Manboobs-the Problem and How to Overcome it
Posted: Friday, July 30, 2010
by Robert Esmund
The term "manboobs" is a recently coined one, for prominent male breasts, and indeed, it seems that the phenomenon itself was not recognised much at all before this current generation. The condition is also referred to as "moobs", and more properly as Gynaecomastia. Why has the problem become manifest now? It seems that there may be several contributory factors.
It should be mentioned that gynaecomastis is co
mmon amongst adolescent males simply because of the hormonal changes that take place naturally in puberty, and which can lead to an imbalance of the sex hormones. A preponderance of oestrogen over testosterone tends to favour the condition, but, fortunately this is usually only temporary
The second factor that may be causing an increase in the incidence of male breasts or manboobs, is the increasing amounts of oestrogens and oestrogen-like chemicals in the environment, especially the water supplies. There is a widely held belief that the rapid and large increase of the last few decades of women taking the contraceptive pill is responsible for this. Women may excrete oestrogens which find their way into the water supply, and this is not removed during purification. The excess oestrogen could cause an imbalance in the sex hormones of fish, and men. It is known that an excess of oestrogen, or a deficiency of testosterone is a causative factor for increased fatty tissue in the male chest. The increased use of animal feeds with hormone content may well also play a part.
Bus drivers have been found to have a high level of gynaecomastia, and this may be linked to exposure to pollution from traffic fumes. Oestrogen-like particles are inhaled from polluted air.
The third major factor is probably the increasing alcohol consumption of mankind in the "civilised" world. Many males begin drinking alcohol in their teens in copious amounts, and carry on doing so. It is known that alcohol tends to decrease body levels of testosterone, and that beer is particularly oestrogenic.
Another possible contributory cause is the poor posture of many men who do work slumped over a desk all day. Poor posture can cause the upper back to become weakened, allowing the shoulders to roll forwards with decreased strength and tone in the pectoral muscles and consequent sagging breasts.
What is the best way to overcome the problem?
- Weight training can help build muscle and increase testosterone levels
- Increased consumption of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, and cauliflower can reduce oestrogen levels. Cress, watercress, and walnuts are also believed to help in this respect, probably because of their zinc content. A zinc supplement may be helpful.
- Increased fibre in the diet can help cut down body absorption of oestrogen.
- Supplements such as grape seed extract and curcumin can be helpful.
It seems that a changing environment may be responsible for a feminising effect on men today, and that the individual is somewhat limited in ways of combating this process.
For more free information go to http://weightloss-whatreallyworks.blogspot.com
This Article has been viewed 589 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.