Ray Peat on Estrogen

Short answer: Ray Peat described estrogen as a hormone of stress and aging, not of youth. He wrote that it rises with stress, low thyroid function and low protein intake, that polyunsaturated fats amplify it, and that progesterone, thyroid, vitamin E and aspirin oppose it.

What Ray Peat wrote about estrogen

He wrote that people under stress, with a thyroid deficiency, or who do not eat enough protein typically have elevated estrogen. Source: Natural Estrogens

The liver is the exit. A healthy liver inactivates practically all the estrogen that reaches it, and protein is needed for that work. When the liver is sluggish, estrogen stays in the body. Source: Tissue-bound estrogen in aging, Natural Estrogens, Multiple Sclerosis and other hormone related brain syndromes

Polyunsaturated fats stored in the tissues promote estrogen's action in several ways, and the effect builds up over the years. Source: Natural Estrogens

Estrogen is made in fat cells under the influence of cortisol. Progesterone and thyroid suppress that. Source: Breast Cancer

He rejected the idea of safe plant estrogens. He wrote that weak estrogens have the full range of harmful effects, and that soy products cause changes in women that appear to predispose to cancer. Source: Natural Estrogens

Estrogen lowers body temperature, depletes glycogen and, in his words, is the age stress hormone. Many toxic effects were already known by the middle of the 1900s. Source: Multiple sclerosis, protein, fats, and progesterone, Aging, estrogen, and progesterone, Estrogen — Age Stress Hormone

Opponents he names: progesterone, thyroid, vitamin E, which he calls an estrogen antagonist, and aspirin, which lowers estrogen production. Source: Aging, estrogen, and progesterone, Vitamin E: Estrogen antagonist, energy promoter, and anti-inflammatory, Aspirin, brain and cancer

He also noticed that antibiotics lowered estrogen and cortisol in women and animals, which he explained by less endotoxin reaching the liver. Source: Lactate vs. CO2 in wounds, sickness, and aging; the other approach to cancer

What he suggested in practice

• Enough protein, so the liver can eliminate estrogen.
• Correct low thyroid function.
• Remove polyunsaturated oils and soy.
• A daily raw carrot.

Where he wrote about it

This topic comes up in 84 of the articles on his site. These are the most relevant ones:

• Tissue-bound estrogen in aging · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Natural Estrogens · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Estrogen Receptors -- what do they explain? · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Estriol, DES, DDT, etc · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Preventing and treating cancer with progesterone · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Aging, estrogen, and progesterone · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Estrogen — Age Stress Hormone · original on raypeat.com ↗
• Progesterone, not estrogen, is the coronary protection factor of women · original on raypeat.com ↗

My take

Estrogen is sold as a youth hormone and acts like a stress signal. I keep it low with carrots and white button mushrooms, no seed oils, a healthy gut and vitamin E, which I think is the most useful estrogen antagonist you can buy.

Quick answers

What did Ray Peat say about estrogen?

He called it a hormone of stress and aging that promotes inflammation, water retention and abnormal growth, and wrote that progesterone and thyroid protect against it.

How did Ray Peat suggest lowering estrogen?

By supporting the liver with enough protein, correcting thyroid function, avoiding polyunsaturated fats and soy, eating a daily raw carrot, and using opposing substances such as progesterone, vitamin E and aspirin.

What did Ray Peat say about soy?

He wrote that the estrogens in soy are not safe or balanced, and that soy products produce changes that seem to predispose to cancer.