When you think about the hormone progesterone more than likely you’re not thinking about the health of your brain. That’s because this hormone has long been associated with female health. But now new studies have revealed that an extra helping of this one critical hormone could also be your brain’s strongest source of protection.
Progesterone is a vital component of your reproductive health and one that takes a serious plunge as you age. So it’s no surprise that progesterone supplementation is clinically proven to reduce a long list of symptoms related to menopause: weight gain, fatigue, low sex drive, depression, mood swings and bone loss, to name a few. It can even help men by keeping estrogen levels in check and providing critical prostate support.
Two new animal studies show, however, that progesterone is more than just a sex hormone—it’s produced in your brain’s neurons and glial cells, where it plays a key role in your central and peripheral nervous system, too.1-2 What’s more, progesterone supplementation may actually reduce swelling, restore blood-brain barrier function and improve outcome in the critical days following traumatic brain injury and stroke.3
The most recent of these studies examined the effects of progesterone injection in stroke-induced rats—both one to six hours following the stroke, as well as once per day after the initial dose. Researchers then measured two prominent factors: TNF-alpha, a key inflammatory marker, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), a contributing factor in the development of aneurysms, which are produced by degradation of structural proteins in the aortic wall.
Results showed that progesterone was able to reduce levels of both TNF-alpha and the MMP-9—reducing inflammatory responses and the severity of brain damage in the aftermath of the induced stroke.1 This supports a previous study, which showed that progesterone treatment was able to reduce brain damage by as much as 54 percent in rats receiving injections of progesterone at six, 24, and 48 hours following stroke… a remarkable improvement by any standard.2
So far, there haven’t been any clinical trials to examine progesterone’s powers in human stroke victims—but if these animal studies are any indication, it’s only a matter of time. Meanwhile, if you’re not already getting extra doses of this important hormone, you have one more reason to start doing so today. Your best bet? A topical cream—such as Gentle Changes® from VRP—ensures the most effective progesterone delivery.
References:
1. Wang J, Jiang C, Li X, Liu C, Cheng N, Hao Y. The protective mechanism of progesterone on blood-brain barrier in cerebral ischemia in rats. Brain Res Bull. 2009 Aug 14;79(6):426-30.
2. Ishrat T, Sayeed I, Atif F, Stein DG. Effects of progesterone administration on infarct volume and functional deficits following permanent focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Brain Res. 2009 Feb 27;1257:94-101.
3. Herson PS, Koerner IP, Hurn PD. Sex, sex steroids, and brain injury. Semin Reprod Med. 2009 May;27(3):229-39.