By Leah Karpus on November 4th, 2009
Our society is suffering from estrogen overload. No, I’m not referring to Sex and The City reruns—estrogen overload refers to the increasing amount of estrogen in our environment, our food and our bodies.
“Good” Estrogen
Estrogen, the primary female sex hormone, is responsible for normal body processes in women such as secondary female sex characteristics, menstruation, fertility, protein synthesis, bone density, metabolism and much more. Actually, there are three kinds of estrogens in the body: estrone, estradiol, and estriol, which all have specialized roles to play at different points in a woman’s life.
Although estrogen levels are greater in women, estrogen is also needed for libido and maturation of sperm in men.
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By Leah Karpus on August 31st, 2009
By now, most people have now heard of BPA (or bisphenol-A), the chemical found in polycarbonate plastics. BPA is most often founds in clear, hard plastic water bottles, food containers and baby bottles (when in doubt, BPA is found in number 7 plastics). As of April 2008, BPA has received considerable press attention for health and safety concerns. Canada is the first country to ban the import of baby bottles that contain BPA. Furthermore, in October of last year, the Canadian federal government added BPA to its list of toxic substances.
The reason? BPA mimics the hormone estrogen. Over the years, estrogens and estrogen mimickers are becoming increasingly prevalent in our society. Common causes include dairy and meat growth hormones, hormones from birth control pills being released into the water supply and polycarbonate plastics. Even certain foods, such as soy, can mimic human estrogen, causing a rise in hormone levels in the body. Harmful to both men and women, BPA exposure has been linked to insulin resistance, obesity and infertility. BPA has also been linked to abnormal growth in breast, uterine, ovarian and prostate cells, which may lead to cancer. Infants are especially sensitive to such chemicals, explaining the ban on BPA baby bottles. The plastic industry, of course, denies such claims.
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By Liz Thompson on March 13th, 2009
People seem to be jumping off the soy boat as quickly as they jumped on as more research is revealed on this once thought super food.
We all know of soy’s good attributes; contains significant amounts of essential amino acids, omega-6 fatty acids, may have a protective effect on the brain and cardiovascular system and is a good source of protein.
The flip side of this coin is that soy is also rich in isoflavones, called genistein and daidzein, which are potent phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens, sometimes called “dietary estrogens”, are naturally occurring non steroidal plant compounds which can have estrogenic effects on the body. Because of this, women with breast cancer or a history of the disease should be aware of the risks associated with the use of soy.
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