The pirmary male and female hormones can be categorized as estrogens or androgens. Both classes of hormones are present in both women and men alike, but in completely different amounts. Usually, men produce between 6-8mg of testosterone (an androgen) per day, while women produce just 0.5mg. One the other hand, estrogen, which is a female hormone, is dominant in women, and only small amounts are found in men. However, estrogen is a necessary hormone for all men, but, like most things, an excess of it causes a wide range of health problems. The biggest risk of estrogen dominance and low tostesterone levels come from the increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
Normally, testosterone levels decline as we age. It is also affected by our lifestyles and food choices. Sometimes aging men also experience an increase of estrogen in their bodies which create a hormonal imbalance and evoke a range of health problems normally associate with aging. It is interesting to note that most men are suprised about the fact that estrogen is needed for normal body operation and, in fact, healthy amounts of it are essential for strong libido, good brain function, healthy heart and strong bones. At the same time, high levels of estrogen are known to reduce testosterone, cause fatigue and the loss of muscles, increase body fat and hasten the loss of libido and sexual function.
Here are some other effects of high estrogen development in yoru body:
1. It shuts down natural production of testosterone by saturating testosterone receptors.
2. Increases body’s production of sex hormone-binding globulin, which lowers the amount of free testosterone in your body.
3. Increases the chances of diabetes, heart diseases and in some cases even cancer (specifically the prostate cancer).