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Phytonutrients – And Their Importance For Hormone Health

sources of phytonutrients like grapes, blueberries, kidney beans and broccoli

Phytoestrogens (phyto meaning ‘plant’) are substances that occur naturally in foods and they have a very interesting effect on our hormones.

Calling them phytoestrogens would imply that we are adding yet more oestrogen into our bodies, but these plant oestrogens work in a special way. They have been shown to have a balancing effect on hormones.
A study recently showed that eating soya increased oestrogen levels when they were low and reduced them when they were high. This could explain why soya beans can reduce hot flushes for women going through the menopause (when it is believed that we have an oestrogen deficiency) and reduce the incidence of breast cancer (which is often due to an excess of oestrogen).

Because these foods have a controlling effect on oestrogen, it is important to include them in your diet – particularly when you are suffering from a condition that is sensitive to excess oestrogen; such as fibroids and endometriosis.
Research has also shown that phytoestrogens can help to produce lighter periods, and to lengthen women’s cycles that are too short.

soy beans which are strong phytonutrients

Phytoestrogens also have other positive benefits. Soya beans have been found to contain at least 5 compounds believed to inhibit cancer. The major research has focused on breast cancer because Japanese women only have one-sixth the rate of breast cancer that we have.
It also appears that when Japanese women move to the West, their rate rises to that of the Western woman.

As well as these benefits on the hormones, phytoestrogens also have a positive effect on your cardiovascular health. Studies have shown that soya can lower the level of cholesterol and specially the ‘bad’ cholesterol called LDL.

Finally, these phytoestrogens are found in almost all fruit, vegetables and cereals but they are most beneficial in the form of something called ‘isoflavones’, which are found in legumes such as soya, lentils and chickpeas.

Beans are easy to use and they are great added to salads, soups and casseroles. Most beans (although not lentils) need to be soaked, sometimes over-night, before cooking.

There is still a great deal of confusion surrounding phytoestrogens, primarily in relation to soya, but there is no doubt that it can be a useful addition to your diet – especially if you are interested in, or have, a hormone condition.

If you would like to find out more, or are interested in finding out how you can help balance your hormones/hormone condition, speak to one our expert nutritionists who have been trained to the protocols of Dr Marilyn Glenville PhD – the leading women’s health nutritionist in the UK specialising in hormone health.

Filed Under: Food Facts, General Health, Hormone Health, Womens Health

Why Xenoestrogens Are Affecting Your Health

Xenoestrogens or ‘foreign oestrogens’ are oestrogen-like chemicals from pesticides or plastics that have been linked to health problems.
In some parts of the world, some of these problems have been dramatic. For example, some fish are growing both male and female sex organs and male alligators are becoming feminised, with hormonal levels altered to the extent that it is making reproduction difficult!

woman holding cleaning chemicals which contain xenoestrogens

What Do Xenoestrogens Mean For Our Health?

Xenoestrogens are stored in body fat and can affect men and women differently. Overweight people tend to have higher concentrations because xenoestrogens are lipophilic (meaning they love fat). They are also appearing everywhere, currently there are over 3900 brands of insecticides, herbicides and fungicides which are approved for use in the UK. Some fruit and vegetables are sprayed up to 10 times before they reach the supermarkets.

The increasing levels of xenoestrogens in our environment has coincided with an earlier onset of puberty. At the turn of the century, the average age of puberty to begin was 15. Now some girls as young as 8 are growing breasts and pubic hair!
It has been found that girls can enter puberty almost a year earlier if their pregnant mother has higher levels of 2 synthetic chemicals – PCB’s and DDT – while they were pregnant.

Women with higher concentrations of certain pesticides in their bodies also run a greater risk of developing breast cancer than women with lower levels.

plastic free packaging to reduce xenoestrogens in food and food shopping

What Can We Do About Xenoestrogens?

  • Avoid Plastic Containers and Wrap

The first piece of advice would be to avoid (as much as possible) food and drinks in plastic containers or wrapped in plastic as well as trying to buy organic where possible.

  • Don’t Store Fatty Foods In Plastic

This will allow the xenoestrogens to migrate into the foods with the high fat content from the plastic wrap. Try to remove any food packaging as soon as possible and store in beeswax or glass containers.

  • Reduce Your Intake Of Saturated Fats

These are two reasons for this. First of all, you will lay down fat stores that will present a welcome home for xenoestrogens and secondly, the fat you take in is likely to contain xenoestrogens from the animal’s environment.

  • Don’t Heat Food In Plastic

Especially avoid using the microwave. Try to put your food in a bowl, onto a plate or use a glass container to heat instead.

  • Increase Your Fibre Intake

This will help prevent the absorption of oestrogenic chemicals into your blood stream.

  • Eat More Cruciferous Vegetables And Phytonutrients

These help reduce toxic forms of oestrogen as well as cruciferous vegetables being high in a substance called ‘indole-3’carbinol’ which encourages elimination.

There’s no doubt that all of us are affected by xenoestrogens, and they may be at the root of more health problems than we know – and they are far more common than we would have first thought!

However, if you follow the advice above, you will dramatically decrease your exposure and be supporting your body to eliminate these as effectively as possible.


If you are interested in finding out more about your exposure to xenoestrogens, or how you can reduce your intake of these ‘foreign oestrogens’ then click here to speak to one of our expert nutritionists.

Filed Under: Food Facts, General Health, Hormone Health, Womens Health

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76 Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1RJ
Phone: 01892 515905

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