Can you change your estrogen metabolites by exercising?

What would be the benefits of changing your estrogen metabolites?

Certain estrogen metabolites are related to a higher risk for estrogen related diseases. Breast cancer is one of those diseases.

If you could change the ratio between the harmless metabolites and the ones related to an increased risk for estrogen related problems you would be better off.

The reviewed research investigated if exercise could do that since exercise has shown to reduce the risk for breast cancer.(Smith AJ,et.al.,2013).

The participants were healthy young women who were divided into either an exercise group doing 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise 5 days a week or a sedentary control group. The study went on for approximately 16 weeks.

Estrogens and estrogen metabolites were measured,and the rates of the different metabolites were calculated. The change from the baseline measurements increased significantly in the exercise group for 2-OHE1/16α-OHE1 which is the ratio of the estrogen metabolites associated with a decreased risk for estrogen related diseases. This change was not seen in the control group.

The researchers concluded that this may be the mechanism by which increased physical activity is decreasing the risk for breast cancer.

Smith AJ¹, Phipps WR, Thomas W, Schmitz KH, Kurzer MS. The effects of aerobic exercise on estrogen metabolism in healthy premenopausal women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2013 May;22(5):756-64. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-12-1325.

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.