The Fact
Neuroendocrine researchers Rettberg, Yao and Brinton describe estrogen as a master regulator of bioenergetic systems in the female brain and body. Estrogen regulates glucose transport, mitochondrial function and ATP production in the brain and participates in insulin sensitivity, fat regulation, energy intake and energy expenditure throughout the body.
What This Means
Estrogen is not merely a reproductive hormone. It helps coordinate how a woman’s cells obtain, make and use energy. Her brain, metabolism and other organs are listening to estrogen signals.
A major change in estrogen signaling is therefore a whole-body physiological event, not simply a reproductive event.
Sources
- Rettberg JR, Yao J, Brinton RD. Estrogen: A master regulator of bioenergetic systems in the brain and body. Front Neuroendocrinol. 2014;35(1):8–30. PMID: 23994581.