Q. How can Green Detox support hormonal health?
A. Research has shown that Japanese women have longer menstrual cycles and lower serum estrogen levels than Western women. Not coincidentally, Japanese women are known to have among the lowest rates of hormone–related breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers in the world. It's reasonable to wonder if a seaweed–rich diet may be one reason why.
Recent preliminary research has shown that the brown seaweed, Fucus vesiculosus, may be able to reduce the body's burden of the potent estrogen 17–ß estradiol, while increasing levels of the protective hormone, progesterone, in pre–menopausal women:
Animal studies have shown similar findings:
At this time, researchers aren't certain as to exactly how seaweeds exert their effects on hormonal health. Some have proposed that seaweed's ability to alter cholesterol levels may be responsible (steroid hormones are produced from cholesterol, so less available cholesterol could alter hormone synthesis).
It's more likely, however, that seaweed's effect on gastrointestinal/liver function is responsible. We've already seen how some seaweeds can reduce the production of enzymes which interfere with hormonal detoxification. Additionally, pathogenic bacteria in the intestines presents a chronic burden upon the liver (elements from these bacteria are continually absorbed across the intestinal barrier and into portal circulation where the liver detoxifies them before they can enter general circulation).
Many substances which alter the bacterial population of the intestines are well–known to alter hormonal metabolism by the liver. Antibiotics, for example (which take a large burden off of the liver by killing pathogenic intestinal bacteria), are well–known to interfere with the action of birth–control pills. In the absence of pathogenic intestinal bacteria, the liver is far more capable of detoxifying (thus rendering inactive) such exogenous hormones. With the unique prebiotic and bowel–cleansing elements found in seaweed, there's reason to believe that such foods can aid in the natural detoxification endogenous hormones as well. It seems clear that more research into this aspect of seaweeds and sea vegetables is needed.
Q. What about men? Can Green Detox improve men's hormonal health as well?
A. It seems likely that it can. Excess endogenous and exogenous (i.e., environmental) estrogens pose a risk to men's health as well as women's. If seaweeds can aid in the detoxification of estrogens indirectly by their bowel cleansing, and liver–sparing effects, men would be likely to benefit as well as women.
It's entirely possible that components in sea vegetables may even provide unique benefits for bodybuilding and muscle growth. Intense exercise is well known to tax the immune system, and it's not just steroid–using bodybuilders with compromised liver function – intense exercise, itself, can tax the liver as well.
All livestock farmers know that the use of antibiotics not only reduces incidence of infection, but also results in enhanced growth and feed efficiency in animals (i.e., the animal's growth is enhanced on relatively less food intake). In recent years, however, the livestock industry has been under increased pressure to minimize or eliminate the use of traditional antibiotics, as these drugs may lead to the development of antibiotic–resistant bacteria – a potential danger to both humans and animals. Though not antimicrobial per se, various seaweeds have begun to be investigated as immunomodulating and growth–promoting feed additives:
Study Link – Alternatives to Conventional Antimicrobials in Swine Diets.
Empirically, farmers have often noted that the nutritional benefits of seaweed are greater than would be imagined from the nutritional composition of the seaweed itself. This may be because the unique fibers in seaweed create a bacterial environment in the intestines which facilitates the absorption and utilization of nutrients.
Agricultural studies have also found that conception rates of cattle are often increased markedly when bulls are given seaweed as part of their rations. Researchers conducting these studies found that bulls exhibited a "very high" increase in the number of live sperm, as well as a "much greater" durability of semen when fed seaweed.
Additionally, it's interesting to note that in Caribbean folk medicine, seaweed–containing mixtures have been used as aphrodisiacs to enhance virility.
Due to brown seaweed's ability to support so many aspects of health and detoxification, these unique foods may be able to support healthy hormonal levels in men and women alike.
Find a retailer for Green Detox and other Integrated Supplements Products
Related Posts:
Green Detox Q & A - What is Green Detox?
Green Detox Q & A - What is Fucoidan?
Green Detox Q & A - What is Chlorella?
Green Detox Q & A - Green Detox Versus Other Detox Supplements
Green Detox Q & A - Green Detox Versus Other Greens Supplements
Green Detox Q & A - Are "Toxins" a Real Threat?
Green Detox Q & A - Food-Based Toxins
Green Detox Q & A - Digestive Health and Intestinal Detoxification
Green Detox Q & A - Green Detox and Weight Loss
Comments