Breast Health and Hormones
The right balance of hormones is super important for breast health. Hormonal balance including estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, DHEA, and vitamin D play a vital role in the health of other reproductive organs as well.
Let’s talk about some of the roles that these hormones can play in keeping your breasts healthy.
Estrogen
Estrogen is super important for many aspects of health but too much of it can cause a whole heap of problems. This can be compounded if estrogen is not in balance with the other hormones. It can even be a factor in developing breast cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, 2 out of 3 cases of breast cancer are hormone receptor-positive. This means the cancer cells have receptors for estrogen or progesterone. Estrogen can encourage cancer cells to grow if they’re estrogen receptor-positive. In a nutshell, too much estrogen can trigger cancer cells to grow and this can be a factor in some breast cancers.
Xenoestrogens can also be an issue. Since these hormones can mimic estrogen. Their presence in the body can make estrogen dominance more likely to occur. The effects of these compounds can often be much stronger than the estrogen that is being naturally produced in the body.
Lots of cleaning products and personal hygiene products contain chemicals and toxins that mimic the effects of estrogen. Plastics, cosmetics, and pesticides can also be super common culprits. These chemicals and toxins can find their way into your breast tissue and build up. If you use these items, now might be a good time to get rid of them and select healthier natural options.
Progesterone
Progesterone works alongside estrogen to help maintain a healthy balance. If the balance isn’t right, it can lead to estrogen dominance. Low progesterone levels have been linked to higher risk of breast cancer. Often in combination with high estrogen levels.
One of the ways that progesterone levels get depleted is due to stress, which can further upset hormone balance.
Testosterone, Cortisol and Thyroid Hormones
There are also a whole heap of other hormones that can have a key role to play in breast health. Important ones are testosterone, thyroid hormones and cortisol. So let’s talk a little bit about why this is.
You might think of testosterone as a male hormone but it’s super important for women too. Testosterone is a precursor hormone for estradiol (a form of estrogen). This affects the androgen receptors in many tissues and organs in the body, including the breasts. There’s some evidence that these androgens can be very beneficial for breast health.
Thyroid imbalances can have an effect on your menstrual cycle and this can have a knock-on effect on breast health. Intermittent breast tenderness during your menstrual cycle can be potentially linked to an underactive or overactive thyroid.
When your body is in a state of estrogen dominance, thyroid hormones can potentially be blocked from being utilized in the body. Especially if you also have low progesterone.
Unbalanced cortisol levels can eventually trigger adrenal exhaustion and this can raise the risk of chronic illness and even cancer. When you are experiencing a ton of stress your adrenals can be hugely taxed. It can encourage your body to produce more cortisol rather than progesterone. This can contribute to estrogen dominance.
Vitamin D
You may not realize it but vitamin D is actually a hormone. It has numerous wide-ranging effects on the whole body. When it comes to breast health, vitamin D may help protect against breast cancer.
According to one study, vitamin D has the potential to inhibit cancer cells, including breast cancer cells. Other studies have linked higher levels of vitamin D to a lower risk of breast cancer.
There are other nutritional factors that can affect the health of your breast. In addition to positive influence of healthy estrogen metabolism. Nutritional factors include dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, phytoestrogens, isoflavones, magnesium, zinc, vitamin E, B vitamins, Calcium-D-Glucarate and probiotics. Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) and Diindolylmethane (DIM) are also among those other nutritional factors that support hormonal balance. That is a long list of beneficial nutrients and doesn’t have to be supplied in the form of supplements. There are many vegetables that contain those nutrients. When we add it to our diet and promote these lifestyle changes we can drastically reduce breast cancer risk factors. In addition, other reproductive cancer cells risks can be reduced.
What to Eat For Healthy Breasts
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage can help balance estrogen levels, especially in relation to progesterone and thyroid hormones. They contain a substance called DIM (diindolylmethane), which supports liver detoxing. It also makes it easier for excess estrogen to leave the body. They also contain indole 3-carbinol and sulforaphane, which can help to block cancer cells.
Making sure your diet includes plenty of cruciferous vegetables can help to avoid estrogen dominance and balance other hormones too. Consuming a ton of fiber can help too. Regular bowel movements are super helpful for moving toxins and excess estrogen out of the body.
On a similar note, there is some evidence to suggest that maintaining good gut health is hugely important to avoid estrogen dominance. Anything that helps keep your gut healthy may also be very helpful for breast health.
If you are experiencing estrogen dominance, plant-based estrogen can also benefit you. Beans, lentils, sweet potato, oranges, and flax seeds are all great examples of this. Other cruciferous vegetables include brussel sprouts, cauliflower, daikon radish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard/chard greens, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips and watercress. These are all great options to add to your diet to help reduce the chances of estrogen dominance.
Estrogen Dominance
In summary, estrogen dominance can be a real problem. Did you know that not only does it affect breast health, but there are also a host of other conditions that can be associated with estrogen dominance? You may have heard of those conditions. The list of other health conditions associated with hormonal imbalance includes dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, fibroids, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If you experience one or more of these conditions, it might be worth your time to investigate the type of foods you eat. Changing and being selective with food choices is an easy fix.
So many conditions can can result from hormonal imbalance. This is why it is so important to include a diet high in vegetables and fruits. This will help support breast health and the health of other reproductive organs in your body.