See this handsome man to your left?  That’s my husband Mark, he’s turning 50 in 2  weeks.  I call him Mr. Testosterone, because he is, ( I wouldn’t have wanted him if he wasn’t!) He’s PROMISED to write a guest post for me, for April 13, called How To Stay Lean And Masculine (umm, actually, that’s my title; I don’t know what he’s calling it.) He’s going to give his tips on how to stay lean and masculine even if you have 4 daughters/estrogen house; work 80 hours a week; drive 4 hours EVERY DAY; participate daily in business breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, and live in the modern – ESTROGENIC – world.  It is Estrogenic, even the frogs, fish, and wildlife are losing their male parts due to “Xeno and Phyto- estrogens in the water, air, and foods.

I’ve had some comments that make me realize men have felt ignored by some of my recent posts.  So Sorry!  This post, and Mark’s post next week should rectify that, because it’s going to be all about Testosterone.  Ladies, if you have sons, you need to read this post.

Testosterone levels are decreasing – drastically – WORLDWIDE.  They’ve literally plummeted in the last 20 years.  The CDC says the average middle aged man now has the testosterone levels of a much older man from 20 years ago.  Babies, boys, teenagers, and young men ALL test lower.  This has DRAMATIC consequences, as low testosterone causes:  triglycerides and small, dense, cholesterol to increase;  coronary artery dilation diminishes (= high blood pressure); insulin output increases; central abdominal fat increases; ESTROGEN levels increase (associated w more stroke, heart attack, and cancer); blood becomes sticker/more fibrinogenic; decreased HGH (human growth hormone); less bone mass and more bone fractures.  I could go on, as this is a VERY short list.  The links between low T and brain health ( or lack there-of) are HUGE.  The whole “oh, too much testosterone makes men violent and crazy” – that’s not happening here, at all.  We’re talking about the average man being way below normal.  Did you know the human heart has more testosterone receptors than any muscle in the whole body???

In other words, Men are Designed to be Testosterone driven.  T.S. Wiley ( hormone and sleep researcher) said that studies show men’s levels rise in response to Women, Fighting/Competition, and other men!  As in, when a man walks into a room full of other men, if he’s NORMAL, his tail feather should open/testosterone should increase; this doesn’t happen when a woman walks into a room full of women.  Our hormones ebb and flow with circadian rhythms (sun.. moon.. seasons..)  We’re different. (p.s. that link is for a podcast with her on sleep, food, and both female and male hormones)

What’s going on with the drop in Testosterone, that’s actually in EVERY DEVELOPED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, not just us?

It’s simple:  (1) BPA and Phylates, these are Xeno-estrogens, their structure mimics Estrogen; that means our body thinks it is Estrogen and let’s it on our Estrogen Receptors ( doors to our cells); this is a bad bad thing.  Where do we find these? Plastics, as in plastic water bottles, plastic wrapping, the inside lining of cans, receipts, bubble wrapping, etc.  Unfortunately, they’re pretty prolific in our world.  Take whatever steps you can to minimize your expose:  use glass containers whenever possible.  Make that a priority.  Have you seen the new glass water bottles that have a rubber wrapping around them?  They’re cool. Consider it.  Or just carry jars with you everywhere you go like we do.

(2) Artificial food additives, MSG, and artificial sweeteners have estrogenic effects.  Another reason to eat Real Whole Food.

(3) Some Real Whole Foods are LOADED with PhytoEstrogens ( plant molecular structures that mimic estrogen).  Top sources by order of amount:  Flax oil, Soy, and Black Beans.  Interesting Party Facts:  a tablespoon of flax OIL has the same amount of estrogen as 7-8 birth control pills.  

(4) Personal Care Products are LOADED with Xenoestrogens ( chemicals that mimic estrogen, like the BPA and pylates).  There’s a bunch, but I’ll name Parabens and Phenoxyethanol as an example.  They’re in shampoos, soaps, toothpastes, lotions, aftershave, etc.  These are SCARY.  They DON’T go through the liver for a little breakdown, they go right into the blood – quickly – and can attach to a receptor right away.   Use the EWG Skin Deep site to check what’s in your products, but it’s getting easier and cheaper than ever to find products that don’t contain harmful xeno-estrogens, just read the labels. Hint: anything popular and common is loaded with the bad stuff.  And “scents”?  Pure Poison.

(5) Commercially produced animal products.  How do you think they get the chickens to lay so many eggs, or the cows to give so much milk?  They give them Estrogen, and we eat that in their products.  Look up your local farmer and check into bulk buying and co-ops.

(6)  A Big Belly.  Sorry, it’s really an Estrogen Belly, not a Beer Belly.  Belly fat raises Estrogen levels because it actually PRODUCES estrogen, and belly fat makes an enzyme called Aromatase. Aromatase turns Testosterone INTO Estrogen.  Think about that one.

More Fun Party Trivia:  All seeds are ESTROGENIC, all of them, because they’re the female portion of the plant.  They contain different amounts of phytoestrogen, but they all have it.  If you’re Estrogen Dominant, consider this.   More party trivia (MOM’S***)   Carrying a Cell Phone in your pocket causes SIGNIFICANT sperm cell death.  (What boy doesn’t carry their phone there?).  Don’t think this might be a sound form of birth control, because sperm death means DAMAGE to the testes, which also means less Testosterone.  Pollen, as in Bee Pollen, is made from male parts.  Bet I’ll get Mark to eat the Bee Pollen I buy from the farmers market this year!

More Fun Facts:  Higher levels of T make males take more risks, but when researchers injected women with testosterone, that doesn’t happen, not even a little.

Stress/Cortisol SUPPRESSES testosterone production (get your stress under control!).  Men with children have LESS salivary T than men who don’t.

Making money and just LOOKING at hot cars raises T in men, but does nothing to women’s hormones.   Watching sports raises T in men, but not in women.

Sleep apnea causes low T.  Endurance Training (i.e. long distance running) reduces T between 15 and 40%.  It also raises Cortisol ( which shuts down T production).

And last, (wow, do you have party ammo! ), Cholesterol is a MAJOR COMPONENT OF TESTOSTERONE.  Period.  If you’re on a STATIN, or eating a Low Fat/No Fat diet, you’re inhibiting your bodies production of Testosterone, and believe me, in today’s world, you need to be doing everything you can to RAISE production back to Normal.