Slayer's Den

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What Men Need to Know​

Men need it, but if you have too much your health risks explode… and you'll be weak and chubby. Here's how to keep estrogen in check.​

Sometimes, doctors draw the wrong conclusion from a research study. Case in point, consider the big estrogen study reported in JAMA:

Researchers monitored the estrogen levels of a large group of men. Men with estradiol (the most potent form of estrogen) in the normal range had the fewest deaths during a three-year period. Men with the highest levels had 133% more deaths during the same time. However, men with the lowest estrogen levels fared the worst, suffering 317% more deaths.

Some doctors rightly concluded that men need estrogen, but that's when they stopped thinking. They figured that since men need estrogen, they shouldn't do anything to reduce the estrogen levels of men with high estrogen. They ignored the far more prevalent problem of high estrogen and, as such, are loathe to prescribe anti-estrogen medications.

The problem? Once estrogen levels rise unchecked, bad things happen.

What Happens When Estrogen is Too High?​

When male estrogen levels are too high, the risk of degenerative disease skyrockets. Atherosclerosis rates go up. The incidence of stroke increases. The risk of developing Type II diabetes goes up. Emotional disturbances become more prevalent. The risk of prostate cancer increases, and erectile function suffers. Waistlines grow thicker. It becomes harder to put on muscle. And, most seriously, high estrogen significantly increases the risk of flat-out dying.

Clearly, proper estrogen levels play a big part in the health of men's hearts, in addition to the health of other body parts, systems, and functions. It's in every male's interest to make sure he's in an estrogen sweet spot, regardless of age.

Symptoms of High Estrogen​

The average man might assume symptoms include acting, sounding, or looking "feminine." Not true. High estrogen might make a man a little more emotional, but it won't make them want to wear women's clothes or change his voice.

However, there are plenty of other real symptoms of high estrogen in males:

• Increased abdominal fat
• Loss of muscle mass
• Low libido, decreased erectile function
• Tiredness
• Increased fatty tissue around nipples
• Depression, emotional disturbances
• Lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)

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The Conversion Problem​

Estrogen is, in many ways, just as important to men as testosterone. Molecularly they're very similar. You could even merge the two molecules into one three-dimensional figure and they'd look identical, except that testosterone has one little extra carbon atom sticking straight up from its molecular bridgework.

And in this similarity lies one broad reason why some men have high estrogen levels. Since the testosterone molecule is so similar to estrogen, it's very easy for aromatase enzymes to convert testosterone to its counterpart.

That's a good thing because you need a certain level of estrogen. Estrogen is part of an elegant feedback system where overly high estrogen levels alert the testicles, via the pituitary, to send some testicular workers home and cut back on testosterone production for that day. In this way, the system keeps a perfect amount of testosterone and estrogen flowing.

Sometimes, though, too much testosterone is converted into estrogen. That amount, combined with the small amounts of estrogen produced in the testes, adrenals, brain, and fat, can create hormonal trouble. The feedback loop gets a kink in it. Estrogen levels stay perpetually high and thus keep barking the order to back off on the manufacture of testosterone.

Remember, estrogen levels need to be in the hormonal Goldilocks zone – not too high, not too low, but just right.

What Causes High Estrogen in Men?​

Here are several reasons why you might have high-serum estrogen levels:

1. Too Much Body Fat​

Fat contains the testosterone-to-estrogen changing aromatase enzyme, so as you get fatter you convert more testosterone to estrogen.

2. Getting Old​

The older you are, the more aromatase you produce and the higher your estrogen levels.

3. Faulty Feedback Mechanisms​

When estrogen levels are too high, they signal the testicles to temporarily stop making testosterone. But if estrogen levels are perpetually high, it can short-circuit the system, sending the mistaken message to the testicles to go on a long vacation. This can lead to even higher estrogen levels.

4. Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT)​

Injecting too much testosterone, or injecting too much testosterone into obese men, can cause an undesired amount of T to be converted into estrogen. These elevated levels need to be addressed by either adjusting the dosage or by prescribing an anti-aromatase (a drug that stops the conversion of T to E).

5. Impairment of Cytochrome P450 Enzyme System​

Most drugs and chemicals you ingest are processed and eliminated by the P450 enzyme system. It's like a chemical recycling station where drugs are torn down, repackaged, and either reused or excreted. It eliminates excess estrogen, too. However, certain things can impair it. Drinking too much might be a problem, as might being obese or having a zinc deficiency. You might also be eating foods or taking drugs or supplements that impede the P450 enzyme system's efficiency, like grapefruit juice or ginkgo biloba.

6. Xenoestrogens​

These are chemicals in the environment that mimic estrogen. These chemicals, mainly heavy metals, synthetic chemicals like DES and DDT, and industrial chemicals like phthalates, grow in number and accumulate in more tissue with each passing year. These chemicals are found in foods, adhesives, fire retardants, detergents, drinking water, perfumes, waxes, household cleaning products, lubricants… virtually everywhere.

Although we don't know the exact scope of damage caused by these chemicals, we have seen widespread reports of biological anomalies in both animals and humans in the last couple of decades (mutations, indeterminate sex organs, lessened fertility, etc.).

Researchers found that 75% of the samples from 400 adults contained significant levels of industrial xenoestrogens, whereas 98% of samples contained DHT and its derivatives. And different xenoestrogens appear to act synergistically so that their effects are magnified.

7. Phytoestrogens​

While xenoestrogens are man-made monstrosities, phytoestrogens occur in plants. Xenoestrogens accumulate in adipose tissue, while phytoestrogens are metabolized and booted out of the body relatively fast. As such, they're not nearly the problem that xenoestrogens are. Still, you generally don't want too many of them around as they resemble estrogen molecularly and can act like the real deal. Phytoestrogens are also found in various foods, most notably soy products.

8. Alcohol and Weed​

Yeah, recreational drugs can cause elevated estrogen levels. Sorry.


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What Are Normal Estrogen Levels?​

It's important that every man establish an estrogen baseline, to which he can refer and compare. Here's a list of the median estradiol levels by age:

• Age 2-29: 28.0 pg/ml
• Age 30-39: 25.7 pg/ml
• Age 40-49: 24.7 pg/ml
• Age 50-59: 22.1 pg/ml
• Age 60-69: 21.5 pg/ml
• Age 70-80: 21.9 pg/ml

Those values are considered optimal in 95% of the male population; however, it's the rare individual who hits his age-related bullseye with his estrogen levels. It's much more useful to say that normal ranges are from 10 to 30-40 picograms per milliliter for estrogen and 10 to 50 picograms per milliliter for estrone, a "weaker" type of estrogen.

How to Get Tested​

There are two ways to accurately test estrogen levels – via a 24-hour urine test or a blood test. If you go the blood test route, insist your doctor order a "sensitive" assay. Most labs use the standard assay designed for women.

Additionally, most labs use immunoassay techniques to test blood samples, which, when compared to other methods, show a variability rate of up to 53%. That kind of inaccuracy could lead to a physician treating a problem that doesn't even exist, e.g., treating a man for high estrogen levels when he's well within normal ranges, which could lead to disastrous consequences.

Labs should instead use Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectroscopy – a more accurate when measuring hormone levels. There are specific lab codes that your ordering doctor should use:

• LabCorp "Sensitive Estradiol" – Code 140244, 500108
• Quest Diagnostics "Ultrasensitive Estradiol" – Code 30289
• Mayo Clinic "Enhanced Estradiol" – Code EEST

How to Keep Estrogen in Check​

Try to avoid xenoestrogens by reading labels or using "natural" products around the home. Don't smoke too much weed, drink too much hootch, or get fat.

If the problem is severe, consult with a doctor and get on an estrogen-lowering drug like Arimidex. However, before going the prescription route, make sure your levels are indeed high. The consequences are too severe to automatically assume you need treatment, as many doctors who prescribe TRT routinely do.