Nutritional Imbalances May Be Caused By Your Hormones

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Part 1 of a two part series on Hormonal Imbalance and Weight Loss

Hormonal changes can lead to nutritional imbalances that are directly related to weight gain. Changes in metabolism can make it difficult to lose weight and keep it off. When your hormones are in balance, your metabolism is responsible for maintaining how many calories your body burns when active and at rest. As you age, changes naturally occur in the way that your body produces and uses specific hormones.

A single saliva collection allows MRC to test for hormone imbalances that could be the cause of your weight loss problems.

Estrogen dominance can contribute to weight gain

Referred to as female sex hormones, estrogens are important for sexual and reproductive development mainly in women. Normally you have a lot more progesterone in your body. If the ratio is lost, estrogen dominance can lead to depression, fatigue, painful periods, sensitive breasts and a resistance to losing weight. Saliva hormone testing can uncover hormone imbalances and the presence of estrogen dominance, which can contribute to weight gain and excess belly fat.

Obese men and women have lower DHEA levels

Both men and women naturally produce DHEA in his or her body. The hormone is believed to improve the overall quality of life by playing a major role in over a hundred different metabolic functions. The hormone is produced mainly in the adrenal glands located on top of your kidneys, but also in the testicles, ovaries and brain. Testosterone and estrogen levels in your body depend on DHEA. As you age, there is a natural decline. People suffering with metabolic syndrome like obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes tend to test with lower levels of DHEA when compared to adults of a healthy weight. Scientists also associate low levels of the hormone with inflammatory autoimmune disorders like lupus and arthritis.

Balanced testosterone levels can increase your metabolism

Hormones, especially those affecting growth and behavior, are significant to both men and women, and the levels of hormones change daily, as estrogen and testosterone are secreted in short bursts. Weight loss and other aspects of metabolic syndrome can improve testosterone levels, but only if you can restore hormonal balances. In the traditional sense, crash dieting is one of the worst things you can do for restoring healthy testosterone levels. Changing how and what you eat, as well as choosing the right supplements, can stimulate the natural secretion of hormones to balance estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels. This can increase your metabolism by helping to retain lean muscle mass.

Saliva testing can identify hormonal imbalances

Low levels of the androgens can lead to weight gain and loss of lean muscles that are often replaced with fat. Saliva testing can identify hormonal imbalances of these hormones that may be contributing to weight gain.