Medical school and my surgical training taught me everything I needed to know about treating heart surgery. But what it didn’t prepare me for was the complexity of what causes patients to develop heart disease in the first place — including the interplay between hormones, insulin, and metabolism.
The truth is that hormones can play a significant role in your heart health, and even be an early sign of heart disease.
Below, I’m sharing how this pathology interconnects, plus how to address the root cause in as little as 12 weeks.
How hormones connect to insulin and your heart health
There are many similarities between disrupted hormones and damaged heart health. For example, the older you are, the more likely you are to experience problems. You may also not realize there’s a problem until the condition has advanced. You might be experiencing symptoms that you write off as “just getting older.”
But these two things aren’t so incidentally related. With new studies, we’ve found a strong underlying correlation.
Unsurprisingly, it goes back to metabolic health.
Here’s a high-level breakdown of the connection between heart health, hormones, and insulin resistance:
- When you eat food that is high in carbohydrates, it breaks down into sugar (glucose). It enters your bloodstream and raises your blood sugar level.
- Your pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to direct this glucose into your cells. In a healthy person, these cells ‘open up’ in response to insulin ‘knocking’ and allow the glucose to transport inside.
- Unhealthy cells are resistant to the insulin ‘knocking,’ which prompts your pancreas to produce even more ‘insulin’ as a response.
- Despite high insulin levels, your blood sugar remains high. This can affect metabolic function in the body and eventually lead to heart disease.
The overproduction of insulin can also stimulate androgen production, which forces your body to produce an imbalance of sex hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. This may significantly increase your risks for heart disease and eliminate protective factors for events like heart attacks.
To summarize: hormone disruption and insulin resistance are a bit of a ‘chicken or the egg’ scenario. Either of these imbalances may cause the other.
But that’s not to say hormones can’t be imbalanced by other factors.
Other causes of hormone disruption (and how they affect the heart)
You might experience hormone disruption due to:
- Age
- Pregnancy
- Autoimmune disorders
- Chronic diseases
- Chronic stress
- Environmental factors (certain foods, chemicals, fragrances, etc)
Regardless of the cause, the outcome is typically the same. Poor hormone balance usually equates to poor heart health.
Just keep in mind the symptoms may look different depending on your sex.
For women, hormonal shifts during menopause could increase blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This may damage your metabolic health and ultimately lead to heart disease.
We also know that disrupted hormones lead to gynecologic disorders, which may be a form of cardiovascular disease. Studies show that endometriosis “exhibits shared pathogenic mechanisms with CVD.” Other conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and gynecological cancers are heavily associated with cardiovascular comorbidities and mortality.
Men with hormonal imbalances are also at risk for heart disease. For example, research suggests that lower testosterone may heighten risks for cardiovascular disorders. They may also prevent men from enjoying better metabolic health benefits, such as better glycemic control and vasodilation (aka, healthy dilation of the blood vessels).
In other words, hormonal disruptions could be a threat to your heart health regardless of age, sex, or perceived health.
But that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to balance.
It’s possible to address many hormonal imbalances simply by changing your lifestyle factors.
Resetting your hormones and metabolic health
Let’s start with one of the easiest solutions:
Eat whole, real foods
By and large, this means:
- Avoiding processed foods
- Eliminating seed and vegetable oils
- Cutting added sugar
But you may need to get more granular depending on the state of your hormones.
If you’re diabetic or prediabetic, you may need to avoid whole, real foods like fruit, potatoes, and other high-carb options. That’s because the sugar intake could spike your blood sugar and insulin levels, which your body may not yet be equipped to handle.
I’m a major advocate of low-carb diets such as keto or carnivore to address insulin resistance (and by proxy, balance hormones). Other experts, including Dr. Eric Berg, recommend intermittent fasting for long-term results.
Regardless of your selected diet, be sure to prioritize protein, specifically animal meats, fish, and shellfish. High-quality protein powder may also have a role, along with whole, real foods like dairy and eggs.
Hydrate appropriately with balanced electrolytes
Drinking more water will, of course, directly impact your hormone health. But you should also know the electrolytes you consume may have an equally important role to play.
Studies show you’ll want to focus heavily on:
- Sodium. Eating more than US dietary guidelines suggest could improve glycemic sensitivity and insulin response.
- Magnesium. This can lower blood sugar levels and enhance insulin function.
Test as you age
To age is to change, as the saying goes — and for many adults over 50, that includes your hormones. You’re likely familiar with the general changes, such as lower estrogen or testosterone. But abnormally low levels may necessitate medical intervention.
For some, this may require lifestyle changes such as:
- Exercise: Even walking 4,000 steps per day may be enough to stimulate hormone production.
- Stress management: High levels of stress (particularly workplace stress) may increase your risks for insulin resistance.
- Sleep cycles: Anything between seven to nine hours per night is considered optimal.
For others, it may require supplementation.
Now, I don’t believe medication is always the best way to address metabolic disease. That said, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can be a powerful tool for patients with certain conditions.
For example, studies show premenopausal women taking estrogen in observational trials may reduce certain risks for cardiovascular events. Men undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) may improve myocardial ischemia, plus improve metabolic health factors such as serum glucose levels and insulin resistance.
But again: you should look at HRT as a supplemental approach to heart health, and not a silver bullet. I advocate adjusting lifestyle factors in tandem with HRT to encourage the most sustainable results.
Optimizing both your heart and hormone health
Heart health and hormone health are inherently tied at the hip. If one falls out of balance, it’s likely the other will too.
The good news is, you now know the core of both problems. You also know how to fix it by improving your metabolic health.
Depending on your lifestyle, you might see results in as little as three months.
You can learn more about this in my guide on how to improve your metabolic health in 12 weeks or less.
