vegetables, fruits, poultry, eggs, and saturated fats such as butter.
FOODS THAT CAN DECREASE DHEA PRODUCTION INCLUDE: sugar,
sweets, alcohol, margarine, coffee, white bread, soy, and pasta.
ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONESOURCE: Mostly ovaries, but a small amount is produced in the adrenal
glands
NORMAL LEVELS: In females, levels vary in relation to ovulation; in
adult males, estrogen: < 130 pg/mL, and progesterone: < 1.4ng/mL
FUNCTIONS: Numerous, including weight maintenanceEstrogen and progesterone are the female sex hormones. Estrogen is primarily a
female sex hormone, but both men and women make estrogen. Women, of
course, have higher levels of it. Femininity is the essence of estrogen. Estrogen
enlarges breasts and widens the pelvis, and it provides that curvy, sexy
appearance. Estrogen also stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, increases
alertness, lowers body fat, protects against heart and Alzheimer’s disease,
increases insulin sensitivity, and improves glucose tolerance.
During reproductive years, a woman makes estrogen every day of the month.
The ovaries produce progesterone, the other female sex hormone, during the two
weeks before a woman’s period.
Although people often think of estrogen as a single entity, this hormone is
actually three biochemically distinct molecules that the body produces naturally
—estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), and estriol (E3). These three estrogen molecules
have different activities that make them more or less “estrogenic.” Estradiol is
made from the ovaries, and it gives women their curvy appearance. Estrone is
made from body fat. Estriol is present in small amounts and is mostly made
during pregnancy. Around the age of menopause, the ovaries shrink. Estradiol
(E2) decreases, but the body still needs estrogen. Estrone (E1), which is made in
the adrenals, becomes the main type of estrogen present in postmenopausal
women, and that’s really bad. Estrone (E1) starts to shift fat from the buttocks to
the belly, leading to a decrease in curves and an increase in belly fat. This
abdominal fat starts to produce more estrone (E1), which just leads to more and
more belly fat—it’s a vicious cycle. As a result, it becomes difficult to lose
weight. If you don’t support estrogen production, you’ll gain weight.
Figure 3.1: Levels of Ovarian Hormones Estrogen and Progesterone During the Menstrual Cycle