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October 27, 2022
Gut Health Part 3: Hormones
So now that I know leaky gut exists, what else should I know?
Hormones.
Those pesky little signalers in your body that drive every process. They are affected by leaky gut.
In fact, there are now studies that link the diagnosis of PCOS and Leaky gut. (1) They show that women who have leaky gut are more likely to suffer from lack of diversity in the biome, but also that they suffer from the inflammatory processes surrounding leaky gut. The imbalance in the microbiome plus the leaky gut lead to estrogen dominance. One study even suggests that some of the gut bacteria are pro estrogen forming. Which means that they will break down the cholesterols from the food you eat and use them to produce more estrogen.
But its not just Estrogen. Turns out that poor gut health is a leading cause of LowT as well. Testosterone is also produced in part by nutrients that we ingest and can absorb. (2) When the gut is leaky, it creates inflammatory cascades that decrease function of the gonads. The reduced function decrease Gonadotropin hormone. This hormone triggers production of testosterone. Lack of testosterone has been linked to
- Erectile dysfunction
- Heart Disease
- Stroke
- Decreased Muscle Recovery, repair, rebuilding
- Gynecomastia
- Breast cancer in men
Medication or Supplements?
Well, Let's be honest. When was the last time a pharmaceutical company gave you a drug that cleared up all your problems and created none?
Recently, I have even seen some of the LowT clinics prescribing the use of metformin. And sure, the research for Obese Males with Type II diabetes shows that (3)
- It decreases cholesterol
- Decreases obesity
- Decreases inflammation
- Can improve overall heart health
- Changes the gut bacteria ratio
But guess what: IT LOWERS TESTOSTERONE
So that same physician that is giving you testosterone is giving you metformin. Then you have to up the testosterone dose, making it more expensive. Long term, the use of metformin also showed in healthy males to cause Erectile Dysfunction. (4) Seems odd that the same guy is writing you a prescription for the two. Sure, 12 weeks of cycling on and 6 months off may help someone with high cholesterol. But research shows those problems with ED start around 12-18 weeks.
Are you willing to risk morning sex for 6-pack abs? I know which one I’d rather have….
Supplements that boost testosterone, lower blood sugar, cleanse the liver and lower cholesterol:
Berberine (taken from the peel of Bergamot oranges),
Bergamot and Turmeric. (5)
So, which do you want?
When was the last Cure we had in the US?
When is the last time you heard a list of side effects that nearly scared you to death?
Interested in Reducing or Reversing your PCOS or Erectile Dysfunction?
Request a Call
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28045919
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4918028/
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7751595/