progesterone the FORGOTTEN hormone in men
We link progesterone to issues in women, such as menopause, menstruation, and what progesterone does in men. Today, I will discuss the significance of progesterone in men, particularly because it is a precursor to testosterone.
Benefits of progesterone
The intriguing thing about progesterone is that it keeps testosterone levels in check. Progesterone is an anti-inflammatory that also promotes neurogenesis, or the production of new brain cells, which reduces inflammation in the brain.
Progesterone undoubtedly aids in preventing dementia, including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Progesterone also has antidepressant effects, which are some of its impacts on the brain.
However, when a person is younger, progesterone helps preserve muscle strength, boosts sperm production, and is engaged in the immune system.
Progesterone also aids in prostate maintenance and prevents prostate expansion; in fact, finasteride is a synthetic progesterone derivative. Among the actions of that medication and progesterone is the inhibition of the enzyme responsible for the conversion of testosterone into DHT, a stronger form of the hormone.
This may subsequently cause the prostate to enlarge. This medication will help shrink the prostate by blocking that enzyme, but progesterone also does the same thing naturally and without any negative effects. Additionally, progesterone can lower the chance of breast tissue in men.
What causes low levels of progesterone?
How does low progesterone occur? Furthermore, how can we raise the typical levels of progesterone? We can then have more testosterone and other hormones that are related to it.
Cholesterol is the raw ingredient from which all of these steroid hormones are made. This explains the significance of cholesterol, particularly in hormones. Many people take statin medications, which automatically prevent the production of all these vital hormones.
To see how we can improve this entire process, let’s just start at that level and then sort of work our way down.
What is the source of cholesterol? Sardines and organs will provide you with a healthy level of cholesterol. Liver and other fatty meats contain cholesterol. Cheese, but not low-fat cheese, can also contain cholesterol.
Whole milk cheese is what you want since it converts cholesterol into a substance known as pregnenolone.
Pregnenolone
Since pregnenolone really aids in the production of other hormones, it is a happy hormone. Specifically, should you begin taking pregnenolone? I would advise against just diving in and taking it straight immediately.
. if you were to take Pregnenolone as a supplement. and you can get it over the counter it’s very easy to get, but pregnenolone is the precursor that comes right before progesterone, I would always recommend starting out maybe 5 to 10 milligrams.
only, that’s very, very small; you might not need that, but I’m just putting it out there: if you try the cofactors and it’s still not working, maybe you add that a little later.
Cofactors for pregnenolone
To proceed from cholesterol to pregnenolone, you need three cofactors.
No 1 magnesium
People frequently lack magnesium, and taking enough of it can help with low testosterone. The kind of magnesium I would suggest taking is magnesium glycinate, which you can get in avocados and leafy greens. I would suggest taking it before bed to open the door for the entire cascade of hormones to work. dark chocolate with pumpkin seeds.
No 2 Zinc
Simply taking zinc raises testosterone levels in many people. Red meat, oysters, and shellfish are good sources of zinc.
No 3 vitamin B3 niacin
You can take nutritional yeast as a supplement to obtain that. You can benefit your heart by taking the niacin that gives you the meat.
The elements that lead to hormone imbalance
I do want to discuss some of the factors that can block this metabolic pathway at various stages.
The one Statin I mentioned earlier. Statins are infamously harmful because they block hormones.
If you’re on a statin or your doctor wants to prescribe one, I would take a step back and ask yourself, “Why do you really need that?” because it blocks the raw material to create it.There are many cardiologists you can consult, but they strongly oppose statin medications.
If you want to balance your cholesterol and lipid profile, there are many different approaches you can take, but one of them is to simply reduce your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates.
Regretfully, the medical establishment ignores that and instead prescribes a drug to lower cholesterol you better be taking coenzyme Q10; it is very, very, very, very important.
because it depletes a substance called coenzyme Q10, which is one of the major negative effects, and if you don’t, you’ll have issues with your muscles.
There are three other things that will inhibit this whole process.
Number one is chronic stress
How can we reduce stress? One of the main ways that ashwaganda and vitamin B1 can reduce stress is by boosting oxytocin levels. By consuming a specific fermented microbe, you can significantly lessen your stress levels.
No two insulin
Insulin is actually capable of blocking this entire route. This results from eating an excessive amount of refined carbohydrates or sugars.
No three endocrine disruptors
Environmental factors that cause endocrine disruption Things that imitate oestrogen include plastics, chemicals, and heavy metals.
A few strategies can help lessen some of these oestrogenic effects. One is to regularly eat cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, rocket, sprouts, cabbage, sprouts and Brussels, and to acquire a water filter that will filter out some of these plastics.
Vitamin D and hormone balance
Inflammation is the final factor that will stop the entire pathway, and a lot of the inflammation that occurs in the body may be removed by getting enough vitamin D.
As a maintenance, you should take at least 10,000 IU of vitamin D daily. If you have low progesterone or low testosterone, you should also make sure you get enough sunlight to obtain vitamin D. Vitamin D can indirectly increase both progesterone and testosterone by reducing inflammation.
Or simply take a supplement to get the 20,000 IU of vitamin D3 you need each day, which is equivalent to just 40 minutes of summer sun exposure. Although it’s not much, vitamin D will be extremely important for reducing inflammation throughout the body and enabling the action of various chemical pathways, to function in addition to cholesterol alone.
How to boost testosterone
Red meat is at the top of the list of high-quality proteins you should consume if you want to boost testosterone. I’m not simply referring to cattle when I say grass-fed, grass-finished red meat. If you combine lamb with resistance exercise or high-intensity interval training, which will also raise testosterone levels, a couple of times a week is a good option.
One thing about exercise and overtraining is that we may really increase the stimulus to tell the body to produce more testosterone. In the event that you overtrain, your testosterone will be completely destroyed.
Why? We want to engage in intermittent workouts since they raise cortisol levels. You can go for lengthy walks and other activities. For extended periods of time, you should avoid doing moderate or high pulse rates because they are bad for testosterone.