Hormones have profound
effects on your mental, physical and emotional health. These chemical
messengers play a major role in controlling your appetite, weight and mood,
among other things. Normally, your endocrine glands produce the precise amount
of each hormone needed for various processes in your body. However, hormonal
imbalances have become increasingly common with today’s fast-paced modern
lifestyle. In addition, certain hormones decline with age, and some people
experience a more dramatic decrease than others. Fortunately, a nutritious diet
and other healthy lifestyle behaviors may help improve your hormonal health and
allow you to feel and perform your best. The following are 12 natural ways to
balance your hormones.
1. Eat Enough Protein
at Every Meal
Consuming an adequate amount of protein is extremely important. Dietary protein
provides essential amino acids that your body can’t make on its own and must be
consumed every day in order to maintain muscle, bone and skin health. In
addition, protein influences the release of hormones that control appetite and food intake. Research has shown that
eating protein decreases levels of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin and
stimulates the production of hormones that help you feel full, including PYY
and GLP-1 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7).
In one study, men
produced 20% more GLP-1 and 14% more PYY after eating a high-protein meal than
after eating a meal that contained a normal amount of protein. What’s more,
participants’ hunger ratings decreased by 25% more after the high-protein meal
compared to the normal-protein meal (6). In another study, women who consumed a diet containing 30%
protein experienced an increase in GLP-1 and greater feelings of fullness than
when they ate a diet containing 10% protein. What’s more, they experienced an
increase in metabolism and fat burning (7). To optimize hormone health, experts recommend consuming a
minimum of 20–30 grams of protein per meal (8). This is easy to do by including a serving of these high-protein foods at each meal.
Summary: Consuming adequate protein triggers the
production of hormones that suppress appetite and help you feel full. Aim for a
minimum of 20–30 grams of protein per meal.
2. Engage in Regular
Exercise
Physical activity can
strongly influence hormonal health. A major benefit of exercise is its ability to reduce insulin levels
and increase insulin sensitivity. Insulin is a hormone that has several
functions. One is allowing cells to take up sugar and amino acids from the
bloodstream, which are then used for energy and maintaining muscle. However, a
little insulin goes a long way. Too much can be downright dangerous. High
insulin levels have been linked to inflammation, heart disease, diabetes and
cancer. What’s more, they are connected to insulin resistance, a condition in which your cells don’t
respond properly to insulin’s signals (9).
Many types of physical
activity have been found to increase insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin
levels, including aerobic exercise, strength training and endurance exercise (10, 11, 12, 13, 14). In a 24-week study of obese women, exercise increased
participants’ insulin sensitivity and levels of adiponectin, a hormone that has
anti-inflammatory effects and helps regulate metabolism (14). Being physically active may also help boost levels of
muscle-maintaining hormones that decline with age, such as testosterone, IGF-1,
DHEA and growth hormone (15, 16, 17, 18). For people who are unable to perform vigorous exercise, even
regular walking may increase these hormone levels, potentially improving
strength and quality of life (19). Although a combination of resistance and aerobic training
seems to provide the best results, engaging in any type of physical activity on
a regular basis is beneficial.
Summary: Performing strength training, aerobics,
walking or other forms of physical activity can modify hormone levels in a way
that reduces the risk of disease and protects muscle mass during the aging
process.
3. Avoid Sugar and
Refined Carbs
Sugar and refined carbs have been linked to a number of health
problems. Indeed, avoiding or minimizing these foods may be instrumental in
optimizing hormone function and avoiding obesity, diabetes and other diseases. Studies
have consistently shown that fructose can increase insulin levels and promote
insulin resistance, especially in overweight and obese people with pre diabetes
or diabetes (20, 21, 22, 23). Importantly, fructose makes up at least half of all types of
sugar. This includes natural forms like honey and maple syrup, in addition to
high-fructose corn syrup and refined table sugar.
In one study, people
with prediabetes experienced similar increases in insulin levels and insulin
resistance whether they consumed 1.8 ounces (50 grams) of honey, sugar or
high-fructose corn syrup (23). In addition, diets high in refined carbs like white bread and
pretzels may promote insulin resistance in a large portion of adults and
adolescents (24, 25).
By contrast, following
a low- or moderate-carb diet based on whole foods may reduce insulin levels in overweight and obese people
with pre diabetes and other insulin-resistant conditions like polycystic ovary
syndrome (PCOS) (26, 27, 28).
Summary: Diets high in sugar and refined carbs
have been shown to drive insulin resistance. Avoiding these foods and reducing
overall carb intake may decrease insulin levels and increase insulin
sensitivity.
4. Learn to Manage
Stress
Stress can wreak havoc
on your hormones. Two major hormones affected by stress are cortisol and
adrenaline, which is also called epinephrine. Cortisol is known as “the stress hormone” because it helps your
body cope with stress over the long term. Adrenaline, also known as
epinephrine, is the “fight-or-flight” hormone that provides your body with a
surge of energy to respond to immediate danger. However, unlike hundreds of
years ago when these hormones were mainly triggered by threats from predators,
today they’re usually triggered by people’s busy, often overwhelming lifestyles.
Unfortunately, chronic stress causes cortisol levels to remain elevated, which
can lead to excessive calorie intake and obesity, including increased belly fat
(29, 30, 31). Elevated adrenaline
levels can cause high blood pressure, rapid heart rate and anxiety.
However, these symptoms are usually fairly short-lived because, unlike
cortisol, adrenaline is less likely to become chronically elevated.
Research has shown
that you may be able to lower your cortisol levels by engaging in stress-reducing techniques like meditation, yoga, massage and
listening to relaxing music (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37). A 2005 review of studies found that massage therapy not only
reduced cortisol levels by an average of 31%, but also increased levels of the
mood-boosting hormone serotonin by 28% and dopamine by 31%, on average (37). Try to devote at least 10–15 minutes per day to
stress-reducing activities, even if you don’t feel you have the time.
Summary: Engaging in stress-reduction behaviors like
meditation, yoga, massage and listening to soothing music can help normalize
your levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
5. Consume Healthy
Fats
Including high-quality
natural fats in your diet may help reduce insulin resistance and appetite. Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are unique fats that are taken up directly by the
liver for immediate use as energy. They have been shown to reduce insulin
resistance in overweight and obese people, as well as in people with diabetes (38, 39). MCTs are found in coconut oil, palm oil and pure MCT oil.
Dairy fats and
monounsaturated fat in olive oil and nuts also seem to increase insulin
sensitivity, based on studies in healthy adults and those with diabetes,
prediabetes, fatty liver and elevated triglycerides (40, 41, 42, 43, 44). Additionally, studies have shown that consuming healthy fat at meals triggers the release of
hormones that help you feel full and satisfied, including GLP-1, PYY and
cholecystokinin (CCK) (44, 45, 46). On the other hand, trans fats have been found to promote
insulin resistance and increase the storage of belly fat (47, 48). To optimize hormone health, consume a healthy fat source at
each meal.
Summary: Including healthy natural fats in your
diet and avoiding unhealthy trans fats can help reduce insulin resistance and
stimulate the production of hormones that help control appetite.
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