If you are a middle-aged man whose middle is spreading, it may not just be that you are exercising less and eating more, but that you are making too much of female hormone oestrogen.
Although we talk about male and female hormones, we all make both, and we all use testosterone to make oestrogen. This is particularly significant for older men. As we age, we not only make less testosterone, we also turn more of it into oestrogen.
The extra oestrogen encourages more fat to be laid down around the middle-just the place where fat stores are linked with an increase risk of diabetes and heart disease. This sets up a vicious circle.The newly stored fat pumps out more of the enzyme that turns testosterone into oestrogen.
To break the circle, you could exercise to give yourself energy and build muscle-although your reduced testosterone will make that option less appealing. A testosterone supplement which a few doctors prescribe if your level has become very low, may help. You should also stop drinking because having to clear away regular large amounts of alcohol means your liver is less efficient at getting rid of the extra oestrogen.
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