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Hmmm I'm not taking credit for this, it was on a longevity web site, but it proves a point. It's in nice and simple plan English with no scientific mumbo jumbo.
Almost any woman who has ever gone on a ‘diet' or weight loss program along with a man is all too familiar with the inevitable result: At the end of, say, a week, the woman may have lost 2 or 3 pounds while the man has lost twice as much. How can this be when the two are eating basically the same foods and even exercising at essentially the same rate? The obvious answer is something that has been overlooked by the majority of weight loss ‘experts' - hormones!
Hormones have a direct and powerful effect on weight gain in women - both in the form of body fat and excess fluid. The major hormones involved in weight (fat) gain for women are estrogen, thyroid, human growth hormone, and testosterone. Let's look at each one briefly in turn:
Estrogen: Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone. Estrogen is produced mainly in the ovaries in women but is also produced in smaller amounts in males. Among other functions, estrogen is largely responsible for the development of female sex characteristics, including distribution of body fat. When estrogen levels and ratios are adversely altered, increased weight gain (body fat and excess fluid) often results.
Two examples of instances in which altered estrogen levels affect weight in women include when a woman goes on birth control pills (a 3 to 5 pound gain in body fat is often experienced), and the administration of oral estrogen at menopause (a gain of from 4 to 8 pounds of body fat can be anticipated).
Such weight gain can be prevented or at least minimized by balancing estrogen/progesterone ratios and estrogen/testosterone levels. Though it is considered a ‘new' idea in medicine by some, testosterone replacement therapy offers new hope for women plagued with the condition of being overweight or obese (see testosterone section below).
Thyroid: The thyroid gland produces the hormone by the same name, thyroid, which regulates cellular metabolism. The weight gain/weight loss connection is obvious here: a hyper-active thyroid would result in a faster metabolism, which would lead to fat loss. Conversely a hypo-active or dysfunctional thyroid would make it difficult for a woman to lose weight even if she is carefully monitoring her diet and engaging in regular exercise.
Signs and symptoms of thyroid deficiency include fatigue, increased body fat, reduced metabolic rate, and loss of appetite (even with a loss of appetite, the reduced metabolic rate leads to an increase in body fat).
A simple blood test can determine if your thyroid levels are within normal ranges. If thyroid ranges are below normal levels, thyroid hormone replacement therapy is usually indicated. Thyroid replacement therapy can reverse the signs and symptoms of thyroid deficiency, resulting in decreased body fat and body weight, increased metabolism, and increased energy along with alleviating other symptoms of hypothyroidism such as dry skin, headaches, depression, and mood swings.
Human Growth Hormone (hGH): Human Growth Hormone is a protein-like hormone produced in the anterior portion of the pituitary gland. Virtually every organ and system in the body is dependent on hGH for proper development and function.
Human growth hormone production peaks during adolescence and declines gradually with age, beginning at approximately age 25 to 30. The rate of decline is estimated to be about 14% per decade. This decline is accompanied by the deterioration of nearly every organ and system in the body and an increase in the signs and symptoms of aging, including increased body fat, lowered metabolic rate, reduced lean muscle mass, decreased bone density, reduced vitality and sex drive, and loss of skin thickness and tone.
HGH is considered by many experts in the field of anti-aging medicine to be the master hormone, or the ‘holy grail' of anti-aging. Ongoing research and studies indicate that hGH replacement therapy can increase bone density, boost sex drive, improve skin tone, and reduce body fat, build lean muscle tissue, and elevate metabolism!
HGH ‘re-sculpts' the body by burning fat and building lean muscle. Some researchers feel that hGH is one of the most effective ‘fat burners' ever discovered. Ongoing studies lend support to this opinion. One such study showed an average loss of 14.4% body fat after only six months of hGH therapy - without diet!
Human growth hormone is a new and powerful weapon in the battle against excess weight. Not only can hGH make you slimmer - it can make you younger as well!
Testosterone: Though testosterone is the primary male hormone, it is not unique to males. Testosterone is produced in the testes in males and the ovaries and adrenals in females. In women prior to menopause, the ovaries produce approximately one-tenth the amount of testosterone produced by males of similar age.
Testosterone plays a very important role in maintaining and synthesizing muscle tissue and in losing body fat. The often considerable difference in male and female testosterone levels is the primary reason males and females typically lose weight at different rates even when on the same weight loss ‘program'.
Females are typically given only estrogens and progestins as hormone replacement therapy. However, administering estrogen and progesterone to a woman without addressing diminished testosterone levels makes it extremely difficult, and at times almost impossible, for her to lose weight. A study in 1966 (Lovejoy et al) illustrated the efficacy of androgens in reducing body fat in females. The study, which lasted nine months, involved three groups of postmenopausal women. One group was given a low dose (30 mg. every other week) of the steroid nandrolone decanoate, one group was given the anti-androgen drug spironolactone, and the third group was given a placebo. All three groups were placed on a calorie restricted diet and instructed not to change their exercise habits.
The nandrolone group doubled the rate of fat loss of the placebo group while the anti-androgen groups lost almost no fat at all (an average of 1/2 percent). Furthermore, the nandrolone group actually gained an average of nearly four pounds of lean mass while both the placebo and anti-androgen groups lost over two pounds of lean mass. Translated into weight loss terms, this means the nandrolone group increased their metabolic rate while the other two groups experienced a slowing of metabolism...the death knell for weight loss.
Almost any woman who has ever gone on a ‘diet' or weight loss program along with a man is all too familiar with the inevitable result: At the end of, say, a week, the woman may have lost 2 or 3 pounds while the man has lost twice as much. How can this be when the two are eating basically the same foods and even exercising at essentially the same rate? The obvious answer is something that has been overlooked by the majority of weight loss ‘experts' - hormones!
Hormones have a direct and powerful effect on weight gain in women - both in the form of body fat and excess fluid. The major hormones involved in weight (fat) gain for women are estrogen, thyroid, human growth hormone, and testosterone. Let's look at each one briefly in turn:
Estrogen: Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone. Estrogen is produced mainly in the ovaries in women but is also produced in smaller amounts in males. Among other functions, estrogen is largely responsible for the development of female sex characteristics, including distribution of body fat. When estrogen levels and ratios are adversely altered, increased weight gain (body fat and excess fluid) often results.
Two examples of instances in which altered estrogen levels affect weight in women include when a woman goes on birth control pills (a 3 to 5 pound gain in body fat is often experienced), and the administration of oral estrogen at menopause (a gain of from 4 to 8 pounds of body fat can be anticipated).
Such weight gain can be prevented or at least minimized by balancing estrogen/progesterone ratios and estrogen/testosterone levels. Though it is considered a ‘new' idea in medicine by some, testosterone replacement therapy offers new hope for women plagued with the condition of being overweight or obese (see testosterone section below).
Thyroid: The thyroid gland produces the hormone by the same name, thyroid, which regulates cellular metabolism. The weight gain/weight loss connection is obvious here: a hyper-active thyroid would result in a faster metabolism, which would lead to fat loss. Conversely a hypo-active or dysfunctional thyroid would make it difficult for a woman to lose weight even if she is carefully monitoring her diet and engaging in regular exercise.
Signs and symptoms of thyroid deficiency include fatigue, increased body fat, reduced metabolic rate, and loss of appetite (even with a loss of appetite, the reduced metabolic rate leads to an increase in body fat).
A simple blood test can determine if your thyroid levels are within normal ranges. If thyroid ranges are below normal levels, thyroid hormone replacement therapy is usually indicated. Thyroid replacement therapy can reverse the signs and symptoms of thyroid deficiency, resulting in decreased body fat and body weight, increased metabolism, and increased energy along with alleviating other symptoms of hypothyroidism such as dry skin, headaches, depression, and mood swings.
Human Growth Hormone (hGH): Human Growth Hormone is a protein-like hormone produced in the anterior portion of the pituitary gland. Virtually every organ and system in the body is dependent on hGH for proper development and function.
Human growth hormone production peaks during adolescence and declines gradually with age, beginning at approximately age 25 to 30. The rate of decline is estimated to be about 14% per decade. This decline is accompanied by the deterioration of nearly every organ and system in the body and an increase in the signs and symptoms of aging, including increased body fat, lowered metabolic rate, reduced lean muscle mass, decreased bone density, reduced vitality and sex drive, and loss of skin thickness and tone.
HGH is considered by many experts in the field of anti-aging medicine to be the master hormone, or the ‘holy grail' of anti-aging. Ongoing research and studies indicate that hGH replacement therapy can increase bone density, boost sex drive, improve skin tone, and reduce body fat, build lean muscle tissue, and elevate metabolism!
HGH ‘re-sculpts' the body by burning fat and building lean muscle. Some researchers feel that hGH is one of the most effective ‘fat burners' ever discovered. Ongoing studies lend support to this opinion. One such study showed an average loss of 14.4% body fat after only six months of hGH therapy - without diet!
Human growth hormone is a new and powerful weapon in the battle against excess weight. Not only can hGH make you slimmer - it can make you younger as well!
Testosterone: Though testosterone is the primary male hormone, it is not unique to males. Testosterone is produced in the testes in males and the ovaries and adrenals in females. In women prior to menopause, the ovaries produce approximately one-tenth the amount of testosterone produced by males of similar age.
Testosterone plays a very important role in maintaining and synthesizing muscle tissue and in losing body fat. The often considerable difference in male and female testosterone levels is the primary reason males and females typically lose weight at different rates even when on the same weight loss ‘program'.
Females are typically given only estrogens and progestins as hormone replacement therapy. However, administering estrogen and progesterone to a woman without addressing diminished testosterone levels makes it extremely difficult, and at times almost impossible, for her to lose weight. A study in 1966 (Lovejoy et al) illustrated the efficacy of androgens in reducing body fat in females. The study, which lasted nine months, involved three groups of postmenopausal women. One group was given a low dose (30 mg. every other week) of the steroid nandrolone decanoate, one group was given the anti-androgen drug spironolactone, and the third group was given a placebo. All three groups were placed on a calorie restricted diet and instructed not to change their exercise habits.
The nandrolone group doubled the rate of fat loss of the placebo group while the anti-androgen groups lost almost no fat at all (an average of 1/2 percent). Furthermore, the nandrolone group actually gained an average of nearly four pounds of lean mass while both the placebo and anti-androgen groups lost over two pounds of lean mass. Translated into weight loss terms, this means the nandrolone group increased their metabolic rate while the other two groups experienced a slowing of metabolism...the death knell for weight loss.
