Strawberries And Estrogen: How can a Strawberry affect your hormones
Most often than not, people with hormone imbalances and people that try to maintain their body in a healthy state will pay attention to the foods they eat, giving birth to one of the most important questions (no pun intended) : “Will this Strawberry affect my estrogen levels ? and if so, how ?”
Before we get into the effects of Strawberries on your estrogen levels, we need to understand what estrogen really is.
What is estrogen and how does it affect your body ?
Estrogen is one of the hormones that promotes both reproductive and sexual development.
While a hormone like estrogen will always be present in both men and women of all ages, women that are in their reproductive age will have much higher levels.
Estrogen promotes the development and maintenance of female characteristics, it also helps you keep a regulated menstrual cycle, which is why it’s beneficial to ask yourself questions like : how will this Strawberry affect me ?
Nevertheless, estrogen levels decline throughout menopause, leading to symptoms like night sweats and hot flashes, for this reason we need to look at two important definitions before learning about the effects of Strawberries.
What are Phytoestrogens ?
Phytoestrogens are compounds that occur naturally in plants (fruits, veggies, grains, etc.), their structure is similar to estrogen, consequently they have the ability to bind to the same receptors as estrogen.
When eating phytoestrogens, our body can respond as if it’s our own natural estrogen.
What are Lignans ?
Lignans are a category of phytoestrogen that is most often found in grains, nuts, seeds, tea, plants and wine. Their most beneficial quality is their antioxidant effect. Bacteria that naturally occurs in your body can convert lignant into estrogen.
The effects of Strawberries on your estrogen levels
Q : Are Strawberries high in estrogen ?
A: Strawberries are known to contain big amounts of phytoestrogens, which will help increase your estrogen levels.
Q : What does Strawberry do to hormones ?
A: Strawberries will boost your production of two fat-butning hormones called adiponectin and leptin that also help suppress your appetite.
Q: What can Strawberries do to females ?
A: Strawberries can boost your metabolism and estrogen levels while suppressing your apetite.
Q: What can Strawberries do to males ?
A: Strawberries are known to be high in vitamin C, which is thought to increase libido in men.
Q: Why is it good to eat Strawberries ?
A: Strawberries have big amounts of vitamin C and magnesium while being high in antioxidants. Strawberries can reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Q : What are the side effects of consuming Strawberries ?
A: There are generally no side effects of eating strawberries, but if you eat a large quantity, you may experience heartburn, diarrhea, acid reflux or bloating.
What do Strawberries contain ?
100 grams of raw strawberries contain :
- Calories: 32
- Water: 91%
- Protein: 0.7 grams
- Carbs: 7.7 grams
- Sugar: 4.9 grams
- Fiber: 2 grams
- Fat: 0.3 grams
Are phytoestrogens and lignans dangerous ?
Phytoestrogen-rich foods can usually be safely consumed in moderation, as the benefits will likely outweigh the potential risks.
Also, contrary to what most people think, it has been demonstrated in studies that phytoestrogens have no effect on human male sex hormones.
The bottom line
Phytoestrogen is easy to find in a huge variety of plant foods.
In order to boost your estrogen levels, you can moderately incorporate phytoestrogen-rich foods into your diet.
In most cases, there are either no risks or the benefits outweigh the potential risks.
Eating Strawberries in moderation is unlikely to harm you.
