Man boobs, moobs, he-hooters or plain old gynaecomastia (guy-nah-koh-mas-tee-uh); one thing is for sure, they are never going to be a man’s breast friend.
On a serious note we understand that 90% of men will notice a change at some time in their life. 50% of young men going through puberty will experience temporary changes and it is also common in new-born baby boys due to the mother’s hormones passing through the placenta. As men grow older their levels of testosterone drop meaning it is more commonplace to experience these changes. If you combine this alongside a higher level of body fat it is a recipe for manboob disaster.
The NHS recognises that ‘manboobs’ can be due to an imbalance of the two main sex hormones testosterone and oestrogen. Oestrogen is produced both in men and women; in women production happens in the ovaries and in men it is produced in the testes and actually plays an important role in functions such as the production of sperm. Oestrogen, the "female" hormone, makes breast tissue grow, while testosterone, the "male" hormone, has inhibitory effects on breast tissue growth.
Throughout the tissues in the body there is an enzyme called aromatose which will turn testosterone into oestrogen. By inhibiting aromatose we can lower oestrogen and its effects. We can also help by reducing being bombarded by excessive oestrogens by some simple lifestyle changes.
It is also worth noting that aromatose is found in body fat; consequentially those with a higher body fat will produce more; a double D whammy.
Is it a storm in a D-Cup?
Follow our advice below to eliminate or reduce your risk;
- Lower body fat – which clearly is going to have vast other benefits for your health.
- Drop the beer – beer is a fast track to ‘moobs’ as the hops in beer are oestrogenic. If you do fancy a tipple from time to time replace the beer with a glass of a Spanish red wine.
- Reduce stress - stress blocks testosterone. Man boob territory is a stressed, non-sleeping, beer drinking man so find some ways to chillax.
- Get good quality sleep – we recommend typically 7 hours of solid sleep.
- Have less sugar in your diet.
- Eat more cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, water cress, cabbage, bok choy and kale as they detoxify oestrogen.
- Get some resistance training going and ditch the excessive cardio work as it elevates your levels of cortisol which is equals stress.
- Mimimise your exposure to chemical oestrogens – avoid plastic containers for both food and water opting for a stainless steel or glass option, or use BPA free products and definitely no microwaving or heating of plastic with food.
- Avoid processed foods.
- Limit the use of soya.
- Avoid cannabis and steroid use.
- ake a zinc supplement as it is an anti-aromatose and it will also increase testosterone. Be aware that resistance training lowers your zinc levels so a supplement is advisable.
- Gynaecomastia is not related to breast cancer but if you did have any concerns please consult your GP; in 2010 397 men in the UK were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
If you are looking to lose the bosom buddies, then contact the DVCC team who would be happy to help.
