Can Supplements Help Balance Your Hormones (Part 1)

Hormonal imbalances can lead to a range of health issues, affecting everything from mood to metabolism. Now more than ever in recent times, fitness enthusiasts are on the lookout for natural approaches to restore balance and support healthy hormone levels.

Let’s discuss how certain supplements may aid in balancing hormones, the science behind them, and important considerations when integrating them into your wellness routine.

Understanding Hormonal Imbalance

Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate numerous physiological processes, including growth, metabolism, stress response, and reproductive functions. An imbalance in these key messengers can potentially result in:

• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Anxiety
• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• Sleep disturbances
• Low libido/sex drive
• Unexplained weight gain or loss
• Fatigue

Several factors impact your hormone levels, including diet, exercise, time spent outdoors, sleep, and stress.

Can Supplements Help?

Supplements can be a valuable tool in supporting healthy hormone levels by providing essential nutrients the body uses the synthesize hormones. Other supplements, like adaptogens, may be beneficial for keeping cortisol (stress) levels in check by improving the body’s ability to tolerate, manage, and recover from stressful situations.

However, it is vital that you understand that supplements are not a panacea or replacement for proper nutrition, physical activity, sleep, etc. They are most beneficial when paired with a healthy lifestyle.

With that said, here are the best supplements to help balance hormones.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of essential fats, including EPA and DHA. While omega-3s are best known for their anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular health benefits, they have also been found to support hormone levels.

For instance, omega-3s help increase insulin sensitivity as well as prevent cortisol increase.[1,2] Intake of these important fats has also been found to decrease symptoms of “burnout” by reducing perceived stress, supporting the protective or “adaptogenic” benefits of omega-3s.[1]

To top it off, omega-3s have even been found to improve the composition or function of the mitochondria in skeletal muscle, which supports fat burning.[2]

Fatty fish, like wild Alaskan salmon, are the best sources of bioavailable omega-3 fats. However, not all of us have access to high-quality seafood or can afford to eat it on a regular basis. The good news is that omega-3 supplements are affordable and are readily used by the body.

1UP Omega-3 supplies 2,000mg of high-strength omega-rich fish oil concentrate in every serving. Unlike other fish oils that have oxidized or potentially contain unsafe levels of mercury, 1UP Omega-3 is lab tested for Heavy Metals, Microbiologicals, Label Accuracy in a NSF/ANSI GMP 455-2 Certified, FDA Registered and inspected facility.

Vitamin D3

Vitamin D3 (the “sunshine vitamin”) is both an essential vitamin and a prohormone. Numerous studies have noted an association between Vitamin D deficiencies and numerous adverse health effects, including increased risk of bone breaks, illness/infection, and hormone imbalances, especially reproductive hormones like testosterone.

Significant portions of the population are deficient in Vitamin D.[3] This is due to many reasons, but one of the leading causes is not spending enough time outdoors. In case you weren’t aware, our skin naturally synthesizes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. However, more and more people spend less time outdoors these days. This is doubly troublesome since spending time in nature has also been shown to decrease cortisol levels.[4]

Vitamin D supplements have been shown to be beneficial. They’re also low-cost and have been noted to improve hormone levels and immune status.

Diindolylmethane (DIM)

DIM is derived from a phytochemical (Indole-3-carbinol, I3C) found in cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, and kale. It supports healthy estrogen metabolism by promoting a more favorable balance between “good” estrogen and “bad” estrogen, which benefits both women and men (as men need some amount of estrogen for overall health).[5]

Both our women’s and men’s hormone support formulas (Hormone Support Plus and Pro Test Max) include DIM.

KSM-66 Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) is a small, woody shrub that has been used in Ayurveda (Traditional Indian Medicine) for centuries. It has been used to enhance vigor and vitality as well as promote optimal function of the brain, nervous system, and reproductive system.

The herb is best known, though, as an adaptogen to “enhance the state of nonspecific resistance.”[6]

Ashwagandha has been clinically shown to help[7,8,9,10]:

• Significantly reduce stress, anxiety, and cortisol levels
• Decrease stress-induced food cravings
• Boost memory and cognitive function
• Increase endurance, strength, and rate of muscle recovery
• Improve sexual performance health in both men and women
• Support thyroid function

Other research finds that supplementation with ashwagandha may help obese individuals lose weight by limiting their overeating.

While there are countless ashwagandha supplements available, the most research-backed ashwagandha extract on the market is KSM-66 ashwagandha -- the same extract included inHormone Support Plus.

Zinc

Zinc is an essential mineral that plays an important role in testosterone production, anddeficiencies in zinc are linked with low testosterone levels.[11] Intense exercise also increases the body’s requirement for zinc.

Zinc supplements have also been shown to increase testosterone in zinc-deficient adults as well as in elite athletes after exhaustion exercise.[12]

Foods rich in zinc include oysters, beef (particularly sirloin cuts), crab, pork, shrimp, lentils, seeds, and fortified foods, such as breakfast cereals. Your daily multivitamin likely also contains some zinc that can help fulfill your body’s requirements.

Takeaway

Hormones are chemical messengers that impact countless aspects of daily living, disease risk, and longevity. Diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, and age (among others) affects hormone balance. Supplements can also play a role in supporting healthy hormone levels, and they’re greatest benefit comes when the “big factors” of daily living (diet, exercise, etc.) are sufficiently addressed.

Stay tuned for the next article in this series where we look at five more supplements that support hormone balance!

References

1. Muscaritoli M. The Impact of Nutrients on Mental Health and Well-Being: Insights From the Literature. Front Nutr. 2021 Mar 8;8:656290. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2021.656290. PMID: 33763446; PMCID: PMC7982519.
2. Sinha, S.; Haque, M.; Lugova, H.; Kumar, S. The Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Insulin Resistance. Life 2023, 13, 1322. https://doi.org/10.3390/life13061322
3. Amrein, K., Scherkl, M., Hoffmann, M. et al. Vitamin D deficiency 2.0: an update on the current status worldwide. Eur J Clin Nutr 74, 1498–1513 (2020).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-020-0558-y
4. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722/full?utm_source=fweb&utm_medium=nblog&utm_campaign=ba-sci-fpsyg-nature-pill
5. Smith S, Sepkovic D, Bradlow HL, Auborn KJ. 3,3'-Diindolylmethane and genistein decrease the adverse effects of estrogen in LNCaP and PC-3 prostate cancer cells. J Nutr. 2008 Dec;138(12):2379-85. doi: 10.3945/jn.108.090993. PMID: 19022961; PMCID: PMC3415863.
6. Panossian A, Wikman G. Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress-Protective Activity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2010;3(1):188–224. Published 2010 Jan 19. doi:10.3390/ph3010188
7. Body Weight Management in Adults Under Chronic Stress Through Treatment With Ashwagandha Root Extract: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Choudhary, D., Bhattacharyya, S., & Joshi, K. (2017). Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine, 22(1), 96-106.
8. Efficacy and Safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal) Root Extract in Improving Memory and Cognitive Functions. Choudhary, D., Bhattacharyya, S., & Bose, S. (2017). Journal of Dietary Supplements, 1-14. Chicago
9. Efficacy of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera [L.] Dunal) in improving cardiorespiratory endurance in healthy athletic adults. Choudhary, B., Shetty, A., & Langade, D. G. (2015). Ayu, 36(1), 63.
10. A prospective, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled study of safety and efficacy of a high-concentration full-spectrum extract of Ashwagandha root in reducing stress and anxiety in adults. Chandrasekhar, K., Kapoor, J., & Anishetty, S. (2012). Indian journal of psychological medicine, 34(3), 255.
11. Prasad AS, Mantzoros CS, Beck FW, Hess JW, Brewer GJ. Zinc status and serum testosterone levels of healthy adults. Nutrition. 1996;12(5):344‐348. doi:10.1016/s0899-9007(96)80058-x
12. The effect of exhaustion exercise on thyroid hormones and testosterone levels of elite athletes receiving oral zinc. Kilic M1, Baltaci AK, Gunay M, Gökbel H, Okudan N, Cicioglu, Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2006 Feb-Apr;27(1-2):247-52.