(NaturalNews) Estrogen is an essential hormone for the function and well-being of the female and, at a reduced level, the male body. Estrogen can be broken down into three major subtypes. The ratios of these subtypes give us a lot of critical health information that correlates to the risk of someone developing a hormone-sensitive cancer.

Estrogen is considered a growth and development hormone that is manufactured from cholesterol by a woman's ovaries. It is also produced in lower concentrations in the fat cells and the adrenal glands in both males and females. The estrogen circulates in the blood and passes in and out of all the organs and tissues and is eventually metabolized by enzymes in the liver.

Three major estrogens:

E1 or Estrone: This is the main form of estrogen produced during menopause. This is produced mainly in your liver and fat cells. Since toxins such as xenoestrogens, heavy metals and other pollutants that directly affect hormone levels are stored in your liver and fat cells, individuals with higher levels of toxicity have altered and contaminated forms of estrone.

E2 or Estradiol: This is the predominant estrogen produced during reproductive years and it is 10 times more potent than E1 and about 80 times stronger than E3. Elevations in estradiol are linked to cancers of the breast, ovaries and uterus.

E3 or Estriol: This is the protective form of estrogen that reduces cellular growth factors and other estrogens. Estriol reduces the more aggressive estradiol and protects against radiation-induced cancer of the breast.

We should normally have a ratio of 90% Estriol, 7% Estradiol and 3% Estrone in what is referred to as the Tri-Estrogen Formula.

The estrogen quotient:

The overall ratios of these hormones are called your Estrogen Quotient, or EQ. This formula was developed by estrogen researcher Dr. Henry Lemon. He discovered that the greater the amount of cancer-protective E3 is present in comparison to the growt-promoting E1 and E2, the lower the risk of estrogen-sensitive cancer development.

The EQ is found through the following formula: Total E3 divided by (Total E1 plus Total E2).

If the EQ is below 1.0, the risk of breast cancer is higher than that of an individual whose EQ is above 1.0. The optimal ratio that is considered most protective to breast tissue is an EQ that is greater than 1.5. This quotient can also be useful to determine other aspects of hormonal health and risk of autoimmunity.

Estriol's cancer-protective status:

According to Dr. Jonathon Wright, MD, "Most conventional physicians and pharmaceutical researchers have long dismissed Estriol as a weak and unimportant estrogen. They have considered it to be primarily a metabolite of Estradiol and Estrone, which are far more potent in producing estrogenic effects."

Estriol acts much like many plant estrogens in that it benignly binds to ER-beta receptors throughout the body and especially where they are dense in the uterus and breast. Estriol and plant estrogens have a much weaker estrogenic effect than E1 and E2 and thus shield the tissues from the more potent estrogens.

It is hypothesized that many xenoestrogens, artificial estrogens, act more like the stronger estrogen molecule E2, and thus, when they are not detoxified, they end up leading to symptoms of estrogen dominance. European studies have demonstrated that higher Estriol counts in menopausal women are correlated with lower menopausal symptoms such as incontinence, vaginal drying, thinning hair and hot flashes.

Sources for this article include:

[PDF] http://www.energeticnutrition.com

http://www.greenmedinfo.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

http://science.naturalnews.com

Journal of the American Naturopathic Medical Association. Jul 2012; 15(4): 10-15

About the author:
Dr David Jockers is a Maximized Living doctor and owns and operates Exodus Health Center in Kennesaw, Georgia where he specializes in functional nutrition, functional medicine and corrective chiropractic care to get to the underlying cause of major health problems.

His website features great articles on natural health and incredible recipes. He is the author of the best-selling book SuperCharge Your Brain - the complete guide to radically improve your mood, memory and mindset. He has over 50,000 active followers on his social media and email newsletter and is a big influencer in the Primal Health movement.

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