Xenoestrogens and Estrogen Dominance

Xenoestrogens – What are they? How to avoid them.

–By Amy LaRue ND

Many of us don’t think twice about the makeup we wear each day or the plastic container we use to pack our lunch. We know organic food is supposed to be better for us, but sometimes we just don’t want to pay the extra money. Unfortunately, all of the above may be altering the way our body naturally functions because they all contain endocrine disruptors called, xenoestrogens.

Endocrine disruptors are a category of chemicals that alter the normal function of hormones.  Normally, our endocrine system releases hormones that signal different tissues telling them what to do. When chemicals from the outside get into our bodies, they have the ability to mimic our natural hormones; blocking or binding hormone receptors. This is particularly detrimental to hormone sensitive organs like the uterus and the breast, the immune and neurological systems, as well as human development.

Xenoestrogens are a sub-category of the endocrine disruptor group that specifically have estrogen-like effects. Estrogen is a natural hormone in humans that is important for bone growth, blood clotting and reproduction in men and women. The body regulates the amount needed through intricate biochemical pathways. When xenoestrogens enter the body they increase the total amount of estrogen resulting in a phenomenon called, estrogen dominance. Xenoestrogens are not biodegradable so, they are stored in our fat cells. Build up of xenoestrogens have been indicated in many conditions including:  breast, prostate and testicular cancer, obesity, infertility, endometriosis, early onset puberty, miscarriages and diabetes.

Below is a list of some of the sources of xenoestrogens, but it is by no means exhaustive.   We are constantly exposed to these substances in the world we live in. Examples of everyday items that may include xenoestrogens are: fruits and vegetables sprayed with pesticides, plastic water bottles and Tupperware, nail polish, makeup, birth control and on and on.

Here are some of the chemicals that are xenoestrogens:

• Skincare:
  • 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) (sunscreen lotions)
  • Parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben commonly used as a preservative)
  • Benzophenone (sunscreen lotions)

• Industrial products and Plastics: 
  • Bisphenol A (monomer for polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin; antioxidant in plasticizers)
  • Phthalates (plasticizers)
  • DEHP (plasticizer for PVC)
  • Polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (flame retardants used in plastics, foams, building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles).
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

• Food: 
  • Erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3
  • Phenosulfothiazine (a red dye)
  • Butylated hydroxyanisole / BHA (food preservative)

• Building supplies:
  • Pentachlorophenol (general biocide and wood preservative)
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls / PCBs (in electrical oils, lubricants, adhesives, paints)

• Insecticides: 
  • Atrazine (weed killer)
  • DDT (insecticide, banned)
  • Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (one of the breakdown products of DDT)
  • Dieldrin (insecticide)
  • Endosulfan (insecticide)
  • Heptachlor (insecticide)
  • Lindane / hexachlorocyclohexane (insecticide, used to treat lice and scabies)
  • Methoxychlor (insecticide)
  • Fenthion
  • Nonylphenol and derivatives (industrial surfactants; emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization; laboratory detergents; pesticides)
  • Other: 
    • Propyl gallate

• Chlorine and chlorine by-products
• Ethinylestradiol (combined oral contraceptive pill)
• Metalloestrogens (a class of inorganic xenoestrogens)
• Alkylphenol (surfactant used in cleaning detergents

So what can you do to avoid these common chemicals? 

Guidelines to minimize your personal exposure to xenoestrogens:

Food

• Avoid all pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
• Choose organic, locally-grown and in-season foods.
• Peel non-organic fruits and vegetables.
• Buy hormone-free meats and dairy products to avoid hormones and pesticides.

Plastics

• Reduce the use of plastics whenever possible.
• Do not microwave food in plastic containers.
• Avoid the use of plastic wrap to cover food for storing or microwaving.
• Use glass or ceramics whenever possible to store food.
• Do not leave plastic containers, especially your drinking water, in the sun.
• If a plastic water container has heated up significantly, throw it away.
• Don’t refill plastic water bottles.
• Avoid freezing water in plastic bottles to drink later.

Household Products

• Use chemical free, biodegradable laundry and household cleaning products.
• Choose chlorine-free products and unbleached paper products (i.e. tampons, menstrual pads, toilet paper, paper towel, coffee filters).
• Use a chlorine filter on shower heads and filter drinking water

Health and Beauty Products

• Avoid creams and cosmetics that have toxic chemicals and estrogenic ingredients such as parabens and stearalkonium chloride.
• Minimize your exposure to nail polish and nail polish removers.
• Use naturally based fragrances, such as essential oils.
• Use chemical free soaps and toothpastes.
• Read the labels on condoms and diaphragm gels.

At the Office

• Be aware of noxious gas such as from copiers and printers, carpets, fiberboards, and at the gas pump.

To learn more about ingredients and xenoestrogens check out the following websites:

References;

1. Cheryl S. Watson, Yow-Jiun Jeng, Jutatip Guptarak. Endocrine disruption via estrogen receptors that participate in nongenomic signaling pathways. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Volume 127, Issues 1–2, October 2011, Pages 44-50, ISSN 0960-0760, 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2011.01.015. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076011000288)
2. Sam De Coster, Nicolas van Larebeke. Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals:  Associated Disorders and Mechanisms of Action. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, Published online 2012 September 6. Doi: 10.1155/2012/713696.
3. Xenoestrogens and How to Minimize Your Exposure.  Accessed October 15, 2012.
4. http://www.breastcancer.org/symptoms/understand_bc/statistics.jsp.

What Are the Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance?
Plus 7 Holistic Ways to Decrease Estrogen Dominance

Posted by Christiane Northrup, M.D.


The conventional medical mindset is that menopause is an estrogen deficiency disease resulting from ovarian failure. Women have been led to believe that at the slightest symptoms, they should run out and get estrogen replacement. While estrogen levels will decrease during menopause, the truth is, estrogen levels do not fall appreciably until after a woman’s last period. In fact, far more women suffer from the effects of “estrogen dominance” during the transition — that is, they have too much estrogen relative to progesterone. And some women can suffer from the symptoms of estrogen dominance for 10 to 15 years, beginning as early as age 35.

Estrogen Dominance Symptoms

The symptoms listed below, as well as many others, often arise when estrogen overstimulates both the brain and body. All of these symptoms are exacerbated by stress of all kinds. Many women in their thirties and early forties find that they experience moderate to severe symptoms of estrogen dominance as they approach perimenopause.

• Decreased sex drive

• Irregular or otherwise abnormal menstrual periods

• Bloating (water retention)

• Breast swelling and tenderness

• Fibrocystic breasts

• Headaches (especially premenstrually)

• Mood swings (most often irritability and depression)

• Weight and/or fat gain (particularly around the abdomen and hips)

• Cold hands and feet (a symptom of thyroid dysfunction)

• Hair loss

• Thyroid dysfunction

• Sluggish metabolism

• Foggy thinking, memory loss

• Fatigue

• Trouble sleeping/insomnia

• PMS

Estrogen dominance has also been linked to allergies, autoimmune disorders, breast cancer, uterine cancer, infertility, ovarian cysts, and increased blood clotting, and is also associated with acceleration of the aging process.

What Causes Estrogen Dominance

When a woman’s menstrual cycle is normal, estrogen is the dominant hormone for the first two weeks leading up to ovulation. Estrogen is balanced by progesterone during the last two weeks.

As a woman enters perimenopause and begins to experience anovulatory cycles (that is, cycles where no ovulation occurs), estrogen can often go unopposed, causing symptoms. Skipping ovulation is, however, only one potential factor in estrogen dominance. In industrialized countries such as the United States, there can be many other causes, including:

• Excess body fat (greater than 28%)
• Too much stress, resulting in excess amounts of cortisol, insulin, and norepinephrine, which can lead to adrenal exhaustion and can also adversely affect overall hormonal balance
• A low-fiber diet with excess refined carbohydrates and deficient in nutrients and high quality fats
• Impaired immune function
• Environmental agents

7 Ways to Decrease Estrogen Dominance

Here’s what you can do to decrease estrogen dominance:

• Increase nutrients in the diet: Take a high potency multivitamin/mineral combination.

• Follow a hormone-balancing diet - Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, get adequate protein and moderate amounts of healthy fat.

• Remember to get enough fiber. Estrogen is excreted by the bowel; if stool remains in the bowel, estrogen is reabsorbed.

• Use transdermal 2% bioidentical progesterone cream: Many of the symptoms of estrogen dominance can be relieved with natural, bioidentical progesterone in a 2% cream (one-quarter teaspoon contains ~20 mg progesterone). Use one-quarter to one-half teaspoon 2% progesterone cream on skin (e.g., face, breasts, abdomen, hands) daily for two to three weeks prior to onset of period. If periods are irregular, use 2% progesterone daily, or from the full moon to the dark of the moon. (That way you’ll be teaming up with the cycle of the Earth itself — the same cycle that governs the tides and the flow of fluids on the planet.)

• Lose excess body fat and get regular exercise — especially strength training.

• Detoxify your liver: Traditional Chinese Medicine explains that menopausal symptoms are caused by blocked liver and kidney chi. This makes sense. The liver acts as a filter, helping us screen out the harmful effects of toxins from our environment and the products we put in our bodies. When the liver has to work hard to eliminate toxins such as alcohol, drugs, caffeine, or environmental agents, the liver’s capacity to cleanse the blood of estrogen is compromised.

• Decrease stress: Learn how to say no to excessive demands on your time. Remember, perimenopause is a time to reinvent yourself. This means investing time and energy in yourself, not everyone else.

See more at: <http://www.drnorthrup.com/estrogen-dominance/#sthash.Po6PkpwM.dpuf>