HOW TO LOSE BODY FAT ON THE LEGS, Part I: The Role Of Estrogen Metabolism
Flaxseed for Males
In men, flaxseed acts as a detoxifier for estrogens when the male is converting his testosterone to estrogen, a metabolic process known as aromatization. Aromatization skews the hormonal balance, and creates a more catabolic, or muscle-wasting, environment, and is implicated in the formation of prostate cancer. If lean body mass is the goal, it is necessary to prevent aromatization.
Flaxseed: How to Use It
Two tablespoons morning and evening, ground in a coffee grinder, and then mixed into water or sprinkled on food, is an appropriate dosage for flaxseed. Make sure your source is organic, and not pre-ground, as ground flaxseed is very unstable.
A great place to go for organic flaxseed is www.mountainroseherbs.com. They are based out of CA, and deal in hundreds of organic herbs and herbal preparations.
DIM (Diindolmethane)
DIM is a plant indole that is found in vegetables from the brassica group that has many beneficial properties. It reinforces the more beneficial pathway for estrogen metabolism, the 2-hydro-estrogen pathway. It induces apoptosis (death) in cancer cells. It has anti-estrogenic properties, in that it blocks the receptor sites for estrogen, thus helping to create a more anabolic (muscle building) environment in the human body. It should be used by both men and women two times per day.
Summary
Environmental estrogens – xenoestrogens – play a large role in increasing fat deposition in the legs, because they disrupt the hormonal balance between 2-hydroestrogen and 16 alpha-hydroxyestrone. These two estrogens form a ratio that is indicative of risk of some cancers in males and females. The ratios can be restored using a combination of ground flax seeds and diindolmethane. The result is a decreased risk for associated cancers, as well as a loss of body fat in the legs. Physiqology uses flax seed and diindolmethane as an adjunct to its personal training in New York City for those clients who have issues with estrogen metabolism.
