Today, men are trying to cope with ever-increasing stresses and strains of modern life. The body manages stress by making Cortisol from cholesterol in the adrenal glands. But the sex hormones are made from the same source material and use the same biochemical pathways. If the body is forced to make too many stress hormones it will reach a point of exhaustion and its ability to produce male sex hormones may be reduced.

In addition, vitamins, minerals and oilier nutrients are necessary in every one of the enzymes needed for hormone production. Whenever there is a nutritional lack, the production of both stress and sex hormones will be affected. Stress uses up and diverts nutrients from sex hormone production. It also reduces our ability to digest properly, again reducing our intake of nutrients.

Excessive stress hormones lead to raised levels of fats and dangerous LDL cholesterol in the blood. They also disrupt blood sugar and reduce immunity. So a man on a poor diet and under continual stress is likely to have high blood fats and cholesterol, exhausted adrenal glands, low immunity and low sex hormones. The British Isles are among the worst areas of the world for stress-related and diet-related death in men.

Dealing with stress

By reducing stress men should be able to make more of their own sex hormones.

Stress reduction depends partly on how you see things - as challenges or disasters. Responding calmly can be learned, especially through training in relaxation and breathing. Men need a break. They should take plenty of exercise, meditate, eat good organic nutrient-high food and vary their routines.

Diet can provide a firm foundation to buffer stress, It needs to be low in sugar and refined food and high in complex carbohydrates and unrefined starches - whole grains, breads and pasta, beans and pulses, potato, yam and other root vegetables, banana, plantain, and so on -providing a steady release of blood sugar. Animal fats and margarines should be low and unrefined oils (olive, sesame, linseed are best) high to control the blood fat. Salt should be low as it stimulates the adrenal glands and contributes to high blood pressure. Caffeine and other stimulants should also be reduced.

 Nutrients for hormones

There are particular nutrients which help to make the stress and sex hormones. Studies of stress and the adrenals indicate that vitamins C and B5, lecithin, zinc and magnesium are required in significant amounts. The adrenals hold the only major stores of vitamin C in the body.

One of the main enzyme systems in the liver required for all such hormones, called cytochrome P450, requires vitamins A, B2, B3, B6, B12, folate, bioflavonoids, iron and molybdenum. Other enzyme systems need, in addition, vitamins B1, B5, Biotin, C, zinc, magnesium and manganese.

Essential for the membranes where these reactions take place, and for the transport of cholesterol and of the hormones, is phosphatidyl choline and its related phosphatides, found in lecithin.

Vitamin C is important for the health of the testes and vitamin E is a most important factor for the sex glands as an antioxidant protecting the delicate glandular tissues.

Heavy metals like lead and cadmium have adverse effects on semen and. in general, on the health of the whole hormone system. The most important nutrients to clear these are vitamin C, calcium and zinc.

Zinc is thirty times more concentrated in sperm than in blood, Semen is high in both zinc and lecithin. Zinc and selenium correlate with sperm density.

Putting together a programme of extra nutrients is not as complex as it looks, however, as a good multivitamin will contain many of them.

Prostate problems

Though they seldom admit to it, prostate problems affect the majority of older men. and up to 80% of 80 year olds. The prostate is a gland designed to produce seminal fluid, and it completely surrounds the urethra, just below the bladder. Inflammation or swelling of the prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH) affects urination, making it small and frequent, increasing cystitis and bladder infections or stones. It is commonly thought that reduction of male hormones with aye allows oestrogens to dominate and affect the sensitive cells of the prostate. Cancer of the prostate, though not necessarily related to BPH, is the fifth most common cause of death in men, and may also be related to oestrogen dominance.

Zinc is known to relieve 80% of older men of prostate swelling, whether due to BPH, inflammation or infection. Saw Palmetto also improves the condition in a majority of men. It is thought to block the conversion of testosterone, which opposes oestrogens and maintains the prostate, to the more potent dihydro-testosterone. Vitamin E has recently been found to reduce prostate cancers by a significant 34%, and the other antioxidants (beta carotene, vitamin C and selenium) plus zinc are important factors.

The heart of the matter

Heart disease remains the UK's biggest killer and many men are unaware they have it until their first heart attack.

It is caused by a process known as atherosclerosis where there is a gradual build up of plaque along blood vessel walls, narrowing the blood vessel and reducing the flow of blood. Atherosclerosis is often accompanied by thicker than normal blood containing clots which, upon coming into contact with atherosclerotic plaques can lead to a complete blockage in the artery stopping blood flow and starving the tissue downstream of vital oxygen and nutrients. If this occurs in a coronary artery it results in a heart attack, in the brain, a stroke and in a peripheral artery, a thrombosis.

Arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, often accompanies atherosclerosis and thickened blood. With age, arteries lose their elasticity and harden - often due to a lack of vitamin C needed to make collagen which contributes to arterial flexibility. The combination of atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis and thick blood leads to high blood pressure increasing the risk of a heart attack, stroke or thrombosis.

There are many recognised risk factors which men can modify to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, including stopping smoking, avoiding obesity, taking regular exercise, eating a well-balanced diet with lots of fruit, vegetables, soluble fibre, oily fish and less saturated fat. fried food and sugar. There is a need to reduce high cholesterol and blood pressure, manage stress and reduce homocysteine levels. A high homocysteine level is increasingly being recognised as an independent risk factor for heart disease even in the absence of other key markers - indeed, it is mare predictive of heart attack risk than high cholesterol level.

Homocysteine is a normal part of a healthy metabolism and its conversion to more beneficial substances requires an adequate supply of B6, folic acid and B12. If these nutrients are in short supply, homocysteine levels rise, enter the blood stream and damage blood cell and vessel walls. Homocysteine levels can also increase through smoking, high alcohol and coffee intake, eating excessive amounts of red meat (rich in methionine, the amino acid from which homocysteine is produced), lack of exercise, obesity and stress.

An ideal homocysteine level is <8umol/L. The average man at 42 has a homocysteine level of 11umol/L. The higher the homocysteine level the more B6, folic acid and B12 is required.

Other key nutrients to ensure a healthy cardiovascular system include vitamin E, which helps lower Wood pressure by thinning the blood and vitamin C, which helps maintain artery wall integrity. Artery damage involves inflammation so anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fish oils are of great benefit. Antioxidants also reduce inflammation and protect against the damaging effects of free radicals on the artery walls and cholesterol CoQ10 also a powerful antioxidant is vital for the proper functioning of the heart muscle. Magnesium relaxes the smooth muscle of arterial walls reducing blood pressure and the risk of arterial spasm. Plant sterols and stanols often added to foods but also available in supplement form can help lower cholesterol levels.

To survive in the new millennium, the new man has to start taking responsibility for his own health, changing both his lifestyle and diet.

For more information on maintaining Men's Health, call Higher Nature's Nutrition Department: 0870 066 4458

Reproduced with the kind permission of Today's Therapist