Hormone Replacement Therapy

The Surprising Anti-Aging Benefits of BHRT

Having the same molecular structure as hormones produced by the endocrine system, bioidentical hormones can restore healthy levels of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone lost due to aging or medical conditions.

Unlike laboratory-made hormones, bioidentical hormones adapt readily to metabolic pathways to form active metabolites essential for supporting good health. In addition, bioidentical hormones have a higher bioavailability than synthetic hormones, meaning the body absorbs and utilizes them more quickly and effectively.

Studies have shown that bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT) offers anti-aging benefits ranging from improved immune system and cardiovascular functioning to reducing the risk of some types of cancer. Primary hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone provide unique health advantages encompassing all physiological systems including cognition and mental health.¹

Anti-aging benefits of BHRT

Estrogen

During a woman’s reproductive years, estrogen levels remain optimal to enhance fertility and maintain regular menstrual cycles. Estrogen helps support blood vessel, organ, bone, brain and soft tissue health beyond perimenopause and menopause. Unfortunately, the ovaries significantly reduce estrogen production as a woman approaches perimenopause (between 42 and 48 years old, for most women). During and after menopause, the ovaries gradually stop producing estrogen, leaving it up to fat tissue to provide very small amounts of estrogen.

One of the biggest anti-aging benefits of estrogen is the role it plays in insulating the central nervous system against neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Estrogen seems to protect microglia cells in the brain vital to brain cell health. Specifically, estrogen has inhibitory properties regarding neuroinflammation and may help delay the onset or progression of Alzheimer’s or other CNS disorders. ²

Progesterone

Studies show progesterone has a positive effect on insulin, a hormone clinically linked to the causation of type II diabetes, complications of diabetes and obesity. When estrogen levels fall in perimenopausal and menopausal women, so do progesterone levels. Lack of circulating progesterone in the bloodstream is one of the many reasons why older women tend to gain weight, develop pre-diabetes and hypertension and have trouble losing weight. ³

Progesterone is needed to block insulin receptors on cells to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia, make weight loss easier and potentially increase your ability to live a healthier life as you age. Insulin is also considered the leading hormone implicating in premature aging through glycation, a process involving sugar molecules damaging body cells by attacking proteins and fats. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) stiffen and deform protein fibers essential for soft tissue health. Excessive glycation is known to promote chronic inflammatory diseases, cataracts, liver disease, pancreatitis and Alzheimer’s.

Low levels of progesterone also prevent overproduction of adrenaline, a hormone necessary for preparing the mind and body to deal with stressful or life-threatening situations. Too much serum adrenaline can cause insomnia, depression, restless leg syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome and anxiety. Chronic stress is a major factor in the development of cardiovascular disorders, high cholesterol, cancer and mental illness.

Testosterone

Men also enjoy the anti-aging benefits of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Testosterone is essential for supporting muscle mass, bone density, cognition, libido and mood in men. Between the ages of 40 and 65, the testicles significantly reduce production of testosterone, leaving men without the healthy levels of testosterone in the bodies they had in the 20s and 30s. With BHRT, men can restore their testosterone levels so that signs of premature aging are delayed or prevented.

Increased body fat can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease, decreased bone density is a precursor to osteoporosis and having an anxious mood could cause memory issues and difficulty concentrating.

Further, a fascinating recent study regarding testosterone’s anti-aging effects reported that testosterone appears to have regulatory effects on a specific gene found in the kidney. Called the klotho gene, this gene may be a possible “aging suppressor” implicated in determining a person’s longevity. However, the klotho gene must be expressed by adequate amounts of testosterone or its anti-aging properties lie dormant and unexpressed. ⁴

Learn more about the anti-aging benefits of BHRT today by calling Renew Health & Wellness today to schedule a consultation appointment.

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