Gynecomastia, Man Boobs, Moobs And How To Get Rid Of Them

Gynecomastia, man boobs are quite a common problem that many men end up having to face. In fact, having that extra flab on your chest is more worrying in terms of your health than the way you think it makes you look. Some guys have even termed man boobs, ‘moobs’. For many men, looking down at their chests and seeing their cleavage is their worst nightmare. It also doesn’t exactly make a man feel masculine. In reality, gynecomastia, man boobs are simply an enlargement of breast tissue.

It is most common in men who are overweight and although it isn’t a direct threat to your health. It is a sure sign that you are most likely overweight. We know that being overweight is not healthy in the long term. Whether we focus on being overweight, the condition does cause some discomfort physiologically.  According to experts, gynecomastia, manboobs, develop when there is more estrogen present in your body instead of testosterone.

Despite gynecomastia, man boobs are a hormonal issue. You can also develop man boobs that might develop due to excess fat deposits in the chest. This might be a little easier to deal with because there are certain exercises that can help reduce the appearance of chest fat. Unfortunately, in a man’s world, having man boobs is usually the fastest way of demonstrating that they are pretty out of shape. Be responsible, so you can be fit and healthy.

Apparently, roughly 30 percent of men will have to cope with enlarged breasts at some point in their life. Gynecomastia, man boobs are unfortunately not going to go away overnight, but with the right nutrition and fitness program, you can make a significant improvement. If that’s not for you, many are opting for surgical solutions to reduce the appearance and size of their man boobs. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, states that men occupy more than 40 percent of all reduction surgeries. That’s insanely high!

Gynecomastia, Man boobs And What They Are

What are man boobs and how do they make your chest appear larger than others? According to science, there are different kinds of gynecomastia, man boobs. Apparently, when it appears in infants or boys during puberty it usually disappears in time on its own. Doctors call this ‘psychological gynecomastia.’ But in most cases, for men, gynecomastia, man boobs appear between the ages of 50-69. Research shows that one out of every four men falling in this age group has Gynecomastia.

What Leads to Gynecomastia?

White Dust explains the condition really well. They state that the following factors might trigger the development of gynecomastia, man boobs:

• Estrogen therapies and anti-androgens that doctors use to treat prostate enlargement and prostate cancer. Spironolactone (Aldactone) is used as a diuretic which has anti-androgenic activity.
• Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) used for HIV diseases may cause fat, therefore triggering Gynecomastia to develop. Men who are HIV positive will receive this medication.
• Medicines that help in treating hypertension like calcium channel blockers.
• Chemotherapy is used in the treatment of cancer.

There are also a few health conditions and diseases that can exacerbate the problem or lead to gynecomastia, man boobs.

Research States That The Following Might Lead To Man boobs:

• Aging: Generally with age, hormonal changes happen. This is especially common in men with obesity.
• Kidney Failure: Patients who are treated with hemodialysis get exposed to gynecomastia due to hormonal changes.
• Hyperthyroidism: Thyroid glands produce excessive hormone thyroxine.
• Liver Failure and Cirrhosis: Liver problems might create hormonal changes. Moreover, cirrhosis medicines are also associated with gynecomastia.
• Malnutrition: This is when adequate nutrition in the body is deprived. Your testosterone levels will drop, but estrogen levels remain constant. This causes a hormonal imbalance. When you begin to follow a normal diet again, Gynecomastia, man boobs might start developing.
• Tumors: Tumors involving the testes, adrenal glands or pituitary glands produce hormones that alter the male and female hormonal imbalance. This might cause Gynecomastia, man boobs.
• Hypogonadism: Conditions that interfere with normal testosterone production. This includes Klinefelter syndrome, which is also associated with Gynecomastia.

Researchers have also found possible links to natural herbs that might trigger the development of gynecomastia, man boobs. This includes lavender, tea tree oils in shampoos, soaps, and even lotions. They think this is because they promote weak estrogenic activity.

How To Get Rid Of Gynecomastia, Man boobs

There are a few ways to sort out the problem. However, it’s not just about your diet and exercise routine. You’ve also got to look at your hormones. Research says that your best bet is to increase your testosterone levels naturally. The older you are, the wonkier the hormones get. Especially after hitting the fifties. Doctors explain that you run the risk of developing a condition called Hypogonadism, or  ‘Low T.’ This is when your testosterone levels plummet.

Exercise is now your best friend. If you hate it, learn to love it. High-intensity exercise and especially strength training will help you shed excess body fat. You also need to also restrict sugar. Too much sugar can cause testosterone levels to drop, due to regular insulin spikes. Doctors also recommend eating a decent amount of healthy fats and the right amount of cholesterol-rich food to produce testosterone. You can certainly avoid gynecomastia, man boobs.

Both vitamin D and monitoring your stress levels will also help keep your hormones balanced. In addition, magnesium and zinc are very important for boosting sex hormones to generate more testosterone in men’s bodies.

Exercise Is The Solution

We cannot emphasize this enough. Gynecomastia, man boobs can be avoided if you stay active regularly throughout your life. You need to make exercise a daily habit. These exercises don’t have to be high-impact either. You can always opt for high-intensity, low-impact training or strength training. Starting out with swimming, walking and jogging are also fantastic options if you’re new to fitness.

The fitter you get, the more confident you’ll get at trying higher-intensity workouts. Just because you’re not jumping around doesn’t mean your workout isn’t intense or effective. So long as you keep the intensity high, you will lose fat deposits quickly. Although you need to focus on training your chest area, remember that you cannot fat spot reduction.

You need to work out your entire body to reduce your overall body fat. Then in tandem incorporate more chest-specific exercises into your training.

Strength Training Is Best

Gynecomastia, man boobs will disappear if you’re consistent. Especially if you’re lifting weights or doing some kind of resistance training. When you do cardio every day, you’re tearing down your muscle which puts it into a state of repair. Whereas strength training diverts calories to rebuilding the muscle without storing it as fat.

As I said, focus on full-body exercises instead of isolated chest exercises. If you are looking for some chest-focused exercises then bench presses, dumbbell chest presses, dumbbell chest flies, and deadlifts are great.

This will burn body fat and promote new balanced muscle growth.

Thank you to Mensopedia, here are some great exercises you can do. They explain each exercise in detail.

Barbell Bench Press

First, you need to lay on your back flat on the bench. Grab a barbell with an overhand grip on each end. Start with a wide grip that is wider than your shoulders. Breathe in and slowly lower the bar toward your chest. Now you can bring it back to the start.

Repeat this exercise for a few reps. It’s fantastic for melting away gynecomastia, man boobs.

Dumbell Chest Press

Very similar to the previous exercise. This time you use dumbbells instead of a barbell. A little easier. All you do is lay on your back, flat on the bench. Hold the dumbbells in each hand, at your chest with the palms facing your thighs. Now slowly raise the dumbbells above the chest, and return to start.

Dumbell Chest Fly

Use the dumbbells again. Hold the dumbbells directly above your chest with your palms facing inwards. Now with a slight bend in your elbows, lower the weights down to your sides. Ensure that your arms are almost at a level with your torso. Exhale and push the dumbbells back to the top. Do this for a few repetitions.

Deadlift

Hold the bar with weights on either side, ensuring that your hands are shoulder-width apart. Keep your arms straight and knees slightly bent. Now lift your chest up and back straight, reach down through your heels and raise the bar up. Push your hips to stand tall. Repeat a few times to help reduce gynecomastia, man boobs.

Whilst exercise is hugely important, really crunching down on your nutrition will optimize your results. Try to avoid sugary foods and saturated fats. Keep as active as you can and also try to reduce your alcohol consumption. Soon, gynecomastia, man boobs will no longer be an issue or a fear of yours.

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