The harmful effects of xenoestrogens

Sometimes I feel like a broken record because all I want to do is stand on a rooftop and scream, “STOP POLLUTING OUR BODIES WITH XENOESTROGENS!!!”

I’m so passionate about this topic because it’s honestly absolutely bullshit that something that has such a BIG impact on our health has been managed to be snuck into so many of our day to day products.

I’ve tried covering the topic of xenoestrogens so many times on my Instagram but the character limit is just not enough to give this pesky little ingredient the attention it deserves. So here we are now and I’m excited to be able to get into all the nitty gritty of xenoestrogens with no word limit in sight!

Okay, I’ll try to keep it from being a novel though because we both know you won’t sit here are read that.

Xenoestrogens are categorized as endocrine disruptors.

Our endocrine system, also known as our hormones, is part of the messenger system in our body that alerts our organs when it’s time to make certain hormones and when to pump the brakes.

If you haven’t been able to tell already, my favorite organ system in the body is the endocrine system. Our hormones are responsible for SO many essential and crucial pathways that keep us alive and functioning. There is never a time when I don’t investigate hormones when a woman comes to see me because it’s THAT important. 

Unfortunately, our hormonal system can easily be thrown off by a lot of our day to day habits and environmental exposures.

Xenoestrogens come into our body and act like exogenous estrogen. They outcompete our estrogen and bind to estrogen receptors, therefore altering our hormonal feedback loops.

Our own endogenous estrogen is produced by our fat cells, adrenals, and the ovaries. Estrogen is a key player in our reproductive health, bone formation, skin, hair, and more!

Estrogen is incredibly important to our health and wellbeing but there’s a lot of things that can happen when we have TOO MUCH estrogen in our bodies. High estrogen has been linked to cancer (specifically breast, prostate, & testicular), obesity, hormonal imbalances, miscarriages, infertility, PMS, fibrocystic breasts, endometriosis, thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, autoimmune disease, and more.

What’s concerning about xenoestrogens is that they come into our body, bind to our receptors, they aren’t biodegradable so they stick around and hang out in our fat cells and make it easier to build up, and we end up having “estrogen dominance” which leaves us vulnerable to all those conditions I mentioned above.

Now estrogen dominance can occur for a variety of reasons so that’s why it’s important to get your hormones tested to identify why. It can be broken down into:

• High estrogen and low progesterone

• High estrogen and normal progesterone

• Normal estrogen and low progesterone

In the case of xenoestrogens, estrogen is usually high on lab testing.

So what are some potential sources of xenoestrogens that we’re being exposed to?

Buckle up for this looooong list:

⇢ Tap water  

⇢ Oral contraceptive pills   

⇢ Plastic food storage (Tupperware, plastic cups, packaged foods)

⇢ Plastic water bottles

⇢ Styrofoam cups

⇢ Beauty products (Parabens, 4-MBC, Benzophenone)  

⇢ Nail polish

⇢ Perfume

⇢ Conventional tampons & pads

⇢ Plastics (BPA, phthalates, PCB, PBDE, DEHP)  

⇢ Canned food

⇢ Soy protein & soy protein isolate 

⇢ Artificial food dyes

⇢ BHA (food preservative)

⇢ Pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, glyphosate  

⇢ Non-organic fruits & vegetables

⇢ Commercially raised meat & dairy products 

⇢ Cleaning products  

⇢ Air fresheners 

⇢ Laundry products  

⇢ Receipts   

⇢ … And there’s probably more I’m missing

I know it can be intimidating to read a list like that. It’s scary. I hope you understand now why I’m passionate about this and why I think it’s so messed up that something that can have such a harmful affect on our bodies is snuck into literally everything.

But that’s why I try to spread awareness.

It’s scary having this knowledge but it’s also important. You don’t need to be perfect but it does make a difference to start making small changes that will reduce your exposure to these products.

Here are some easy ways to start:

⇢ Use a water & shower filter  

⇢ Avoid plastics  

⇢ Buy organic food when possible

⇢ Use non-toxic health & beauty products   

⇢ Use non-toxic cleaning products  

⇢ Invest in glass Tupperware and non-toxic water containers instead of plastic   

⇢ Support liver function, poop regularly, sweat regularly   

I hope this post empowers you to start making changes today!

With love,

Dr. Paria