Estrogen is the primary female sexual hormone, playing a critical role during growth and puberty, and it is the main factor in regulating female physical development and the function of the sexual organs. However, despite its importance, prolonged exposure to estrogen leads to some dangerous diseases, in particular breast cancer. Fortunately, eating a diet high in fiber can restore your estrogen to a more normal level and helps in lowering the risks associated with high estrogen exposure.
Function of Estrogen
As a hormone, estrogen acts as a carrier for specific chemical signals in your body. In females, estrogen is critical for normal sexual organ development and functioning. In addition, it is needed for maintaining heart and bone health, ensuring proper breast development and regulating menstrual cycles. Estrogen is also used as a supplement for treating hot flashes in menopausal women, as well as preventing vaginal dryness and osteoporosis, according to National Institutes of Health online medical encyclopedia Medline Plus. Your body's estrogen level can be affected by several factors, such as your diet, lifestyle and whether you engage in hormone replacement therapy.
Dangers of High Estrogen Levels
Women with a high lifetime exposure to estrogen may be at a greater risk for breast cancer, according to the Cornell University Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors. This is because estrogen plays a major role in breast cell division, especially during breast growth and development. Aside from this, estrogen affects the other hormones that stimulate breast cell division, and there are certain tumors that are specifically responsive to estrogen. Make sure that you control how much estrogen your body is exposed to by watching your weight, eating a healthy diet, avoiding alcohol and limiting use of birth control pills and hormone replacement medication.
Research
Medical research has shown that a diet low in fat and high in fiber is effective in reducing levels of circulating estrogen, according to a report by University of Southern California News. A 2004 study on Mexican-American women found that higher dietary fiber intake corresponded with sharp decreases in estrogen and estradiol hormone levels. Conversely, a high fat intake boosted these same hormones. Given the link between breast cancer and high estrogen levels, these results show that increasing fiber intake can indirectly reduce the incidence of breast cancer. What's more, fiber has the added benefit of being cholesterol-absorbent, which helps lower your levels of bad cholesterol.
Dietary Sources
There are two types of fiber: soluble, which dissolves in water, and insoluble, which does not. You should eat a variety of fiber-containing foods to get the benefits of both types of fiber, MayoClinic.com explains. Men should get 30 to 38 g per day of fiber, while women should get 21 to 25 g. Dietary sources include nuts and seeds, grains and whole-grain products, fruits, vegetables, beans, peas and other legumes. In general, fresh, whole foods are better than fiber supplements, since the latter does not contain the vitamins and minerals that natural, unprocessed foods do.
References
- Cornell University Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors; Estrogen & Breast Cancer Risk: Factors of Exposure; July 2002
- Mayo Clinic; Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet; November 2009
- Medline Plus; Estrogen; August 2010
- University of Southern California News; USC Cancer Researchers Report Fiber-estrogen Link; October 2004
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