Gynecomastia is caused by hormonal imbalance

In one of my old articles, I said that the most common cause of gynecomastia, is hormonal imbalance, or otherwise - a disturbed ratio between male and female sex hormones in the body. In causes of gynecomastia (female like breasts) in men, I only mentioned this, but we will now hit topic more seriously, and deeper.

Impaired ratio between testosterone / estrogen

Testosterone and estrogens are hormones, that are produced by men and women. Both sexes have them, the difference is in quantities. Men have a lot of testosterone and little estrogen, in women, the opposite applies. These proportions are reasons for men and women to look different. When, in the body of a man testosterone does not dominate estrogen, some female characteristics appear - breast enlargement, deposition of subcutaneous fat, muscle loss, the man becomes more sensitive, sentimental, etc. In general, we can say that he becomes more feminine. The reason for all this may be low testosterone, or high estrogen.

Factors contributing to the unbalanced estrogen - testosterone ratio in men

• Increased level of the enzyme aromatase. It is responsible for converting testosterone into estrogen. As we age, the amount of this enzyme is increased, and this contributes to lower testosterone levels. Blocking this enzyme with different drugs, reduces the levels of estrogens, and restores the level of free testosterone.

• Impaired liver function. In healthy subjects, the liver eliminates excess estrogen. This function of the liver may be impaired for various reasons: age, alcohol intoxication, or various drugs.

• Obesity. Fat cells in the body are the main source of production of the enzyme aromatase. Low testosterone levels lead to accumulation of fat in the body, especially the abdominal wall. On the other hand, accumulated fats increase the level of aromatase, turning testosterone into estrogens. Therefore, in overweight men, restoring hormonal balance is essential.

• Zinc deficiency. This mineral is a natural inhibitor of the aromatase enzyme, and its deficiency leads to increased levels of estrogen.

• Age. After 30, every 10 years testosterone levels decrease in a man, by 10 percent.

Note, that if you have too much testosterone and you are overweight, your body will convert testosterone in estrogen, and this may cause gynecomastia. I mean that if you have a lot of subcutaneous fat, and go to the gym (hard physical work stimulates the secretion of testosterone), you should not bother to develop muscles and train hard, your main goal should be weight loss. Only when you remove subcutaneous fat, can you can think of more muscle!

Another thing related to fitness and gynecomastia. Even if you have a lot of testosterone in your body, when your estrogen levels are high, you will not experience the effect of high testosterone (a lot of muscle, less body fat). You will never go down below 10% body fat , because estrogen stimulates fat production. If you have plenty of estrogen,you can be sure you will have plenty of fat! The relationship of estrogen - obesity is easy to see on women, they have more estrogen, and are generally more "fluffy". It is important to know, that estrogen affects the male body pretty easy, and even a slight increase will have an apparent effect (subcutaneous fat, gynecomastia, beer belly).

I hope I've been helpful. I will be very glad if you appreciate the article and write a few comments!