Hormonal imbalance among women is on the rise nowadays. A major reason is the gradual shift in our lifestyles, that affects hormone levels and quality.
Hormones play a role in every major physiological process. In fact, hormones play their most important role in enabling the reproductive functions of both males and females while also regulating other factors like appetite, weight, mood, the menstrual cycle, ovulation, and pregnancy readiness.
Physiological changes in hormone levels occur with maturation. However, stress, environmental factors, medical conditions, and medications are all causes of hormonal imbalances in women. As hormones play an important role in all bodily functions, imbalances can affect overall health and lifestyle.
Hormonal Imbalance in Women: Balancing Hormones Naturally
The foods you eat have a significant impact on your hormone levels. Maintaining hormonal equilibrium can be aided by eating a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet. Egg yolks, ghee, and fatty fish are examples of foods that are high in protein, iron, vitamins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
Eating well to sustain a healthy weight is also essential. In general, women with a higher BMI are at greater risk for hormonal imbalance. Check out how to restore hormonal balance.
Meanwhile, here's how hormones can be balanced naturally:
1) Exercise Regularly
Exercising regularly is essential for this purpose. When combined with a healthy diet, exercise can help people stay at a healthy weight and reduce risk of developing hormonal imbalances.
Experts agree that regular fitness exercise can alleviate some of the symptoms of diabetes, metabolic disorders, and other conditions caused by hormonal imbalances. Weight loss and improved mood are two additional ways in which exercise can help alleviate the negative effects of menopause.
2) Reduce Stress
Cortisol, a hormone released in response to stress, causes the body to prepare for either flight or fight. The body needs less cortisol than you might think. Increased cortisol production from chronic stress is a major factor of hormonal imbalance.
There are many things you can do to lower your stress levels, such as breathing exercises, cutting back on caffeine, and keeping a journal.
3) Avoid Cosmetics with High Amounts of Chemicals
High exposure to cosmetic products containing endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been linked to cancer, early puberty in girls, and other reproductive abnormalities, as well as disruptions in fertility and menstrual cycles. EDCs are a class of chemicals known as "hormone mimics" because of their ability to enter the body via skin absorption.
Reproductive hormones have been found to be altered by the use of cosmetics in a study involving 143 women aged 18 to 44. When applying anything to your skin, it's best to use products that don't contain any chemicals.
4) Improve Gut Health
There're more than 100 trillion beneficial bacteria in the gut, and they produce numerous metabolites that may have both positive and negative effects on hormone health.
The hormones are kept in check by the microbiome in the gut, which controls insulin resistance and satiety.
Acetic acid, propionate, and butyrate are just a few examples of the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the fermentation of fiber by the gut microbiome. Acetate and butyrate, by increasing energy expenditure, are useful in managing weight and warding off insulin resistance.
Check out here how to get balanced hormones naturally.
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which are produced by some bacteria in the gut microbiome, may raise risk of insulin resistance. The levels of LPS in the blood of obese people appear to be higher than those of normal weight people. Hence, maintaining good gut health can help prevent and treat hormonal imbalances.