Estrogen is the most important hormone that influences the life of women. The Estrogen level remains relatively the same during 25 years, after which it will decrease constantly. Since the number of ovules that mature in the ovary decrease as women get older, the formation of Estrogen also decreases.
Estrogen has 400 crucial functions in your body, including the following:
- Stimulates the production of choline acetyltransferase, an enzyme, which prevents Alzheimer’s disease
- Increases your metabolic rate
- Improves insulin sensitivity
- Regulates body temperature
- Helps prevent muscle damage
- Helps maintain muscle
- Helps you sleep deeply
- Reduces your risk of cataracts
- Helps maintain the elasticity of your arteries
- Dilates your small arteries
- Increases blood flow
- Inhibits platelet stickiness
- Decreases the accumulation of plaque on your arteries
- Enhances magnesium uptake and utilization
- Maintains the amount of collagen in your skin
- Decreases blood pressure
- Decreases LDL (bad cholesterol) and prevents it oxidation
- Helps maintain your memory
- Increases reasoning and new ideas
- Helps with fine motor skills
- Increases the water content of your skin and is responsible for its thickness and softness
- Enhances the production of nerve-growth factor
- Increases HDL (good cholesterol) by 10 to 15%
- Reduces the overall risk of heart disease by 40 to 50%
- Decreases lipoprotein A (a risk factor for heart disease)
- Acts as a natural calcium channel blocker to keep your arteries open
- Enhances energy
- Improves your mood
- Increases concentration
- Maintains bone density
- Increases sexual interest
- Reduces homocysteine (a risk factor for heart disease)
- Decreases wrinkles
- Protects against macular degeneration
- Decreases your risk of colon cancer
- Helps prevent tooth loss
- Aids in the formation of neurotransmitters in your brain such as serotonin which decreases depression, irritability, anxiety, and pain sensitivity.
Your body has receptor sites for Estrogen everywhere: in your brain, muscles, bone, bladder, gut, uterus, ovaries, vagina, breast, eyes, heart, lungs, and blood vessels.
The following are symptoms of decreased Estrogen:
- Thinner skin
- More wrinkles/aging skin
- Decrease in breast size
- Stress incontinence
- Oily skin
- Acne
- Decreased sex drive
- Decreased dexterity
- Increase in insulin resistance and possible diabetes
- Vaginal dryness
- Decreased memory
- Osteoporosis
- Urinary tract infections
- Increased cholesterol
Other interesting facts:
- Estrogen levels are lower in women who smoke.
- Stress suppresses Estrogen function.
- Hot flashes may be due to the fluctuating levels of Estrogen rather than a true decrease in Estrogen.
- Eating high fat foods can increase your liver recirculation of your Estrogens. This keeps Estrogen circulating in your body and may predispose you to breast cancer.
- A high fat diet increases Estradiol production by 30%.
- Low fat diets decrease free Estrogen (the amount available for usage by your body).
- Omega-3-fatty acids can decrease the effort of Estrogen.
- Estrogen can be reabsorbed back into your blood stream again. This can happen with leaky gut syndrome or when there is not enough fiber to bind Estrogen and propel it through your bowel.
- Researchers have concluded that estrogen use would decrease the rate of heart disease by almost 50%.
