We’ve all heard the jokes about moobs, man boobs, and “mansierres,” from every source including standup and TV comedies. What we don’t consider is that man boobs are actually something many men have in common.
Don’t believe us? Well, according to Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the incidence of man boobs, clinically known as gynecomastia, is approximately 50% in male adolescents. This increases to up to 70% in senior citizens. Like it or not, statistically speaking you either are dealing with or will deal with gynecomastia at some point in your life.
The good news is that there are a variety of steps and measures you can take to either prevent or limit the appearance of this potentially embarrassing condition.
Gynecomastia Basics
Gynecomastia is defined as a proliferation of male breast tissue. The important thing to note is that gynecomastia is a symptom of other conditions, not necessarily a primary condition itself. That is to say, it is caused by other factors.
The primary reasons for the development of gynecomastia are hormonal imbalance, dietary imbalance, and lack of physical development.
Hormonal
An imbalance in the body’s hormones resulting in an excess of estrogen can cause the development of male breast tissue. This isn’t surprising – hormone replacement treatments for transgender women lead to the development of breast tissue. Of course, for many men this is not an intended or desired condition.
Some steps you can take if you suspect a hormonal imbalance:
1 – Consult your doctor: Many people want to handle things all-natural, and that’s a noble goal. However, your doctor is a professional who went to medical school for many years to gain an understanding of the human body. They may have insights into your particular condition, so always make time to consider the advice of trained health professionals.
2 – Consider a natural hormone supplement: Gynectrol is a supplement formula designed to help with hormonal imbalances. Contrary to popular belief, testosterone isn’t the “opposite” of estrogen. Testosterone supplementation can lead to rapid estrogen conversion, resulting in gynecomastia presentation. Gynectrol is designed to inhibit this process in a natural way, rebalancing your body’s hormones.
Dietary
The body is affected directly by what we put into it. This is true for every part of our body, and the chest is no different. Structurally, breast tissue is a combination of fatty cells and cartilaginous supporting structures. Making changes to your diet to limit the building blocks of these structures could help you prevent further development of gynecomastia.
3 – Limit the fatty intake: Fats are an animal’s way of storing energy for the long term. Fat has a lot of calories packed into its volume. For example, the number one food hikers take when climbing Mount Everest is butter, which is basically pure milk fat; the sheer number of calories make it great for calories per weight, but not so great for your body. Reduce the calories you consume from fats and oils to limit breast tissue growth.
4 – Increase lean protein and vegetable intake: When we take steps to cut one thing out of our diets, we often find ourselves getting hungrier. Fill that craving up with something more healthy. Cut out fatty red meat, but replace it with lean, healthy chicken or turkey. Similarly, find ways to incorporate more vegetables into your diet. Lean, green vegetables do wonders for the body’s health, and carry far fewer calories per weight than fatty meats.
5 – Be careful not to crash diet: Make the above changes gradually, and preferably with the help of a dietician’s advice. Gynecomastia can sometimes result from malnourished individuals suddenly receiving a large number of calories after a period of deprivation. Often, our first instinct after a period of dieting is to splurge or overindulge. As a result, gynecomastia can pop up in people who over-do it on the diet front, then splurge a bit too much at the end of the diet. Make changes gradually and safely to avoid this “refeeding gynecomastia.”
Physical Conditioning
One of the biggest indicators for gynecomastia that isn’t linked directly to diet or hormones is being out of shape. Bodily posture, exercise routines, and other concerns related to physical well being can all influence the development of male breast tissue.
6 – Engage in cardiovascular exercise: Nothing is more efficient at burning calories than getting your body into aggressive, energetic movement. Go hiking, run on a treadmill, get a rowing machine; whatever it takes, get your body moving and get that heart rate up. The process of doing so will burn calories, and eventually those calories will come from the chest area as well as everywhere else. A word of caution, do not believe those who say one exercise can make the body burn fat in a particular place. It burns fat from all over, so the key is consistency of exercise, not the location.
7 – Work on building your muscle: Part of the reason gynecomastia stands out is that the tissue is very developed compared to the muscles behind it. Do you know who doesn’t look like they have gynecomastia? Men with highly-developed pectorals. Build your pecs with upper-body strength building exercises to minimize the profile of your man boobs.
We hope that these tips have helped you. As ever, consult with a doctor before making major changes to your routines, to be sure they fit within your healthy limits.