Vitamin D And Female Hormones

Vitamin K2 Metabolises Estrogen

Vitamin K2 is a curious vitamin. Research is still ongoing but we so far know that it provides a significant boost for vitamin D production, which, in turn, maintains bone and cardiovascular health.

When taken as a vitamin for hormone balance, however, vitamin K2 is the right solution if youre looking to decrease estrogen dominance.

Studies show that vitamin K2 binds to the estrogen and androgen-converting enzyme 17 beta-HSD, which modulates estrogen metabolism. When estrogen is properly metabolized, less of the hormone remains in the body.

Furthermore, the process inhibits the overproduction of estrogen, which not only lowers the effects of high estrogen in men and women, but is also a potent support in fighting estrogen-related breast cancer.

Folic Acid For Pregnancy And Beyond

Folate, or folic acid â found in leafy greens, brown rice and granary bread â is crucial if youâre thinking about trying for a baby, as itâs needed for preventing birth defects such as spina bifida.

PLOS One

Folic acid supplements could also help balance out hormones as you age by reducing menopausal hot flushes. Researchers think that folate affects the neurotransmitters that are involved in triggering hot flushes.

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Why Women Need Vitamin D

Vitamin D is a bit misnomer. It is not a vitamin it is a hormone naturally created by your body to help maintain a healthy balance in your bodys mental, emotional and physical faculties. Without it, you can experience hormonal imbalances such as:

• Estrogen imbalance. A deficiency in vitamin D can lead to lower estrogen levels, which can cause depression, hot flashes, mood swings, and much more.
• Parathyroid hormone imbalance. A vitamin D deficiency limits your bodys ability to regulate calcium levels, which your parathyroid controls. Lower calcium regulation increases parathyroid production.
• Pituitary imbalance. Abnormal pituitary cell growthand thus pituitary tumorscan stem from a vitamin D deficiency.
• Testosterone imbalance. A vitamin D deficiency in women causes a decrease in testosterone production, which can result in fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, hair loss, and more.

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High Blood Levels Of Vitamin D Linked To Reduced Estrogen And Potentially Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Can taking daily vitamin D supplements decrease sex-hormone levels and thereby potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer in older women?

A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study involving postmenopausal, overweight, and obese women who took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D daily for a year found that those whose vitamin D blood levels increased the most had the greatest reductions in blood estrogens, which are a known risk factor for breast cancer.

These findings, by lead author and postdoctoral research fellow Dr. Caitlin Mason, and senior and corresponding author Dr. Anne McTiernan, both investigators in the Epidemiology Program of the Public Health Sciences Division at Fred Hutch, were published earlier this month in the journal Menopause ahead of the June 2016 print issue.

The randomized, controlled, clinical trial involved 218 women with insufficient vitamin D levels at the beginning of the study. Half of the women were randomly selected to a weight loss program plus daily vitamin D, and half received a weight loss regimen plus a dummy pill, or placebo.

Scientists believe that obese and overweight people have lower levels of vitamin D because the nutrient is stored in fat deposits. A prevailing theory is that during weight loss, the vitamin D trapped in fat tissue is released into the blood and becomes available throughout the body.

Supplements You Should Be Taking After Menopause

Hormonal shifts are responsible for most of the wonderful side effects of menopause, including an increased risk of certain diseases and conditions. When estrogen drops, the risk for osteoporosis and heart disease risesas does the tendency to suffer from symptoms such as hot flashes, mood changes, and vaginal dryness.

To combat this, vitamins and supplements can be a key component of a womans care during and after menopause, but the process of deciding which ones to take can be overwhelming. When it comes to supplements for menopause, there isnt just one pill, says Jacqui Justice, a clinical nutritionist at the NY Health & Wellness Center. Its a process. Its a complex system.

Keep in mind that supplements are not regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, but you can often get a better quality supplement with fewer fillers and more of the key ingredient when you purchase them through a certified practitioner, says Mark Menolascino, MD, a board-certified physician in internal medicine, holistic medicine, and advanced hormone management and anti-aging medicine, and key medical opinion leader at Lycored. Functional medicine practitioners like me use pharmaceutical-grade supplements that have been tested prior to and after manufacture. They are 99% pure, whereas the average retail supplement may be only 1 to 20% pure and full of binders, explains Menolascino. If you work with a practitioner who understands the quality, then there is a huge benefit.

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What Supplement Brand Is Best

In the past Ive recommended products available at health food stores, but I always dreamed of formulating my own supplements that met my extremely high standards. I finally decided to do it when, a few years ago, some of the supplements sold at big-box retailers were outed for not containing the ingredients listed on the label.

I really get peeved when women waste money on health-promoting products that dont work, because that happened to me at the beginning of my hormonal health journey. Its almost impossible to know which brands to trust, and once you find a reliable source, then its time to decide which of their million products to actually purchase.

Id finally had enough of the confusion. So I created Balance by FLO Living, the first and only cycle-syncing supplement set.

The five formulations in Balance by FLO Living provide the essential micronutrient support that you need to balance your hormones. Think of them as your personal insurance policy against endocrine disruptors like stress, coffee, environmental toxins, lack of sleep, and plain-old modern life.

You no longer have to waste money on low-quality supplements or supplements that dont target your unique hormonal profile. Ive formulated all the essential supplements you need to heal your hormones with the highest quality ingredients. The Balance FLO supplement kit is thoroughly researched, rigorously tested, and perfectly suited to meet your needs.

Go With The Flow Helps Female Hormonal Imbalance

Think of this like a multivitamin for hormone balance.

Go With the Flow features a curated blend of adaptogenic herbs and plants that help balance hormones related to PMS, mood swings, menopause, and even PCOS. The formula includes:

• Black cohosh root, a proven relief for vasomotor menopause symptoms such as hot flashes.
• Dong Quai, a root that treats the symptoms of PMS, including mood swings and cramps.
• Chasteberry, a plant that contains hormone-like compounds that help alleviate issues like PCOS, early menopause, and infertility.
• Maca root, a powerful hormone balance herb used to treat depression and fatigue, as well as provide a natural boost for your libido.

Go With the Flow ingredients are 100% plant-based and non-GMO. Theyre highly bioavailable, which means that you can start bringing your hormones back into balance in just a few doses.

The effects of vitamin D on the body are notable. You need it for a range of different functions including:

• Maintaining immunity.
• Preventing weak and/or brittle bones .
• Ensuring good dental development and oral health.

When it comes to this vitamin for hormone imbalance in women, however, its your thyroid that benefits the most. Vitamin D plays an important role in insulin regulation and the production of the thyroid hormones.

Without this vitamin to balance hormones, you could develop both a vitamin D deficiency and hypothyroidism.

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Vitamin D: Get Some Sun

Vitamin D is just as important as calcium for bone health. Without vitamin D, your body cant absorb calcium. Most adults need 600 IU daily. Those 71 and older need 800 IU per day. Vitamin D is in many foods and supplements, but theres another source: the sun.

Tip: You may have heard that your body produces vitamin D when exposed to sun. Thats true, but even small amounts of sun can lead to skin damage. Its best to focus on food and use supplements if you dont get enough in your diet.

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Vitamin D And The Hormone Connection

Want a quick and easy way to boost your health through menopause and beyond? Vitamin D may be your answer. Lets explore how this vitamin affects your hormones, bones, brain and heart health.

As we get older, many of us women start to worry about declining health. Some of the most common things I see women worry about are:

• Loss of vitality

At any age, and especially as we age, one of the most important considerations for good health and vitality is to make sure your vitamin D level is optimal. This vitamin is critical due to its role in disease prevention, growth and development, and proper hormone function.

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Low P450arom Activity And Cyp19 Gene Expression In Gonads Of The Vdr Null Mutant Mice

The activities of P450arom in the ovaries, testes, and epididymides were measured, and the results obtained are shown in . In the ovaries of the wild-type mice, the enzyme activities at 4 and 7 weeks of age were 0.102 ± 0.018 and 0.357 ± 0.048 pmolH2O liberated/min·mg protein, respectively. In the 7-week-old heterozygous mice, the activity was 0.295 ± 0.035 . No significant difference was found between the VDR+/+ and VDR+/ mice in P450arom activity. Samples from the VDR+/+ and VDR+/ female mice at 7 weeks of age were obtained at the time of estrus, as evidenced by labial swelling and reddening of vaginal membranes. The VDR null mutant female mice never showed such a genital appearance. P450arom activity in the 7-week-old VDR/ mice was 0.087 ± 0.011 . This value was 24.4% of that in the 7-week-old VDR+/+ mice and was similar to that in the 4-week-old VDR+/+ mice .

As shown in , P450arom activity in the testes of 10-week-old VDR+/+ mice was 0.354 ± 0.020 pmolH2O liberated/h·mg protein , which is approximately 1/60th the value in the ovaries of 7-week-old VDR+/+ female mice. P450arom activity in the testes of 10-week-old VDR/ mice was 0.207 ± 0.028 pmolH2O liberated/h·mg protein. This level was 58.5% of that in 10-week-old VDR+/+ mice . In the epididymis, the level of P450arom activity in 10-week-old VDR/ mice was 0.225 ± 0.049, which was 34.6% of that in VDR+/+ mice .

Table 1.

A Practical Alternative To Estrogen

This study suggests that vitamin D supplementation may be a practical alternative to estrogen-lowering drugs for overweight and obese women to reduce their breast cancer risk, McTiernan said.

âMedications to lower blood estrogens, such as aromatase inhibitors, reduce the risk of developing breast cancer in women at increased risk, but those medications are expensive and can have adverse effects,â she said. âSo itâs important to identify other ways to safely lower blood estrogens for all women.

âWeâve shown in the past that weight loss significantly lowers blood estrogens. Now we know that vitamin D can add to that, but only if a woman takes enough of it to increase her vitamin D blood levels to a normal range,â she continued.

The optimal circulating range of vitamin D is thought to be between 20 and 50 ng/ml. Blood levels lower than that may be inadequate for bone health and levels higher than that are associated with potential adverse effects, such as an increased risk of kidney stones.

There is no consensus, however, regarding the optimal blood level of vitamin D necessary for lowering sex hormones, Mason said. âWe saw benefit for the women whose levels increased the most, but we donât know whether we might have seen even more benefit had the women taken more vitamin D or had increased their blood levels to a higher threshold.â

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Can Vitamin D Impact Female Hormones

Okay, so Ive explained how low levels of vitamin D could be linked to lower levels of testosterone, but what about female sex hormones like oestrogen and progesterone? Well, according to one recent study, high doses of vitamin D could actually lower your levels of these hormones!

The trial in question actually tested women in different seasons some participants were monitored during summer and others were observed during the winter months. These women were all given an extremely high dose of vitamin D and it was found that this supplement was capable of lowering their progesterone levels by 10% and their oestrogen levels by 3%.2

Now, if youre going through the menopause , then this might sound quite alarming! Please bear in mind, though, that this was an exceptionally high dose on average, the daily recommendation for vitamin D generally sits at 400-600IU a day.

Its also worth noting that our Menopause Expert Eileen extols the virtues of vitamin D for menopause symptoms such as joint pain or poor immune function. Plus, if you do turn your back on vitamin D, symptoms of a deficiency will only aggravate any pre-existing menopause symptoms like fatigue and create a whole new list of problems.

What Is Hormone Imbalance

Hormones are the vital chemicals that control many of the bodys vital functions, including reproduction, growth and development, heart rate, metabolism, sleep cycles – the list goes on.

In this regard, our body needs hormonal shifts to carry on.. For example, after a meal, your pancreas produces insulin to regulate your fats, carbohydrate, and protein levels. Similarly, when youre dealing with a stressful situation, your adrenal glands produce cortisol to increase glucose in the blood, as a response to the stressor.

These are all healthy hormone fluctuations that you dont even notice in your daily life.

Its when there is an imbalance of a specific hormone, that you experience hormone imbalance symptoms.

These symptoms can be light at first, such as a slight headache or bloating. If left untreated, though, they can become more intense and cause trouble sleeping, low libido, unexplained weight changes, and fatigue.

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Recommended Daily Intake Of Vitamin D For Female

If you have a confirmed vitamin D deficiency, your doctor will likely prescribe vitamin D supplements. The USDA recommends a minimal dose of 600 IU of vitamin D daily for adults under 70 years of age, and 800 IU of vitamin D daily for adults over age 70.For optimal health and wellness, however, we typically recommend that adults receive 5,000-15,000 IU/day of vitamin D, depending on their blood test results. Women who are taking vitamin D supplements should be monitored by an experienced physician to ensure their blood levels stay in the optimal range.

Choose Dark Chocolate For Magnesium And Other Health Benefits

Last but certainly not least dark chocolate makes our magnesium-rich list of foods! According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, dark chocolate even contains prebiotic fiber, perfect for supporting gut health.

Its also rich in antioxidants, as well as the minerals copper, manganese, and iron. Yes, dark chocolate can be a gals best friend!

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What Happens If I Have Too Little Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is common in the UK, probably due to lifestyle changes and lack of sun exposure. If you have severely low vitamin D levels you are unable to maintain an adequate concentration of calcium in your blood for bone growth. This causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. As the role of vitamin D as a regulator of other functions throughout the body has emerged, it has been suggested that a lack of vitamin D is linked to an inability to fight infections effectively, muscle weakness, fatigue and the development of diabetes, certain cancers, multiple sclerosis, depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke, although the direct relevance and mechanisms underlying these responses remain unknown.

Oily fish such as sardines, mackerel and salmon are good dietary sources of vitamin D. Calcium can be found in cows milk and dairy products. In the UK, foods such as breakfast cereals and margarine are fortified with vitamin D. Adequate exposure to sunlight is important, especially between April and October, for around 15 minutes daily. Public Health England recommends vitamin D supplements are taken by people in at risk groups .

Diabetes The Immune System Cancer And Vitamin D

Here are a few others areas of our health that vitamin D plays a critical role.

• Having a low vitamin D level can double the risk of diabetes, in susceptible individuals.
• It is also associated with increased insulin resistance, a prediabetic state. For proper metabolism of your sugars and starches, vitamin D is necessary.
• Vitamin D is also important in regulating the immune system, and is being studies in relationship to autoimmune disease. This is especially true in multiple sclerosis, a disease where the nervous system is attacked. Higher levels of vitamin D were found to have a protective effect in Caucasian subjects. Vitamin D is being looked at as part of a treatment regimen for some immune dysfunctions.
• There are also some indications that vitamin D can reduce cancer. One study found lower death from colorectal cancer when the levels were above 80 nmol/L compared to those below 50 nmol/L. Low levels of vitamin D are often found in women with breast cancer and those with lower levels are observed to have more aggressive tumors and metastasis more often.

As more studies are done, the far reaching benefits of adequate vitamin D are being uncovered.

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