Eat raw carrots for reproductive health.
and your gut to estrogen relationship.
Female Catalog is a weekly newsletter read by females who are determined to understand their bodies and lead healthier lives.
Carrots really are that girl. If you are not eating raw carrots regularly this may be the newsletter to put you on.
Top research: A meta-analysis of 10 studies found that women with higher carrot intake had a 21% lower risk of breast cancer compared to those with low intake.
Carotenoids in carrots (like beta-carotene, precursor to Vitamin A) may help reduce breast cancer risk by neutralizing free radicals, slowing cancer cell growth, and activating tumor-suppressor genes. They also reduce enzymes that activate carcinogens, while phenolic compounds in carrots add antioxidant and anti-tumor protection.
Diagram of the week: Your estrobolome is the group of gut bacteria that controls how much estrogen gets reabsorbed into your body vs. eliminated from your body.
A healthy estrobolome helps clear excess estrogen while a disrupted one can lead to estrogen buildup and “hormone imbalance”. You can support a healthy estrobolome by: eating more fiber (ie. carrots, of course), consuming adequate amounts of prebiotics and probiotics, and reducing antibiotic intake.
Understanding of the week: Eating raw carrots could reduce your period cramps.
Unsurprisingly, what you eat can directly impact your hormone levels. We know estrogen is metabolized and excreted through gut and intestinal pathways. Higher levels of estrogen and lower levels of progesterone — or what has been coined “estrogen dominance” — has been linked to increased period pain. Therefore, lowering the levels of circulating estrogen and/or raising the levels of circulating progesterone could potentially reduce it.
In hamsters and pigs we’ve seen raw carrot fiber lowers β-glucuronidase activity in the gut. β-glucuronidase is an enzyme that reactivates estrogen for reabsorption. By reducing this enzyme, raw carrots can support estrogen clearance, protecting against estrogen dominance, which is a major driver of period pain. Insoluble fiber in raw carrots (especially lignin) also physically binds excess estrogen and carries it out of the body. This dual action — reducing estrogen recycling and binding it for elimination — could help lower systemic estrogen levels and may ease cramping.
What we’re consuming:
👂🏼 Dianna Lopez’s Earth Rhythms: Sometimes you just need to relax and vibe and no one supports that better than Dianna Lopez. Enjoy.
👃🏼 Kimchi juice up the nose for sinus infections: Researchers discovered that Lactobacillus sakei is missing in chronic sinusitis sufferers and that L.sakei — often a key strain found in Kimchi — would work as a sinusitis treatment.
👁️ Carrots help eliminate mold toxicity because they bind cholesterol and bile.
Have something worth sharing? Send it my way hi@amandamarino.com. I’m always collecting links, research, and materials that help us understand our bodies.