Xenoestrogens - Danger Ahead!

Do a Google search on the word "Xenoestrogen" and you'll get back around 24,000 hits. Now, you may ask yourself "is this something I should know about?" What is a xenoestrogen anyway and should you be concerned?

Basically xenoestrogens are a family of man made chemicals that can enter the body and mimic the action of the hormone estrogen.

As you may know a hormone (such as estrogen) attaches to a receptor on a target cell in your body and exerts its message or causes a biological activity. You only produce a small, required amount of estrogen each day.

Xenoestrogens attach to the same receptors as estrogen and cause the same message or biological activity. Xenoestrogens can also cause the formation of more receptors, amplifying the effect of the message or biological activity. In other words whatever estrogen does (or causes) xenoestrogens can do 100 times greater.

By this stage you may be thinking that xenoestrogens aren't all that good for a body. Correct, go to the head of the class. They aren't good, and that applies to men and women equally. (Men, look down now. See any "man boobs?")

Exposure to xenoestrogens has a negative impact on your body and is linked to (or can cause):

• Early onset of puberty in children (Read more here)

• Endometriosis, uterine fibroids, PMS and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

• Increased fat formation

• Disrupted hormonal cycles and depressed libido

• Lowered testosterone in men and the incidence the of "man boobs"

• And many more....

Where do xenoestrogens come from?

They are all around us, but you can take steps to avoid them. Xenoestrogens are found in:

• Soft plastics such as food containers and cling wrap. The softer the plastic, the worse it is going to be in regards to • leaching these chemicals. These plastics contain a chemical known as phthalates, a compound added to plastic to •

• increase its flexibility.

• Birth control pills - these contain a supra-physiological dose of synthetic estrogen.

• Pesticides and herbicides - just like the ones you spray on the garden (and the farmers spray on your fruit and •

• vegies) to kill the bugs and weeds. There's a reason why the label says to wear protective clothing

• Shampoos, deodorants, soaps and cosmetics that contain paraben or phenoxyethanol - almost all commercially •

• sold products contain them. Oral substances are 90% filtered by the liver. Skin-absorbed substances are 100%

• absorbed by the body, thus, a skin dose is 10 times an oral dose.

• Commercially grown meat products - contain hormones used to fatten the stock for sale.

Top tips to avoid xenoestrogens

While it is impossible to avoid all these toxic chemicals you can help reclaim your heath with these easy steps:

1. Do not reheat (or store) foods in plastic containers or covered in cling wrap. Use glass containers instead.

2. Eat certified organic fruit and vegetables where possible. If you buy from the supermarket then thoroughly wash and dry your fresh produce before you eat them.

3. Buy hormone free of free range animal products whenever possible. Cut off any visible fat from meat before cooking, since chemicals and hormones from the feed collect in the fat. Avoid processed meats, because they have fat ground in.

4. Eat more high fibre, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels' sprouts, and cabbage. They help you excrete excess estrogen

5. Use only natural cleaning and personal hygiene products. Most health food shops have these products.

Seek to expand you knowledge when it comes to your health. Build your health through smart nutritional choices, regular exercise and limit your exposure to toxic chemicals.