Effect Of Dairy On Androgens

Aymen

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this is a direct message for every milk/cheese lover (including me ) , i did drank full fat milk for most of my life and i didn't get any symptom of low testosterone due to the fact that estrogen in cow's milk is high and it will increase estrogen which it will lower testosterone levels .. after seeing many studies about dairy and testosterone i decided to ditch the full fat milk away and switched to low fat one and i reduced the quantity to 2 cups per day , nothing changed and then i come across the new study (in adult mice) saying that estrogen occured in milk does not affect blood levels or reproductive health , ,and i still not sure but i think ray said that 99% of the estrogen in cow's milk gets deactivated in our bodies . And now i,m back to increase my dairy intake without fear and i still believe that i feel as good as before ..
Consumption of natural estrogens in cow's milk does not affect blood levels or reproductive health
Consumption of natural estrogens in cow's milk does not affect blood levels or reproductive health
Date:
August 3, 2016
Source:
Elsevier Health Sciences
Summary:
A new study investigated cow milk's effects on blood hormone levels in adult mice and found that naturally occurring levels, and even levels as high as 100 times the average, had no effect on the mice. The study further determined that only when the mice were given 1,000 times more estrogen than average did it have any impact on reproductive health.

Estrogen occurs naturally in cow's milk. Recently, there has been concern that consuming milk containing elevated amounts of estrogen could affect blood levels of the hormone in humans, leading to an increased risk of some cancers. A new study published in the Journal of Dairy Science® investigated cow milk's effects on blood hormone levels in adult mice and found that naturally occurring levels, and even levels as high as 100 times the average, had no effect on the mice. The study further determined that only when the mice were given 1,000 times more estrogen than average did it have any impact on reproductive health.

Estrogens found in food are thought to play a negative role in human reproductive health, but researchers are not yet sure of the exact connection between the two. One area of concern is bovine milk, which is known to contain naturally occurring estrogens. To complicate matters, estrogen levels in milk rise when a cow is pregnant, due to production in the placenta. Currently, cows are typically milked until 60 days before their expected calving, meaning milk from cows in their third trimester of pregnancy can contain up to 20 times more estrogen than milk from cows that are not pregnant.

In order to gain a better understanding about the relationship between estrogens in milk and blood estrogen levels, a team of researchers from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia looked at the effects that different levels of milk estrogen had on adult mice. "The aim of our study was to evaluate whether the consumption of milk with known doses of estrogens (both naturally presented and added in concentrations 100 and 1,000 times higher) could affect blood hormone levels and reproductive organs in mice," explained senior co-author Tomaz Snoj, DVM, PhD, Veterinary Faculty at the Institute for Preclinical Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Specifically, the study examined how different concentrations of estrogens in milk affected the following parameters in mice: plasma levels of natural estrone (E1) and 17β-estradiol (E2); uterine weight in females; and testosterone levels, testes weight, and seminal vesicle weight in males. The three levels of E1 and E2 tested were concentrations similar to native milk from a pregnant cow (0.093 ng/mL for E1 and 0.065 ng/mL for E2), milk with an added 10 ng/mL of E1 and E2, and finally milk with an additional 100 ng/mL of E1 and E2.

The results of the study demonstrated that consumption of milk from a pregnant cow did not raise plasma levels of E1 and E2 in mice. It also did not affect the weight of the sex organs examined in either male or female mice. The same results were found for the milk containing an additional 10 ng/mL of E1 and E2; however, investigators did find that when the concentration was raised to 100 ng/mL, effects were seen in the mice. "We did observe elevated plasma estrogens in both sexes, increased uterus weight in females, and decreased plasma testosterone levels in males from the group that received milk with an added 100 ng/mL of E1 and E2," said senior co-author Gregor Majdic, DVM, PhD, Vice Dean, Center for Animal Genomics, Veterinary Faculty, University of Ljubljana. "However, concentrations in the third group exceeded the physiological concentration of milk estrogens by 1,000 times, so it would be extremely unlikely to find such concentrations in native cow milk."

Previous studies have shown that the gastrointestinal and hepatic systems are capable of inactivating large amounts of estrogens before they reach other parts of the body, and this fact may explain why naturally occurring estrogens in milk appeared to have little impact on the mice. "In our study," stated Dr. Snoj, "it is likely that plasma E1 and E2 did not increase in mice drinking pregnant cow's milk because the estrogens in the milk were at low enough levels to be metabolized during first liver passage and did not reach systemic circulation." Investigators caution, however, that these tests were done on mature mice and more research is needed to examine the effect estrogen from milk has on the development of the reproductive system before and during puberty.

This new research gives much needed insight into the relationship between native estrogen from cow milk and its effect on blood hormone levels. While further exploration into the issue is needed, this is a promising finding in adult mice.

"Our results suggest that estrogens in milk, even when derived from cows in the third trimester of pregnancy, do not pose a risk to reproductive health," concluded Dr. Majdic. "

Even estrogens at concentrations 100 times higher than usually found in native milk did not cause any physiological effects in the present study." This is indicative that naturally occurring hormones in milk are found in far too low concentrations to exert any biological effect on consumers.
 

x-ray peat

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I am always suspect of animal studies so did a quick search for a study on humans. This one says that milk does lower testosterone. If you drink milk I would stick with the skim milk or low fat as it has lower levels of hormones in it.
Exposure to exogenous estrogen through intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows. - PubMed - NCBI
Exposure to exogenous estrogen through intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows.
Maruyama K1, Oshima T, Ohyama K.
Author information
Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Modern genetically improved dairy cows continue to lactate throughout almost the entire pregnancy. Therefore, recent commercial cow's milk contains large amounts of estrogens and progesterone. With regard to the exposure of prepubertal children to exogenous estrogens, the authors are particularly concerned about commercial milk produced from pregnant cows. The purpose of the present study was therefore to examine concentrations of serum and urine sex hormones after the intake of cow milk.

METHODS:
Subjects were seven men, six prepubertal children, and five women. The men and children drank 600 mL/m(2) of cow milk. Urine samples were collected 1 h before the milk intake and four times every hour after intake. In men the serum samples were obtained before and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min after milk intake. Women drank 500 mL of cow's milk every night for 21 days beginning on the first day of the second menstruation. In three successive menstrual cycles, the day of ovulation was examined using an ovulation checker.

RESULTS:
After the intake of cow milk, serum estrone (E1) and progesterone concentrations significantly increased, and serum luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and testosterone significantly decreased in men. Urine concentrations of E1, estradiol, estriol and pregnanediol significantly increased in all adults and children. In four out of five women, ovulation occurred during the milk intake, and the timing of ovulation was similar among the three menstrual cycles.

CONCLUSIONS:
The present data on men and children indicate that estrogens in milk were absorbed, and gonadotropin secretion was suppressed, followed by a decrease in testosterone secretion. Sexual maturation of prepubertal children could be affected by the ordinary intake of cow milk.
 
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Aymen

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I am always suspect of animal studies so did a quick search for a study on humans. This one says that milk does lower testosterone. If you drink milk I would stick with the skim milk or low fat as it has lower levels of hormones in it.
Exposure to exogenous estrogen through intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows. - PubMed - NCBI
Exposure to exogenous estrogen through intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows.
Maruyama K1, Oshima T, Ohyama K.
Author information
Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Modern genetically improved dairy cows continue to lactate throughout almost the entire pregnancy. Therefore, recent commercial cow's milk contains large amounts of estrogens and progesterone. With regard to the exposure of prepubertal children to exogenous estrogens, the authors are particularly concerned about commercial milk produced from pregnant cows. The purpose of the present study was therefore to examine concentrations of serum and urine sex hormones after the intake of cow milk.

METHODS:
Subjects were seven men, six prepubertal children, and five women. The men and children drank 600 mL/m(2) of cow milk. Urine samples were collected 1 h before the milk intake and four times every hour after intake. In men the serum samples were obtained before and 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min after milk intake. Women drank 500 mL of cow's milk every night for 21 days beginning on the first day of the second menstruation. In three successive menstrual cycles, the day of ovulation was examined using an ovulation checker.

RESULTS:
After the intake of cow milk, serum estrone (E1) and progesterone concentrations significantly increased, and serum luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and testosterone significantly decreased in men. Urine concentrations of E1, estradiol, estriol and pregnanediol significantly increased in all adults and children. In four out of five women, ovulation occurred during the milk intake, and the timing of ovulation was similar among the three menstrual cycles.

CONCLUSIONS:
The present data on men and children indicate that estrogens in milk were absorbed, and gonadotropin secretion was suppressed, followed by a decrease in testosterone secretion. Sexual maturation of prepubertal children could be affected by the ordinary intake of cow milk.
i know this study is old , the one i posted was in 2016 .. just use low fat dairy if you believe that full fat milk 's estrogen will affect your testosterone
and we as humans share remarkably similar reproductive systems with male wistar rats, so we should never see rat studies as ‘only rat studies’, because the results are usually similar in humans too.
 

Vinero

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Milk and cheese lovers shouldn´t worry about the tiny amount of estrogen in milk.
Dairy also contains progesterone and thyroid, which offsets any estrogenic effect.
Also the high quality protein and calcium will lower your estrogen.
 

x-ray peat

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i know this study is old , the one i posted was in 2016 .. just use low fat dairy if you believe that full fat milk 's estrogen will affect your testosterone
and we as humans share remarkably similar reproductive systems with male wistar rats, so we should never see rat studies as ‘only rat studies’, because the results are usually similar in humans too.
2010 isnt an old study. I agree that rats are similar to humans in many respects but they are also different in many others; and its difficult sometimes to know when that difference may matter. As such a human study is much more reliable a predictor of human effects.

With that said, there are many conflicting studies on this subject. Some say milk does effect humans others say it doesnt. Not sure what to believe.
Here are two threads worth of debate.
Estrogen In Milk
Phytoestrogens In Soy Vs. Estrogens In Milk

also we should keep in mind that there is a huge industry pushing for a non finding in the results so we should be wary of some of these studies.
 

dq139

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Would goat milk be a better option??...im drinking non organic goat milk cause I can't find organic goat milk....I remember someone on here saying that even non organic goat cheese (pecorino, Feta) & milk is safer than organic cow milk in terms of estrogen.
 

Jsaute21

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Milk and cheese lovers shouldn´t worry about the tiny amount of estrogen in milk.
Dairy also contains progesterone and thyroid, which offsets any estrogenic effect.
Also the high quality protein and calcium will lower your estrogen.

I would tend to agree based on personal experience. Dairy is an essential food group for me. I don't feel nearly as good when i don't eat it.
 

cyclops

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At this point I don't even know how to put together a diet without dairy. 3 meals a day are based around it. I need the protein and calcium. I'm not going to eat a ton of meat and/or veg.
 

raypeatclips

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Aymen

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2010 isnt an old study. I agree that rats are similar to humans in many respects but they are also different in many others; and its difficult sometimes to know when that difference may matter. As such a human study is much more reliable a predictor of human effects.

With that said, there are many conflicting studies on this subject. Some say milk does effect humans others say it doesnt. Not sure what to believe.
Here are two threads worth of debate.
Estrogen In Milk
Phytoestrogens In Soy Vs. Estrogens In Milk

also we should keep in mind that there is a huge industry pushing for a non finding in the results so we should be wary of some of these studies.
i agree that when more humans studies are needed , i saw a study about milk'estrogen doesn't affect androgens but maybe that one was made by the
dairy industry but there is a study says that " consumption of low-fat and skimmed milk increased sperm volume and mobility" but i don't think the study i posted was from a dairy industry ..
i have some studies always showing that phytoestrogens lowers estrogen
 

dq139

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rice milk ?

Rice is bad for dht also loll...no milk is good it seems.

The only reason cows milk seems androgenic is because the estrogen causes a negative feed back loop & raises dht and igf-1 it seems
 
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Aymen

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Rice is bad for dht also loll...no milk is good it seems.

The only reason cows milk seems androgenic is because the estrogen causes a negative feed back loop & raises dht and igf-1 it seems
brown rice is bad , white rice is not .. i feel very energetic when i eat dairy
 

stevrd

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I posted this same response (From another thread) below, as this study has been talked about before. The main problem is there is no control and we don't know if the altered androgens was from eating itself, or the dairy.

Here is my take on this:

The Truth About Hormones in Milk - Science Driven Nutrition
Here is a good article from Brad Dieter, PhD, dispelling some of the myths of drinking milk, including estrogen. Now he does cite studies in rats showing that drinking milk with high estrogen content did nothing to their serum estrogen levels. Unfortunately he did not address the study posted on this thread. It was not until rats consumed 1000 times the estrogen of non-pregnant lactating cows that their serum estrogen levels were elevated. Whether rats metabolism of estrogen in food is different than in humans, I don't know.

One thing that he mentions is the fact that most hormones ingested through food have no biological activity. Oral anabolic steroids need to have a methyl group attached to oppose the liver's ability to detoxify them. Otherwise there will be no discernable increase in serum steroid levels.

Now with study on this thread, there is no question that urine levels of estrogen will be high, as the liver will glucoronidate it to be sent to the kidneys for excretion. So in that respect, I don't think that the authors of the study (or anybody for that matter) can seriously discuss the increased urine concentrations as if it is a problem, as it is irrelevant. The only thing that truly matters is whether a food actually increases blood levels of estrogen.

The problem with this study is it is not a randomized controlled study with a control group. Several studies show that the very act of eating anything can transiently lower testosterone/alter hormone profiles. See below...

Habito RC, Ball MJ (2001) Postprandial changes in sex hormones after meals of different composition. Metabolism 50:505–511

Caronia LM, Dwyer AA, Hayden D, Amati F, Pitteloud N, Hayes FJ.Abrupt Decrease in Serum Testosterone Levels After an Oral Glucose Load in Men: Implications for Screening for Hypogonadism. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2012 Jul 17.

Meikle AW, Stringham JD, Woodward MG, Mcmurry MP (1990) Effects of a fat-containing meal on sex hormones in men. Metabolism 39:943–946.

So with the available research showing that eating basically any food transiently changes hormone levels, one has to ask the question, is the study that this thread is questioning simply showing postprandial changes of hormone levels in serum, while showing urinary excretion of the estrone sulfate from the milk of pregnant lactating cows? Are the estrogen levels in the milk drinkers any different than what we would observe in people eating any other type of food?

The fact that drinking milk in the study lowers LH/gonadotropins doesn't mean much either, when considered in the context that postprandial LH/gonadotropins will be lowered after eating basically any foods as well. Fasting increases LH and then eating a meal decreases it.

Another thing is that changes in serum hormones may have more to do with the concentration of solutes in serum in relation to fluid/albumin levels, which change based on normal activities like exercise, eating, etc. Differences in blood volume, dilation and constriction of vessels can have an observable effect on hormone profiles in serum, but this does not mean that there was actually an increase or decrease, just that the ratio of hormones to blood volume changed.

So I would say that the increased serum estrogen in the subjects of this study is concerning. But whether it is from the dairy itself or just eating food in general is yet to be determined, since there is no control group in the study. A couple of interesting things that the researchers could have done is to (1) make it randomized and controlled (2) include a control for one of the following: a control that was isocalorically matched and protein capped but ate no dairy products at all, a control that consumed the same amount of milk but in lactating non-pregnant cows, a control that drank the same amount of non-dairy milk products (soy, almond, etc).

Without a randomized controlled study that includes a control, these authors cannot seriously make any conclusions.

Finally, I would say that ultimately acute hormone responses to food are not what is important. It is basal hormone levels after a fast that matters. It's the same as saying that the postprandial thermic effect of food trumps the basal metabolic rate, which it doesn't. Since the study in question is not testing waking estrogen/testosterone levels after fasting, we don't know whether or not drinking milk has any true lasting effect on hormone levels.


I'm open to the idea that milk can alter hormones, but with the available research I'm not convinced that we actually absorb the hormones and that it affects our serum levels when compared to other foods. I'm not sure whether the net benefits of milk overall outweighs the negatives. As others have said, sticking to lower fat will help lessen the hormonal affects.
 

raypeatclips

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So after reading this ive come to the conclusion they both have estrogen loll

And Coconut milk lowers dht....

Is Almond milk healthy then or no?

People argue that anything contained within plastic packaging can leak BPA and things such as that into the product. Pollution is everywhere, artificial lighting etc. Sure they have estrogen but I'm sure meat from stressed animals is estrogenic. It is pretty tough to get calcium without dairy so I continue to consume it.

Pretty sure all other "milks" not from an animal arent as healthy as the modern world makes out
 
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Aymen

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People argue that anything contained within plastic packaging can leak BPA and things such as that into the product. Pollution is everywhere, artificial lighting etc. Sure they have estrogen but I'm sure meat from stressed animals is estrogenic. It is pretty tough to get calcium without dairy so I continue to consume it.

Pretty sure all other "milks" not from an animal arent as healthy as the modern world makes out
best is organic , grass fed free of hormones..
plastic is bad , many types of reach can leak BPA but i think 2,4,5 are the safest ..,, dairy packaging are in general type 2 or 4 or 5 so they are not infected by estrogen chemicals . Type 1 is a tricky (canned foods are always a type 1 which may contains phtalatees)
 
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Aymen

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I posted this same response (From another thread) below, as this study has been talked about before. The main problem is there is no control and we don't know if the altered androgens was from eating itself, or the dairy.

Here is my take on this:

The Truth About Hormones in Milk - Science Driven Nutrition
Here is a good article from Brad Dieter, PhD, dispelling some of the myths of drinking milk, including estrogen. Now he does cite studies in rats showing that drinking milk with high estrogen content did nothing to their serum estrogen levels. Unfortunately he did not address the study posted on this thread. It was not until rats consumed 1000 times the estrogen of non-pregnant lactating cows that their serum estrogen levels were elevated. Whether rats metabolism of estrogen in food is different than in humans, I don't know.

One thing that he mentions is the fact that most hormones ingested through food have no biological activity. Oral anabolic steroids need to have a methyl group attached to oppose the liver's ability to detoxify them. Otherwise there will be no discernable increase in serum steroid levels.

Now with study on this thread, there is no question that urine levels of estrogen will be high, as the liver will glucoronidate it to be sent to the kidneys for excretion. So in that respect, I don't think that the authors of the study (or anybody for that matter) can seriously discuss the increased urine concentrations as if it is a problem, as it is irrelevant. The only thing that truly matters is whether a food actually increases blood levels of estrogen.

The problem with this study is it is not a randomized controlled study with a control group. Several studies show that the very act of eating anything can transiently lower testosterone/alter hormone profiles. See below...

Habito RC, Ball MJ (2001) Postprandial changes in sex hormones after meals of different composition. Metabolism 50:505–511

Caronia LM, Dwyer AA, Hayden D, Amati F, Pitteloud N, Hayes FJ.Abrupt Decrease in Serum Testosterone Levels After an Oral Glucose Load in Men: Implications for Screening for Hypogonadism. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2012 Jul 17.

Meikle AW, Stringham JD, Woodward MG, Mcmurry MP (1990) Effects of a fat-containing meal on sex hormones in men. Metabolism 39:943–946.

So with the available research showing that eating basically any food transiently changes hormone levels, one has to ask the question, is the study that this thread is questioning simply showing postprandial changes of hormone levels in serum, while showing urinary excretion of the estrone sulfate from the milk of pregnant lactating cows? Are the estrogen levels in the milk drinkers any different than what we would observe in people eating any other type of food?

The fact that drinking milk in the study lowers LH/gonadotropins doesn't mean much either, when considered in the context that postprandial LH/gonadotropins will be lowered after eating basically any foods as well. Fasting increases LH and then eating a meal decreases it.

Another thing is that changes in serum hormones may have more to do with the concentration of solutes in serum in relation to fluid/albumin levels, which change based on normal activities like exercise, eating, etc. Differences in blood volume, dilation and constriction of vessels can have an observable effect on hormone profiles in serum, but this does not mean that there was actually an increase or decrease, just that the ratio of hormones to blood volume changed.

So I would say that the increased serum estrogen in the subjects of this study is concerning. But whether it is from the dairy itself or just eating food in general is yet to be determined, since there is no control group in the study. A couple of interesting things that the researchers could have done is to (1) make it randomized and controlled (2) include a control for one of the following: a control that was isocalorically matched and protein capped but ate no dairy products at all, a control that consumed the same amount of milk but in lactating non-pregnant cows, a control that drank the same amount of non-dairy milk products (soy, almond, etc).

Without a randomized controlled study that includes a control, these authors cannot seriously make any conclusions.

Finally, I would say that ultimately acute hormone responses to food are not what is important. It is basal hormone levels after a fast that matters. It's the same as saying that the postprandial thermic effect of food trumps the basal metabolic rate, which it doesn't. Since the study in question is not testing waking estrogen/testosterone levels after fasting, we don't know whether or not drinking milk has any true lasting effect on hormone levels.


I'm open to the idea that milk can alter hormones, but with the available research I'm not convinced that we actually absorb the hormones and that it affects our serum levels when compared to other foods. I'm not sure whether the net benefits of milk overall outweighs the negatives. As others have said, sticking to lower fat will help lessen the hormonal affects.
Thanks for sharing this man and i totally agree with you.
 
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