Quercetin: Protection from Estrogenic Chemicals

Like bisphenol A (BPA), many endocrine disruptors are estrogen mimics, also known as xenoestrogens. These copycat estrogens add to your body’s estrogen load and lead to an increasingly common problem in women called “estrogen dominance.” Estrogen dominance is situation in which you have too much estrogen, particularly in relation to the hormone progesterone. Many women’s health issues, including fibrocystic breasts, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts and hormone-related cancers are associated with estrogen dominance.

Our main xenoestrogen exposure comes from pesticides (in produce, in the fat of conventionally raised animals, and in drinking water contaminated with pesticides) and plastics. A recent study found that almost all commercially available plastic products they sampled, including those advertised as BPA-free, leached chemicals having estrogenic activity.

It is known that quercetin, a phytonutrient found in high amounts in onions (especially the outer layers) and cranberries; in lesser amounts in spinach, apples (especially the peel), red grapes, carrots, broccoli and blueberries; and in small amounts in many other fruits and vegetables, is protective against the harmful effects of excess estrogen. Quercetin binds with estrogen receptors making them unavailable to estrogen, which limits estrogen’s effects.

Recent studies have demonstrated that quercetin can prevent or at least mitigate damage done by BPA in the body, possibly by blocking BPA from binding with estrogen receptors. In an in vitro study, quercetin reduced the toxicity of BPA to red blood cells in a dose-dependent manner. In a study with mice, quercetin prevented damage to DNA and RNA by BPA exposure. And in a second mouse study, BPA alone reduced body weight, antioxidant enzymes and vitamin C, while increasing organ weights as well as lipids and cholesterol and markers of oxidation. However when BPA was administered along with quercetin, these negative effects were minimized.

Raymond Francis considers quercetin to be a “foundational nutrient”—one of those nutrients that has so many important roles in optimal function that it should be supplemented in just about everyone. We include quercetin in our Ultimate Wellness Kit.

There are two problems with most quercetin. One is safety: some forms of quercetin actually cause cancer! The other problem is that many forms of quercetin are poorly absorbed—1% absorption is typical. Our quercetin is 100% safe and up to 100% absorbed. So don’t settle for inferior products. Get the best: get Beyond Health Cell Repair Quercetin!

References

1. Yang CZ. Most plastic products release estrogenic chemicals: a potential health problem that can be solved. Environmental Health Perspectives. July 2011;119(7):989-996.
2. Verma RJ. The ameliorative effect of black tea extract and quercetin on bisphenol A-induced cytotoxicity. Acta Poloniae Phamaceutica. January-February 2009;66(1):41-44.
3. Sangai NP. Quercetin alleviates bisphenol A-induced changes in nucleic acid and protein contents in mice. Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica. November-December 2011;68(6):867-873.
4. Sangai, NP. Testing the efficacy of quercetin in mitigating bisphenol A toxicity in liver and kidney of mice. Toxicology and Industrial Health. September 2012;30(7):581-597.