More T, Less E: Understanding Aromatase and Hormonal Balance

Introduction

The human body contains an enzyme responsible for converting testosterone into estrogen, a crucial process for maintaining hormonal equilibrium. However, this enzyme can sometimes become overactive, leading to various health issues. This article delves into the mechanisms behind such overactivity and offers strategies to address it.

The Role of Aromatase (Percy in the Analogy)

Envision the body as a well - organized factory, with workers each performing specific tasks. One such "worker" is the enzyme aromatase, which we'll initially refer to as Percy. Percy's primary function is to convert testosterone into estrogen, thereby regulating hormone levels. This is a vital role, as both men and women require a proper balance of estrogen. In men, a complete halt in estrogen production can result in severe health problems, including brittle bones, joint pain, heart disease, and cognitive dysfunction.

The Problem of Overactive Aromatase

The issue arises when Percy becomes overly zealous in its duties. When aromatase converts an excessive amount of testosterone into estrogen, it creates a hormonal imbalance. This imbalance can lead to a range of symptoms, such as low testosterone levels (low T), gynecomastia (enlarged male breast tissue, commonly known as "man boobs"), mood disturbances (including irritability), abdominal fat accumulation, and reduced energy. It's important to note that this overactivity is often not solely the fault of aromatase. Usually, there are underlying issues within the body's "factory" that contribute to this problem.

What Causes Aromatase to Become Overactive?

1. Aging

As men age, the activity of aromatase can increase naturally. This is an inevitable part of the aging process, but it can have a significant impact on hormonal balance.

1. Excess Body Fat

Fat tissue serves as an ideal environment for aromatase. The more body fat, especially around the abdomen, the more active aromatase becomes. Adipose tissue actually produces this enzyme, which in turn converts more testosterone into estrogen.

1. Alcohol Consumption

Excessive alcohol intake can stimulate aromatase activity, further disrupting the hormonal equilibrium.

1. Certain Drugs or Chemicals

Anabolic steroids can be converted to estrogen by aromatase. Additionally, pesticides, plastics, and other endocrine - disrupting chemicals either mimic estrogen or enhance aromatase activity, similar to giving the enzyme a stimulant boost.

1. Inflammation or Stress

Chronic inflammation or high - stress levels can indirectly increase aromatase activity, contributing to hormonal imbalance.

Strategies to Regulate Aromatase Activity

1. Lifestyle Modifications

First and foremost, it is advisable to control the factors that can trigger aromatase overactivity as much as possible. This includes maintaining a lean body mass and limiting alcohol consumption. However, it is challenging to completely avoid endocrine disruptors, the effects of aging, and stress.

1. Medical Intervention (for Specific Cases)

Steroid users often resort to drugs like anastrozole to mitigate side - effects such as gynecomastia and water retention. However, these users are already pushing their hormone levels far beyond natural limits. For most men, such pharmaceutical intervention is not necessary, and the use of these drugs comes with risks. As mentioned earlier, too little estrogen can also lead to serious health issues.

1. Supplementation with Longjack

Longjack, in the form of a supplement, can act as a controlled aromatase inhibitor or regulator. Research indicates that Longjack can boost testosterone levels, in part, by inhibiting aromatase activity. Although its testosterone - boosting effects are mainly attributed to its ability to free testosterone bound to SHBG, stimulate the hypothalamic - pituitary - gonadal (HPG) axis and follicle - stimulating hormone (FSH) production, and enhance testosterone production in Leydig cells, its ability to block aromatization is also significant.

Longjack achieves this through competitive inhibition, reducing aromatase's capacity to catalyze the conversion of androgens to estrogens. It also downregulates aromatase expression by decreasing the production of aromatase in adipose tissue. Moreover, the herb's antioxidant properties safeguard testosterone from oxidative stress and degradation.

It's important to note that only a specific form of Longjack, known as LJ100, consistently exhibits these positive effects. LJ100 was developed and patented by the Government of Malaysia and MIT. Omega - Man High Absorption Longjack, available on Amazon, contains 300mg of LJ100 per softgel/dose, which is 50% more than the standard clinical dosing.

Omega - Man is formulated in a self - emulsifying delivery matrix, designed to ensure that all active components are effectively absorbed into the body. The recommended dosage is one softgel per day.