Hormone metabolism and regain

Is ineffective hormone metabolism causing regain?  You can listen below or check out the audio transcript.

Dawn (00:00):

Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell, and today we are going to be discussing hormones and regain and just how they were all interconnected. So today’s topic… Is ineffective hormone metabolism causing regain. So hormone metabolism when working inefficiently can lead to weight. Regain hormones are just chemical messengers produced by our glands that instruct our organs and our systems in the body how to function. And the main female hormones are estrogen and progesterone.

Dawn (01:00):

And the main male hormones are known as androgens, which includes testosterone. Females have small amounts of testosterone and males have small amounts of estrogen. But for this conversation, we are going to be focused on female hormone metabolism and how it relates to regain. So when it comes to sex hormones, it’s really all about balance. And a matter of fact hormone metabolism involves several different body systems.

Dawn (01:25):

And I’m hoping that’s what you will see is that these things are all interwoven. And when any one of these systems aren’t functioning properly, then your hormone metabolism is going to be impaired, which would lead to regain. Estrogen is really complex and it plays a fundamental role in reproduction, cardiovascular health as well as like skeletal and central nervous systems. Really more specifically it impacts our energy balance and expenditures, glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity as they actually regulate estrogen actually regulates insulin secretion.

Hormone metabolism and inflammation

Dawn (02:15):

It impacts adipose tissue or our fat cells, our liver immune cells, our skeletal muscle, like our ability to make muscle and the prevention of lipid accumulation and inflammation. So that’s a lot. That’s a, it covers a lot of things. It’s super important to our overall health and you know, the more we learn about menopause, and the more this is studied, we really do understand that there’s a lot involved with sex hormones and their metabolism.

Dawn (02:52):

So a, a good example is estrogen deficiency promotes metabolic dysfunction and it predisposes us to obesity, metabolic syndrome and type two diabetes. So pretty big deal. And all of those as we can, you know, understand is it’s going to lead to regain. So you can see that our, the hormone metabolism is super impactful when it comes to weight regain. So that’s why understanding just how your body systems are connected and how they influence one another, cause you can’t just focus on one thing.

Dawn (03:25):

You have to do the package deal. What if you thought about, Hey, I’m gonna optimize all of these things that influence my hormone metabolism so that I can optimize my ability to reverse any regain. So that’s where we’re going and that’s what I want you to see. And pay attention and, and just kind of listen and observe and apply it to your life.

Six hormone metabolism inefficient leading to regain

Dawn (04:10):

And, you know, depending on where you’re at in life, what season of life you’re in you may realize that hey some of these things are influencing my ability to really be able to lose the weight like I’m wanting to or lose the regain like I was hoping to. So let’s, let’s explore six contributors that can make hormone metabolism inefficient leading to regain. So number one is detoxification. Number two is methylation. No. three is oxidative stress. Number four is inflammation. And number five, gut bacteria. And number six, stress.

Dawn (05:05):

 I’m sure if you’ve listened to any of my podcasts in the past, you are probably noticing a theme of, you know, you’re learning about some of these body systems in many different aspects, and applied in different ways. So that is where I think that will help you the most in helping you put these puzzle pieces together because, you know, you may not have detoxification issues, but your family member may or your friend may and maybe you don’t have methylation issues but you have detoxification issues.

Dawn (05:44):

So all of these things are, you know, connected and, you know, optimizing all of them is really putting the odds in your favor to reverse any regain that you have experienced. So let’s talk about detoxification’s impact on hormone metabolism for regain. Detoxification is just the body’s way of getting rid of toxins that would otherwise kind of build up and interfere with our health. And the liver is the main site of whole body detoxification. But actually every cell has its own toxin, eliminating processes to help keep it clean, healthy, and working well. So I actually talk about liver detoxification in a podcast and I’ll put the links in the show notes so that you have those as well. So that you can review more deeply the three different phases of detoxification. But I’m gonna give you a brief highlight and phase one.

Three phases of detoxification

Dawn (06:57):

So we have three phases of detoxification, and in phase one, your body just breaks down the toxins that your body actually makes. Your body makes toxins and and then any toxins that you’re exposed to. So your bo.. It’s going to your body’s gonna, in phase one, you’re gonna break down the toxin that your body makes and that you’re exposed to. And in some cases, some toxins are actually made to be more toxic in phase one. So phase one you kind of want that to go at a slow pace. So it’s breaking it down slowly and then you quickly want phase two to be Johnny on it and right on top of this toxin, especially if it’s even more actively toxic. It can break it down and kind of neutralize it. Which is what phase two detoxification does.

Dawn (07:58):

It takes those toxic compounds, breaks them down further and neutralizes the toxins. And then phase three is where your body eliminates the toxins. So it’s eliminated in our bile through our feces. So the bile will kind of capture toxins and take it out in your poop. And then your kidneys will take it out in your urine. And then your skin takes it out through sweat. So that’s why your bariatric team wants you working out. cause you are supporting your livers detoxification pathways.

Dawn (08:25):

So even if you say you do have detox issues this will help support that and that’s why your dietitian wants you pooping. Well, because we want you getting rid of the toxins and we don’t want you constipated. We want you pooping daily multiple times.. At least once a day. Because this will help remove those. And you’ll see in a little bit how that impacts your ability to manage hormones and the metabolism of some hormones are impacted, be and get reabsorbed.

Liver detoxification impact your sex hormones?

Dawn (09:13):

So how does liver detoxification impact your sex hormones? First off, your liver is responsible for actually regulating the balance of sex hormones, thyroid, adrenal, all of those hormones. And it it’s also responsible for removing, removing any excess hormones from the body. Like we discussed in those phases. So, and like all organs in our body, your liver can be impacted by many factors and this can be drinking too much alcohol, infections, medications, having a fatty liver and of course genetics. And all of these can influence or lead to your liver not functioning optimally. And again, then it results in poor hormone metabolism that leads to regain. This may also prevent your liver from properly removing estrogen at its normal rate and this means estrogen metabolism may be inadequate and get reabsorbed in the body and this is what leads to hormone imbalances.

Dawn (10:30):

So, not to be discounted is your genetics and of course genetics are really. At the root of all of our body systems and it’s kind of like the map. It’s telling our body how to manage things and what to turn on and what to turn off and by these different body processes. So your genetics play a role in how estrogen metabolism works. And so there are many genetic SNPs that influence your hormone metabolism. So I’m gonna name a few cause there are several here.

Enzyme metabolizes and endogenous compounds

Dawn (10:55):

I will name them, they will mean nothing to you, I’m sure unless you’ve had genetics done. The genetic test that I use we test all of these that are.. That impacts your hormones and can give you personalized feedback on your ability to manage your sex hormones appropriately. So that you have the best health. And to decrease any odds of future health problems. Especially when it comes to hormones. You know, the cancer is the big.

Dawn (11:52):

Piece for females with estrogen. So here are the genetic SNPs that can influence hormone metabolism. COMT, and then we have CYP7A1. Then we have GSTM1, CYP1A1, CYPB1, MNSOD, the SULT1A1, SHBG, CYP2C19. And then NQO1, MTHFR, GSTT1, GSTP1, CYP3A4, EPHX1, and CYP19A1. And that’s so mouthful. For sure. But they all play a role in hormone metabolism, either through liver detoxification or another body system. So for an example, so I’m not gonna give an example of every one of these. This would take forever but I’m gonna give you a couple examples so you understand how it is influenced.

Dawn (13:03):

So the CYP1A1 enzyme metabolizes endogenous compounds. So these are the things these are the compounds that your body makes or the toxins that your body makes. Such as estrogen, estradiol, melatonin and inflammatory mediators. And those that have the G allele have a six to 12 fold higher enzymatic activity resulting in the increase of estradiol and estrone. And it’s specifically the 17B or beta estradiol and estrone. So, which may not mean anything to you per se with those specific, but just think of just estrogen. It’s going to increase those estrogens. So we have a few different estrogens. Estro, estradiol and esterone are a couple that I’m mentioning. So then an additional one an additional genetics SNP is the comp gene. COMT actually slows the process of turning the hydroxy-estrogen into the methoxy-estrogen.

Estrogen activity and estrogen dominance

Dawn (14:24):

And this results in a buildup of more of these hydroxy estrogens and estrogens in general. And when the levels get too high, then estrogens overflow and they increase and increase the tissue saturation with estrogens. This leads to increased estrogen activity and conditions like estrogen dominance . So pretty significant piece that you can’t ignore. So if you know you have the COMT gene you know, that estrogen, that whole process of estrogen has been slowed down. And think of it this way, if your you know, phase two detoxification pathway is not optimal.

Dawn (15:02):

And it’s causing issues or additionally adding problems then again you are accumulating estrogen at a rate that is not going to be helpful for your health. So kind of in a nutshell, when your liver is overburdened or your genetics are impairing liver detoxification, this will result in poor breakdown of hormones and slows down your metabolism, your metabolic rate, leading to regain.

Dawn (15:53):

So again, this is a big deal. And I so wish that conventional medicine was better at recognizing female hormones and even male hormones. They have done very little for peri- menopause and menopausal women outside of hysterectomies, birth control pills and has yeah, just telling us that this is, this is life. This is what we get to deal with. So I think as females we have to ban together and expect more and demand more because we deserve to have a healthy vibrant life and to not be so how, how do I wanna say it, maybe even feel broken when you go through this season of life. It’s not it should not be expected or allowed. We should demand better attention to these pathways. And this is, I will say, this is how you can help yourself.

Anti-inflammatory and hormone metabolism

Dawn (17:04):

And that’s where, you know, applying a lot of my strategies with anti-inflammatory things, balancing your blood sugar, get your gut bacteria in order, and all of those things you are optimizing your body’s ability to handle and metabolize or that whole hormone metabolism is improved when you are doing these things. So when you hear me preaching about vegetables and fiber and you know, polyphenols and resistant starch. This is why. These are the things that are influencing detoxification pathways, hormone pathways, methylation, all of that is all together. They all work together.

Dawn (17:52):

So you, there are things you can do to get yourself in a great place. So if you do need additional help on top of that, your body’s ready, you’ve gotten it ready to the point you’ve done as much as you can do, and now you need some support. Then you enlist the support of maybe some hormone therapy that more bio identical options and that, you know, gives you the necessary tools you need to feel your best. And to not feel like you’re going backwards at this season of life.

Dawn (18:31):

So, so let’s move into how methylation influences hormone metabolism and regain. So methylation is a biochemical process, making sure every cell is functioning optimally. And methylation is not just responsible for how we repair our genetic material, but it also is impacting how we make energy, how we respond to stress, how we handle inflammation, how well our cells detoxify, and how our brain chemistry works. And then it, in most importantly I will say methylation is the process involved in actually turning genes on and off. Pretty big deal.

Mental health and genetic pieces

Dawn (19:02):

So why this isn’t I guess prioritized is always confusing to me. And even addressed or even acknowledged. So most I would say now I would say in the mental health arena that is becoming different. There are many psychiatrists that will do gene site testing so that they understand what types of prescription medications to utilize based on your genetics. And which is awesome cause the mental health area, we need that type of support because we are also different.

Dawn (19:58):

You can’t use the same formula or medication formula or lifestyle formula for every single patient who is experiencing anxiety and depression and psychosis and, you know, all kinds of mental health crisis. So you have to personalize it because we need the genetic piece to dial it in a little bit tighter. So now specifically hormones, neurotransmitters and co enzymes require methylation to be manufactured. And more specifically, these are things like co-enzyme Q10, glutathione, melatonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, creatinine, cysteine, taurine and phosphatidylcholine. That’s pretty important. So melatonin, that’s our sleep. Dopamine and serotonin, those are our happy and reward hormones, we need those. And then cysteine and taurine are amino acids. So you can see. In glu.. Glutathione is our master antioxidant. So methylation is an important piece that you have to acknowledge and gather that information.

Dawn (21:26):

And again, when I do the 3×4 genetic test, that is, we look at your methylation pathways, and it’s not just MTHFR we’re looking at all of the methylation pathways. So there are several that are included, so that can be another discussion. In one study they observed moderate but significant negative associations between sex hormones and DNA among women with low folate levels and also among women who did not use multivitamins. So not to mention that the impact of methylation role in turning genes on or off, if your methylation is not functioning optimally, this could turn on disease states that could lead to regain. So obesity is a disease. You don’t want these genes, you don’t want the obesity genes turned on. You don’t want sweet craving genes turned on. Do not want you know, the anything that triggers your appetite.

Stress connection to hormone metabolism

Dawn (22:39):

We don’t want those turned on. So again, this is why methylation needs to be evaluated and understood and then optimized. You have to optimize this by first your food and your nutrition and lifestyle. Those are all great ways to influence it. Next is oxidative stresses connection to hormone metabolism and regain and oxidative stress is the human equivalent of rusting. And I have discussed that along with methylation recently. So you can find those in additional podcasts and blog posts and YouTube videos. But the impact of all exposures over time results in damage to our cells. So the more oxidative stress you have over the course of your life is where you damage your cells. And there are actually several genetic SNPs that cross pathways. And oxidative stress is one of them. For example, the GSTM1, then NQO1, the GSTT1, MNSOD

Dawn (23:50):

GSTP1 SNPs are all hormone metabolism, detoxification and oxidative stress pathways. All of those have those same genetic st..SNPs that are influenced in each of those pathways. So you can see how it’s just all interwoven. That’s not like they’re isolated in one way. That’s why you don’t treat just the SNP. You treat the pathways. Because you can’t just treat the hormone pathway and not think about the inflammation pathway or your detoxification pathways or your oxidative stress pathways because they’re going to cross paths and they all impact each other.

Dawn (24:02):

And, you know, doing a genetic test, it actually highlights the ones that are, you know, at a higher risk of being a significant influence in your overall health. Now in one study they stated obesity is certainly associated with a series of endocrine and metabolism alterations, in particular the metabolism of sex hormones, which would be your estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and then as well as insulin, insulin growth factor, adipokines, which are just the hormones produced by fat cells.

Metabolism of sex hormones and chronic inflammation

Dawn (25:15):

So that is another piece that I’m not even addressing in this conversation. Your fat cells actually produce more estrogen. So making it that estrogen level even more. As well as it impacts inflammation. So there is very strong evidence linking obesity to cancer through the alteration of the metabolism of sex hormones and chronic inflammation. So the, when you have your, you know, poor hormone metabolism combined with chronic inflammation sets you in a bad place, it puts you in a an area that puts you at a higher risk for developing things like cancer, it doesn’t mean you will, but it can. And so that’s where one, you know, paying attention to that methylation.

Dawn (26:22):

So we’re not turning those things on or off or we’re turning off the right things and we’re turning on the, the right ones as well. So then we know that we’re managing all of that. But there is clear evidence that weight loss is able to positively influence all of these mechanisms. So optimizing your hormone metabolism, detoxification, oxidative stress and methylation pathways can help you lose regain. So all of those things will determine how effectively your body can lose any regain and get your health back in order.

Dawn (27:02):

Okay, so the next one is inflammation and hormone metabolism and regain. And actually we all realize that inflammation is just a normal automatic immune response to injury, irritation or infection, right? We all realize that. So it’s actually protective by design. So not all inflammation is bad. It’s turns bad when it’s left unchecked. And then long-term chronic inflammation lead to conditions like arthritis, eczema, irritable bowel syndrome, autoimmune conditions, and several disease states like obesity. So again, inflammation is not bad in and of itself, it’s just when it doesn’t, you don’t give it a break, there’s no break with it.

Gut bacteria and hormone metabolism

Dawn (27:52):

It just continues and continues. We keep fueling the fire. Is really a good way to think of it. Think of it as a, you know, inflammation is a low-grade fire and dependent on how much fuel you’re adding to the fire based on your oxidative stress, your hormone metabolism, your gut bacteria, your methylation. Dependent on all those will be dependent on the.. How extreme the inflammation is being influenced.

Dawn (28:25):

So how is hormone metabolism influencing, regain? So let’s kind of dig into that a little bit. Estrogens have anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory roles. And it’s kind of dependent on a few factors like intracellular metabolism of estrogens and concentrations of estrogens are just a few things that kind of impact or determine if it’s going to be anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory. But as estrogens lower, so think menopause. Many experience increased infl.. Inflammation which you know, can happen at any stage during menopause. So you know, if you’re in that season of life. That’s where you can have a little more achy joints and pain because of that estrogen lowering effect that’s happening. So again, supporting estrogen metabolism and optimizing all aspects that influence estrogen can help reverse regain. Next let’s dive into gut bacteria and how it influences hormone metabolism and weight regain.

Dawn (29:50):

So if you have a history of antibiotic use or constipation problems, estrogen can become de- conjugated and reabsorbed and then reactivated in the blood leading to too much estrogen. And then additionally, kind of wide swings in serotonin. So not the hormone kind of picture you’re hoping for. Research shows that the microbiome modify systemic estrogen levels. So your gut bacteria have the ability to influence your estrogen. And the Cleveland Clinic recently identified differences in the microbiome of breast cancer patients showing a profound difference in bacteria.

Bifidobacterial and beta-glucuronidase

Dawn (30:26):

So we know that those individuals that do have breast cancer have very different gut bacteria. And that is where they are trying to learn more about how is this impacting your outcomes with cancer. So then there’s also a genetic SNP the FUT2. FUT2 gene influences the bifidobacteria. And bifidobacteria is a gut bacteria that’s responsible for the metabolism of anti-cancer compounds found in cruciferous vegetables.

Dawn (31:28):

So helpful to know if you have a gene that’s going to support that and help you nourish that naturally through your genetics. And then another consideration is beta-glucaronidase. And beta-glucaronidase is actually found in your stool. We can do it on the GI map stool test and it can indicate unfavorable metabolic changes in the colon. So and it can, you know, indicate dysbiosis, so an imbalance in your gut bacteria and interference with phase two detoxification in the liver. And if you remember when I was talking about the three phases of detoxification, phase two is when you’re taking that.. All those highly toxic compounds and breaking them down and neutralizing them. So that’s the phase that you want to be quickly taking that up. And it can interfere so that beta-glucaronidase can interfere with that.

Dawn (32:37):

Detoxification, that phase two detoxification in the liver, which you do not want. And this usually indicates that you’re, you are having, so if you have a stool level, a high beta-glucaronidase, then that is usually an indication that you are having problems detoxifying estrogen. So again, you have multiple ways to understand your body by doing a stool test or by doing a genetic test. It’s answers, but again, not everybody needs a stool test and a genetic test to, to optimize these levels. Why can’t you optimize these levels? And if you’re still having issues, then do a genetic test or then do a stool test because just fixing the things that you can control didn’t correct the problem.

Estrogen pathways and genetic SNP’S

Dawn (33:16):

So then let’s dig deep, let’s dig deeper and let’s figure out what is driving this. Why am I struggling with these different problems with my health. With hormone metabolism or with regain is it my liver because is it the phase two detoxification because I have some genetic SNPs that impair or have a deletion of a genetic SNP that is impairing that phase two detox pathway. And now I have too much estrogen and my body is sucking it away into fat stores.

Dawn (34:07):

Again, not going to help when you have regained. Those are the opposite things that you want to happen. So again, it’s, it’s again, you have to really look at the big picture and all these body systems working together because you can’t just focus on one thing and not, not inter interweave the others. They are all connected. And then lastly, stress. So how does stress influence your hormone metabolism and regain? Now we all know stress is pretty impactful in so many things in our life. So it’s probably no surprise that hormone metabolism can be easily disrupted by stress. And in fact the estrogen pathways the genetic SNPs COMT.. COMT, CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP3A4, CYP2C19, and CYP1B1. 

Dawn (35:25):

So stress slows this pathway down. And this is where you have difficulties with your hormone metabolism. And you’ll have have abnormal hormone levels. So this is why I want you to not ignore stress. And this is why I’m always weaving in stress into every aspect of what I talk about because it is really that big of a deal. It really does matter when it comes to your overall health. Cause it disrupts so many, it disrupts your gut bacteria, it and it disrupts your hormone metabolism and it’s definitely going to impact your ability to lose any regain.

Hormone metabolism and hormone balance

Dawn (36:06):

So you can’t ignore this. So implementing strategies for stress management, you have to learn. You have to get this piece. You have to regulate your nervous system to have hormone balance. To have your hormones to have maximum hormone metabolism or optimal hormone balance. When it comes to regain you, these are all connected.

Dawn (36:48):

So this is why it’s so important. So your nervous system is an important piece and having a practice that you one can identify, Oh my gosh, I feel anxious. Oh, I’m panicky, Oh, I’m just overwhelmed. You have to identify what you’re feeling. So this, this is where it gets complicated for people because you have to be quiet. You have to put away the phones and the laptops and the TVs and be quiet with yourself. This is why being in nature without all those things gives you time to think. Moving your body really gets you thinking.

Dawn (37:16):

So this is where you can really kind of identify, hey, you know, I am experiencing stress more than I ever realized. And some of it is just some, you’re stuck in patterns, your nervous system is stuck. And you don’t even realize it. You are trudging through, especially women are awful at recognizing this. Me included, I’m not to be discounted in this. But we’re awful at self-care when it comes to this type of stuff.

Influencing detoxification and hormone metabolism

Dawn (38:14):

It’s easier to manage and micromanage our household than it is to be quiet with ourself and say, Holy crap. I’m stuck in fight or flight. I’m actually stuck in some trauma and I have some issues I need to address. So this is why you have to not be afraid. Or at some point, at some point you have to come to the realization that I need that awareness around my nervous system. And how is this influencing my body systems? How is this influencing my detoxification, my hormone metabolism, my gut bacteria, my methylation?

Dawn (38:56):

Because I’m telling you, it impacts all of those pathways. No matter what, no matter how perfectly you eat. Stress will derail all of it. You can lose all the effort that you have put forth with eating perfectly, taking all of your vitamins, drinking all of your water, exercising, doing everything perfectly, and not having stress management principles in place, or recognizing your nervous system being out of balance.

Dawn (39:44):

It will make it like you’re not doing any of those things for yourself on paper. So, if your doctor looked at things, they’re gonna say. Ugh, why is your blood sugar so elevated? Well, huh, guess I wasn’t thinking about my stress. Why is your cholesterol so elevated?, Why is your blood pressure so elevated? , You name it. Just go down the list of any health condition and stress will make it worse.

Stress management and hormone metabolism

Dawn (40:16):

So that’s why I preach so much on stress management and when you’re ready, you will hear it. And until then, just keep listening and one day it’s going to click something in your life will change and it will click and you’ll be like, What the heck?, Why have the blindfolds been lifted? And I can now see what I am what’s happening, why I am where I’m at. So to kind of wrap this all up, you can see, and I’ve said this many times, all of these pathways cross paths, they influence each other.

Dawn (40:59):

Your hormone metabolism is influenced by your methylation, detoxification, oxidative stress, inflammation, gut bacteria, of course stress. So if you really want to put the odds in your favor to lose, regain or prevent it. If you’ve just had surgery and you don’t want to regain weight. I’m telling you this is how you do it. You implement these strategies to optimize all of these pathways in all of these areas and that will get your health in kind of an optimal place and then regain will not be an issue.

Dawn (41:16):

So I hope you guys have enjoyed this and I really hope that this has hit home and I hope that this has given you some information to have a conversation with your health practitioner. I would love for you to reach out. I would love to connect with you. I’d love to work with you and help you work through these. And apply diet and lifestyle strategies, learn how to build a, a food foundation and a nervous system foundation that you can implement any strategy.

Conclusion

Dawn (42:16):

You could do any, you know, GI map stool test or 3×4 genetics if you needed to. Hopefully you won’t need to, but if you do, you’re going to be in an awesome place. You know, if we, especially if we work on your gut bacteria, including those. Your foods and by balancing your blood sugar and you know, fix your gut bacteria, balance your blood sugar and balance your nervous system. All of those things are kind of a foundation, the foundations that I focus on. And then we apply this personalized plan so that you can be more in tune with what you need.

Dawn (50:00):

And that gives you very, a very personalized program to follow. So if you feel like, hey, that’s me, I need that help, you’ve got to reach out. And let’s connect so that we can get you in a better place that your hormone metabolism is maximized. And optimized so that regain is not an issue. You guys have a great day and we’ll see you next time. Bye-Bye.

Your future health awaits…