Estradiol-Good Estrone-Bad

[Guest guest]

From the book: Perfect Balance by Greene, M.D. and Leah Feldon April 2005

His web-site:

http://www.robertgreenemd.com/

ESTRADIOL: THE " GOOD " ESTROGEN

Although estradiol is produced in the smallest amounts of all the sex hormones,

it fulfills

more functions in your system than any other hormone. It controls, monitors, or

modifies

well over 300 bodily needs—that's ten times more tasks than those of most other

hormones! The only other hormone that comes even close in terms of importance is

testosterone—and it contributes to only about 110 functions. Estradiol (which is

produced

solely in your ovaries) promotes neuron growth and causes positive mood changes,

healthy sexual lubrication, and normal sleep patterns. It hardens bones, dilates

blood

vessels, and keeps your skin wrinkle resistant. In addition, it improves your

sense of smell,

keeps your hearing sharp, and helps you maintain your balance and coordination.

In short,

it has a huge effect on your brain and entire well-being.

One of the truly momentous effects of estradiol is that it slows brain aging by

stimulating

nerve growth, functioning, and healing. And it's one of the most powerful

antioxidants

that the body produces—twice as potent as vitamins E and C combined. In fact, we

now

think that one of the reasons women age more rapidly after the onset of

menopause is

that they lose the antioxidant properties of estradiol. Estradiol's antioxidant

abilities allow

it to diminish the production of cell-damaging free radicals, which are

essentially unstable

molecules that accelerate the aging process; increase the risk of heart attack,

stroke, and

blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis); and contribute to dementia and

other brain

diseases.

ESTRONE: THE " BAD " ESTROGEN

Although it's relatively harmless in normal quantities, large amounts of estrone

in your

body can inhibit the abilities of estradiol. The excess estrone effectively

blocks estradiol

from binding to the cell receptors and renders the estradiol ineffective. This

deprives the

brain—and you—of estradiol's formidable benefits. (When one hormone crowds out

another like this, it's referred to as a competitive inhibitor.) Obesity-related

symptoms

such as blood clots, heat intolerance, and sweating are often a result not so

much of

estradiol deficiency as of an imbalance caused by too much estrone preventing

estradiol

from doing its job. Because excess quantities of estrone stimulate the liver, it

can also

cause gallstones, and because it promotes ongoing endometrial cell division, it

increases

the risk of vaginal bleeding and endometrial cancers.

Estrone is associated largely with menopause and is often the dominant estrogen

in obese

women. This is because estrone is made primarily by fat cells, and in aging

women the fat

cells continue to produce this weak estrogen long after the ovaries stop making

estradiol.

Because estrone doesn't have nearly the potency of estradiol, it can't help much

in terms

of relieving brain-related hormonal symptoms like hot flashes, mood disorders,

and

sexual dysfunction. In truth, estrone's only major value is that it can be

converted into

estradiol.