Hormonal Issues
Why do women usually have a more difficult time losing weight? Part of the reason is due to hormones. Before we explain the hormone phenomenon, you must first realize that this is NOT an excuse for being overweight! As we all know, eating too much, eating the wrong foods, and not exercising all contribute significantly to weight gain. But for now let’s take a look at the hormone connection:

There are generally two hormones that cause an increase in fat production and storage: Insulin and Estradiol.

When a patient comes to Caring Medical for a natural medicine consultation for weight loss we check insulin hormone levels in addition to Hauser Diet Type to determine the appropriate diet for each person’s individual body.

Estradiol is checked in most of our patients as well as a part of the hormone panel.

Insulin is made by the pancreas in response to sugar in the blood. All food is eventually broken down to simple sugar; therefore insulin is secreted in response to all food being eaten. Blood sugar levels are generally elevated when a person eats a significant amount of sugar, breads, pastas, grains, and other starchy foods. Insulin is consequently secreted to remove these large amounts of sugar from the blood. If the pancreas must continually secrete insulin to bring the blood sugar down, the body will begin to become insulin-resistant and may eventually become diabetic.

The best way to lower insulin levels is by eating more protein and less simple carbohydrates. Please beware, however, that eating too much of any food, can raise insulin levels.

This hormone is a key principle for anyone trying to lose weight - keep insulin levels low! Insulin helps the body store fat. For the person desiring to decrease his/her percent body fat, keep insulin levels down. It is that simple. Checking your insulin levels in conjunction with Diet Typing will help you figure out what you should be eating.

High estradiol levels
For many women, the problem may not just be related to insulin, but estradiol, one of the female estrogens. The woman with high estradiol levels often has many of the problems that come with this hormone including: menstrual cramps, water retention, irregular menses, fibrocystic breast disease, menstrual headaches, migraine headaches, chronic pain, poor musculoskeletal healing, and weight problems. High estradiol levels also place the woman at higher risk for cancer including breast, uterine, cervical, and ovarian cancer.

Estradiol is lowered by a low fat, high vegetation diet. This is the classic vegetarian diet, except remember that a diet of too many carbohydrates may contribute to elevated Insulin levels. Leaner sources of protein are incorporated into this diet including fish, chicken, turkey, and soy products, especially Tofu. It is best to get Diet Typing in conjunction with Estradiol levels so that the perfect diet can be determined for your individual case.

Food can be a huge impact on a woman’s health. Through Diet Typing you will be able to see your unique physiology, and through hormone testing we will be able to fine tune the perfect diet for you!