Which of Your Hormones Is the Real Issue?
- Brainz Magazine
- Nov 4
- 6 min read
Updated: Nov 5
Written by Shaun Sargent, Co-Founder STAIT
That we age is a given, how we age is a choice. STAIT – Unapologetically Strong. A first-class academic, award-winning professional, and global CEO, he is dedicated to continuous growth and inspiring others along the way.
Low testosterone is now getting a lot of press. Is that a good thing? The answer to that is, it depends. It is good to make people aware of the issue, but is the solution being provided the solution to the real issue men face, or a temporary fix?
Ask the question in a male health clinic, and the majority of men present will swear blind that they have an issue with testosterone. Most do not know the difference between total testosterone and free testosterone, nor what influences these random numbers.
Some guys may even have been desperate enough, the symptoms of low testosterone are awful in men, to turn to Testosterone Replacement Therapy treatments, peptide clinics, or worse, steroids, in an attempt to solve the issue.
But what if testosterone is not the issue? Worse still, what if throwing more testosterone into the body will only exacerbate the characteristics you wish to change?
So what is the scoop?
The scoop is this.
Most men in the developed world are overweight due to diet choices, processed food rather than whole foods, and lifestyle issues, poor stress management, storing excess fat in the lower body and pecs, a clear sign of estrogen dominance.
Excess fat in the stomach is very problematic due to the link with high levels of aromatase. Aromatase is an enzyme that rapidly converts testosterone into estrogen, a vicious cycle. Fat stored around the stomach leads to more estrogen, leads to more aromatase, leads to more fat storage in the stomach.
What a bummer, and this is the rub. No matter how high you increase your testosterone levels, unless you have the androgenic receptor sites within the body open and the conversion pathways under control, for example, aromatase levels not too high, all you will achieve is even higher estrogen levels, and not the good form of estrogen circulating in the blood. The exact opposite of what you are looking to achieve.
As you will notice as you walk around the world, estrogen dominance is at an all-time high.
Symptoms of estrogen dominance in men and women include:
Poor mood
Lack of focus
Non-existent sex drive
Poor sexual function
Water retention
Difficulty losing fat and building muscle.
In addition, too much estrogen contributes to prostate issues in men, and too much estrogen contributes to a higher incidence of breast cancer in women. Two of the largest cancers in the world at the moment.
Worse still, estrogen dominance rises when men fail to produce enough testosterone to keep estrogen levels in check.
As mentioned above, men can also have high estrogen levels due to rapid conversion of testosterone into estrogen via aromatase enzymes. That belly fat certainly is not your friend.
Stress is a major issue
Epinephrine and cortisol are perhaps the biggest enemy of testosterone, resulting from evolutionary factors. We prioritise fight or flight over fornicate as a means of survival.
Acute stress can be helpful for many things we desire to achieve in life, but the body does not differentiate stress, so the problem arises due to the chronic stress that we are facing daily in our modern lives that hinder the effects of testosterone.
When we are in a stressed state, stress hormones signal to the body to shut off testosterone production and utilisation, so as to focus on surviving the stressor.
The danger of xenoestrogens
Equally as harmful to our overall health and wellbeing is the hidden danger to our maleness, high exposure to xenoestrogens in plastic water, personal care products, food, and toiletries. Coupled with stress, poor diet, digestion issues, also known as leaky gut, smoking, and alcohol, especially beer, both men and women are experiencing excess estrogen levels today.
So what is the solution?
It is a multi hormonal problem, but we have to begin somewhere.
1. Get the excess estrogen out of the body
Cruciferous vegetables (eg. broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, cabbage) contain macronutrients that help detox the body of its excess estrogen. Estrogen rises at night, so make sure you have some of these foods with your evening meal.
2. Lose belly fat asap
If this fat contains the aromatase, then it is best gone. Long term fasting (72 hours), intermittent fasting (16, 8), a healthy diet free from pesticide residue and processed foods, exercise, and herbs that help stimulate metabolism can be of help. Try STAIT Energy Tea, as it is formulated with herbs that are renowned for reducing bloating, boosting the metabolism, and helping to promote weight loss.
3. Control the diet to minimise estrogen in foods
Avoid soy, as it is very rich in estrogen compounds. Lose the beer, as hops are estrogen generators (brewers droop is not fake news, it is true). Avoid conventional dairy, as chances are it is full of hormone disruptors from the animals it comes from, and minimise seed oils high in poly unsaturated fatty acids, as these are very estrogen forming.
4. Get the gut health under control
A wise man once said “all illness begins in the gut.” That is true for excess estrogen, because unless we have positive gut health, one of the pathways estrogen travels out of the body is via the gut, and without optimum gut health, this gets reabsorbed back into the body in an even worse form. Make your own sauerkraut and maximise your gut health easily.
5. Liver health is key
Some of the main functions of the liver are detoxifying the blood, filtering toxins, and metabolising nutrients, so if it is working optimally, it will remove the excess estrogen. If it is overworking from too many sugary foods, for example, or too much alcohol, it will not be as effective with estrogen removal.
6. Consume testosterone boosting foods whenever possible
If we need the testosterone levels to be higher than the estrogen, then a clear way to achieve this is to raise the testosterone levels naturally.
Exogenous testosterone will not help, as it just shuts the body’s natural production down, and that is not good. Consume foods to stimulate your natural testosterone levels, such as regenerative farmed eggs, pomegranates, and healthy fats such as olive oil and avocados, which all support healthy hormone levels.
7. Train HIIT whenever possible
High Intensity Interval Training, popular now and pioneered by the legend that is Dorian Yates, the greatest bodybuilder that has ever lived (and that is from a die-hard Arnold fan). Dorian took a method of training and improved it. Follow his methods and maximise your testosterone production, as well as minimising your belly fat.
8. Eat good fats
Monounsaturated or saturated fats are vital for testosterone production, as they contain the macronutrients to produce cholesterol, a key component for testosterone production. Polyunsaturated fatty acids do the opposite, producing estrogen, so ignore the lie that “fat is bad for you” and make sure you consume an adequate amount of healthy fats, such as olive oil, avocados, and pumpkin seed oil.
9. Avoid beer
Unless it is a traditional recipe without hops. Hops are estrogen creators of magnitude, as well as messing up the receptor sites in the testes. The Friday night chug will not kill you, but it certainly will not help your testosterone levels. Brewer’s droop is a proven illness from people picking and handling hops in the brewing industry, and no doubt the term “beer belly” comes from the excess fat accumulation due to excess estrogen around the waistline.
There are some amazing beers made using traditional (pre 1600) recipes, so look out for gruit beer, as this you can drink without the fear of estrogen overload. My favourite at the moment is mead. If it was good enough for Jon Snow, it is good enough for me.
10. Look out for hidden mould in foods
Mould is commonly found in wheat and other grain-based products, as well as coffee. These moulds are highly estrogenic and will wreak havoc on your hormones.
In summary, to solve an issue, you need to first identify the true cause of that issue in order to resolve it. Treating something that only addresses the symptom without addressing the root cause does not create a long term resolution.
It is fashionable these days to reach for quick fixes, but the body does know best, so give it the tools it requires to function optimally and allow it to optimise.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. It is for general reference and educational purposes only.
Read more from Shaun Sargent
Shaun Sargent, Co-Founder STAIT
As a co-founder of STAIT, my personal search for health and personal development is relentless. I seek out the best of the best to learn from and share with. To be the best you can be on a daily basis is the key to human growth.
