Dr Hyman says that for many of his female patients with low sex drive, he connects the dots between lifestyle factors like smoking, drinking, chronic stress and environmental toxin exposure. All of these factors exacerbate sex hormone imbalances.
However, sugar is one of the biggest culprits that wrecks a woman’s sex drive, he adds.
Does this include sugar in “healthy foods” like wheat flour, which converts to sugar, too? Absolutely!
Dr Hyman explains that sugar spikes your insulin levels, resulting in a hormonal domino effect. Subsequently, raised insulin adversely affects other hormones. The bottom line is that sugar knocks a woman’s sex hormones out of balance.
Testosterone isn’t just a man’s hormone, Dr Hyman clears up. He says that sugar alters testosterone in women and can lower testosterone in men, too.
When testosterone levels are out of whack, it can lead to problems like lower muscle mass, increased body fat, brain fog and, of course, reduced sexual desire. Furthermore, sugar reduces energy and raises stress hormones.
Ready to take back your energy and steamy sex life? It’s as simple as cutting out sugar and artificial sweeteners, which jack up insulin that boosts your risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
When you pay attention to regulating your insulin levels, your sex hormones fall into place, Dr Hyman concludes.
Make sure you keep this in mind before you reach for that next doughnut!