Science has discovered that what men really need to stay trim, virile, and probably to keep from taking a sledgehammer to the temple of their bosses every Monday morning, is a good helping of estrogen. Away are those notions that only increasing a man’s testosterone will keep them rock solid in every way that counts.
Now men have an excuse to watch Love Actually without having to say, “Whatever you want to watch, babe. The thing with Hugh Grant is totally fine.” Now you can freely say, “The scene when he gets it, you know, really gets it, is so freakin wonderful! I want to be like Hugh Grant. No, not the Divine Brown slutting Hugh Grant, but the one who’s sensitive, and all British-y and dimple-gyratingly charming and cheerful who probably takes pictures with puppies in a field of sun-dappled daffodils. That’ll be me,” you’ll say as you put your Guinness on a coaster on the living room table while belching elegantly into the back of your hand.
This will come from the comfortable knowledge that there’s enough estrogen coursing through your bloodstream that hopefully you won’t develop that nice layer of fat under your nipples so it looks like they’re frowning at you in the mirror, or goodness, develop that leathery muscle-bound body, yet with a fine pack of muffin top extending from your neck down to your pelvis as shown by all aging 80’s stars ever (See Arhnohldd et al.) You can rest assured that after you’ve committed yourself to the Tao of Hugh, and sucked down some sweet, sweet estrogen juice, you can pleasure your mate in bed without having to rue the day your genitals ever turned 42.
A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has found that it’s not just about increasing the intake of testosterone, and/or having the ability to rip a raw steak in half, it’s now about how important a role estrogen plays — which in short supply has been linked to fat accumulation in men with low testosterone levels, leading to increased risks for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and is partially responsible for sexual dysfunction and lower libido. So if anyone has run out and bought any of those T-gels currently on the market and decided to smear it all over their balls in an attempt to juice up the old baby-squeakers, yeah, you should probably stop doing that.
Men do need both, however. Low testosterone can lead to a decrease in lean muscle mass as well as muscle size and strength. And a drop in estrogen can lead to weakened bones in men in much the same way it does in post-menopausal women. Men’s testosterone levels begin to dip around the age of 35, first impacting sexual function, and sometimes called “male menopause.” Tests have shown that when estrogen is suppressed, men showed significant increases in fat production, decreased sexual desire, and increased erectile dysfunction. So the key would be to include both as a regimen.
However, heretofore, mostly men scientists wouldn’t touch the idea of estrogen as a component, so these new findings could essentially change how hormone replacement therapy is utilized for men — basically it could evolve to embracing both hormones as viable treatment. And won’t that make all the men excited, scared to death, happy to keep their virility and vitality? We’re totally sure it’s a give and take that can work for most.
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