Hormone Health

Insulin resistance, a hormone dysregulation, is one of the more insidious health challenges we face. One in two Americans has pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes and 75% are overweight—in large part because of the excess sugar and flour we consume. These excesses drive insulin overload, which prompts the body to store calories as fat and to release chemical messengers that increase hunger, slow metabolism, prevent fat burning, and spur inflammation.

• In women, too much insulin turns estrogen into testosterone, resulting in polycystic ovarian syndrome, which, despite its name, is actually more of a dietary issue. The extra testosterone causes hair loss, facial hair, acne, and infertility.

• In men, the testosterone gets converted to estrogen, which is why men end up with man boobs, low testosterone, impotence, hair loss, and more.

High sugar and starch diets raise cortisol. When you are eating a highly processed, sugary diet, your body feels under attack and responds by spiking adrenaline and cortisol to deal with the stress. Both adrenaline and cortisol worsen insulin resistance and increase cravings for starch and sugar. It is a vicious circle.

• How do we combat this? With a whole food, good fat, plant-rich, fiber-rich, low glycemic and phytonutrient-rich diet.

Sex hormone imbalances can result in bad PMS (premenstrual syndrome), and challenging peri-and menopause symptoms (hot flashes/night sweats, irritability, brain fog etc.) Eating diets with too much sugar and low fiber, nutritional deficiencies, alcohol, xenoestrogens (pesticides, plastics, & environmental chemicals that mimic estrogen), stress, and lack of exercise all drive hormonal imbalances.

• Estrogen is metabolized and excreted through the liver. If you eat a lot of processed foods and not enough fiber, your liver gets overtaxed and the estrogen can be reabsorbed leading to breast or uterine cancer and worsening PMS and menopause symptoms.

• For men, removing sugar and starch, and increasing good fats, help to boost testosterone levels. Your body needs fat, specifically cholesterol, to make your sex hormones. The best antidote to sexual dysfunction is cutting out processed food from your diet.

Thyroid function is also affected by what we eat. One in 10 men and 1 in 5 women have low thyroid function, which can be triggered by gluten, and diets low in zinc, selenium, vitamin D, and iodine. Environmental toxins such as pesticides and mercury can also damage our thyroid.

• Add food rich in zinc (pumpkin seeds), selenium ( Brazil nuts), vitamin D (porcini mushrooms) and iodine (fish) to help optimize thyroid function.

**Content provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is derived from Dr. Mark Hyman’s materials and is not to be considered medical advice.**