DAY DETOX to help you jumpstart your body’s detoxification systems to beat the bloat, gain energy, clear mental fog, and balance hormones in as little as 7 days.