Can sex hormones affect our weight?

Dr. Michael Roizen, MD

Internal Medicine

We all know what testosterone and estrogen do for things like body hair, breast size, and the desire to spend Saturday night rampaging between the sheets like a pair of Greco-Roman wrestlers. But your sex hormones can influence more than just the activity that goes on below your waist; they can also influence what happens to your waist.

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Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.

Obesity

If you have too much body fat, you are obese, just like over 70 million other Americans. It happens because you eat more calories than you use, and your body converts the excess to fat. There are lots of reasons that this can happen. Our lifestyle may lack exercise, we are given portions that are too big and too caloric when we eat, and some of us are just more efficient genetically at converting food into fat.

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