Estrogen blockers are supplements that counter the action of estrogen, the primary female sex hormone.
They’re similar to testosterone boosters except they specifically address the blocking of estrogen.
It generally works in opposition to testosterone, meaning high levels of estrogen will cause you to gain fat, lose muscle mass, and, for men, lose their libido and sexual potency.
None of these are good things, especially if you are looking to get stronger and perform better as an athlete. We’ve combed through a huge number of supplements to come up with the best estrogen blockers on the market.
Research
Rankings
1. PrimeMale
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PrimeMale attacks the causes of low androgen levels and high estrogen levels on all fronts. First, it takes care of anything that could impair your testosterone levels with a strong dose of vitamin D, magnesium, and zinc.
Next, it’s got Asian ginseng, a powerful androgen booster, as well as aspartic acid, nettle root, and boron. The bioavailability of all of these ingredients is augmented by BioPerine, a proprietary black pepper extract.
This broad-based strategy to suppress estrogen and boost androgens makes PrimeMale our top pick.
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2. TestoGen
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TestoGen is a natural testosterone booster that has been getting some pretty amazing results. And yes, it is a natural T booster, but it works to block estrogen as well.
TestoGen contains a range of natural ingredients, including Bioperine, Zinc, Vitamin B6, Red Ginseng Extract, Fenugreek Extract, D-Aspartic Acid, Vitamin K1, Nettle Leaf Extract, Boron, Vitamin D, and Magnesium.
If you are looking for a natural, yet unconventional estrogen blocker that will help you raise T levels while also helping you with tiredness and raising your libido, then consider giving TestoGen a try.
3. MAN Sports Nolvadren XT
MAN Sports Nolvadren XT provides an unusual take on estrogen blocking. It uses diindolylmethane to block estrogen, which is standard practice, but it uses some unconventional compounds to boost testosterone and to control cortisol levels as well.
This is great to see, because as important as testosterone and estrogen are, cortisol is an underappreciated factor when it comes to muscle gains and energy levels.
The testosterone booster and the cortisol blockers are advanced metabolites, and you won’t find them anywhere else. If standard estrogen blockers aren’t cutting it, give Nolvadren XT a try.
4. Genius Estrogen Balance
If you want straight, simple, anti-estrogen power, Genius has got you covered.
Typically known for their cutting-edge supplements that use the latest extracts and compounds, their Estrogen Balance formula goes with just two active ingredients: diindolylmethane and grape seed extract. These come alongside BioPerine for better absorption and bioavailability.
As you’d expect from a company like Genius, there are no artificial ingredients or fillers to worry about.
5. AndroSurge
AndroSurge provides potent anti-estrogen effects thanks to its use of rhodiola root extract, diindolylmethane (DIM), grape seed extract, and eurycoma longifolia extract.
These, along with the traditional testosterone-boosting ingredients zinc and vitamin D, should be enough to give you substantial gains in your strength, power, virility, and energy levels. The fact that it has no extra fillers or artificial ingredients is an added bonus.
6. Muscle Force Estrotase
Estrotase uses a solid blend of estrogen-blocking and androgen-producing ingredients such as zinc, maca root, grape seed extract, diindolylmethane, boron, and kudzu root.
It’s sourced from natural materials and has no extraneous ingredients, making it a solid call for anyone looking for an all-around anti-estrogen supplement.
7. EstroVoid
EstroVoid has a high concentration of estrogen blockers such as diindolylmethane, panax ginseng, and ashwagandha.
The only downside is that it uses a proprietary formulation, so you can’t precisely compare this supplement to others with similar ingredients.
Still, most of the ingredients are solid, and the overall dosage of estrogen blockers is high, making it a pretty solid choice.
8. EstreduxHP
EstreduxHP is based around a proprietary blend of several ingredients with known anti-estrogen or pro-androgen effects.
These include Panax ginseng, ashwagandha, diindolylmethane, and eurycoma longifolia. However, the fact that the blend is proprietary means that you can’t find out how much of each ingredient is actually in the supplement.
If you trust the nutritionists, this is not such a big deal, but it makes it hard to compare and contrast between other estrogen blockers, which knocks it down somewhat in the rankings.
9. Pride Nutrition E-Block
E-Block from Pride Nutrition is a pretty straightforward formulation, relying on diindolylmethane and chrysin (a compound found in honeycomb) for its anti-estrogen effects.
With chrysin being a little-researched compound, this supplement effectively relies on DIM for all of its anti-estrogen effects. With a design this simple, it’s just straight-up outcompeted by other estrogen blockers on the market.
10. Estroblock
Estroblock sells well, but it doesn’t quite cut it compared to the top estrogen blocking supplements. It too uses a proprietary blend, making it difficult to identify how much of each active ingredient is used in the formulation.
The overall content of active ingredient is quite low, however, and aside from diindolylmethane, it doesn’t have any of the most effective estrogen blockers. Most people will find better options elsewhere.
Category winners
Best estrogen blocker overall: PrimeMale
PrimeMale uses some of the most powerful estrogen blocking and testosterone boosting supplements out there, including fenugreek seed, stinging nettle, tribulus terrestris, and oyster extract. For an all-around estrogen blocker, it’s our favorite pick.
Best estrogen blocker for athletes: Genius Estrogen Balance
Athletes looking for a simple and pure estrogen blocker should opt for Genius Estrogen Balance: it uses DIM and grape seed extract as its only two ingredients, making it a good choice for athletes looking to integrate an estrogen blocker into their supplement stack.
Best estrogen blocker for older men: Testogen
Testogen is our recommendation for older men thanks to its formula that includes key ingredients for sustaining high levels of testosterone and low levels of estrogen, such as zinc, magnesium, and boron. Men often develop deficiencies in these nutrients as they age, so Testogen is a good bed.
Best estrogen blocker for sexual wellness: PrimeMale
For sexual wellness and sexual performance, PrimeMale has no peer. Its dual-goal ingredients decrease estrogen and increase testosterone, which raises your libido, improves blood flow, and improves erectile function.
Best estrogen blocker for gaining muscle: Man Sports Nolvadren XT
Man Sports is our pick for serious athletes looking to gain muscle mass. Combining pine bark extract, DIM, and the testosterone precursor DHEA makes it the best choice for maximizing gains.
Best estrogen blocker/testosterone booster combo: PrimeMale
With zinc and tribulus terrestris for boosting testosterone, and oyster extract, siberian ginseng, and velvet bean to tamp down on estrogen, PrimeMale is the obvious choice if you want to take a supplement that does dual duty.
Who should buy an estrogen blocker?
Estrogen blockers are popular among athletes, bodybuilders, and men looking to maximize their testosterone levels. Estrogen, a female sex hormone, directly counteracts many of the effects of male sex hormones: it lowers metabolism, increases body fat, and makes it more difficult to add muscle mass—not to mention significantly diminishing male sex drive.
If you are looking to keep your testosterone and growth hormone levels high, and your estrogen levels low, an estrogen blocker is a smart choice. High estrogen levels are associated with obesity, low sex drive, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
The excess body fat that comes along with higher estrogen levels is a real problem because fat cells actually produce estrogen: the more fat you have, the more endogenous estrogen your body produces. If you are overweight or obese, and finding that you have many of the symptoms of low testosterone and high estrogen, your fat cells might be part of the problem.
An estrogen blocker could be a way to counteract this problem. Estrogen blockers are far more common among strength and power athletes, though, who are looking to squeeze out every last drop of performance.
While an estrogen blocker alone won’t guarantee better performances, it fits in well to a supplementation routine that also contains testosterone boosters, protein shakes, and post-workout supplements if you are trying to maximize physical performance.
How we ranked
To formulate our rankings of the top estrogen blockers on the market, we first started out with a list of raw supplement ingredients based on scientific research that have shown some evidence that they can modulate estrogen levels in the body.
This list included popular ingredients like DIM, or diindolylmethane, as well as herbal compounds like ginseng, aspartic acid, and grape seed extract.
Moreover, we looked for vitamin and mineral ingredients connected with high testosterone and low estrogen, like zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin K. We used this list of basic ingredients to evaluate the quality of potential candidates for our rankings.
Estrogen blockers that had no ingredients on our list just didn’t make the cut—if a product doesn’t have any of the scientifically based compounds that may affect estrogen levels, it’s hard to believe it’s going to be an effective estrogen blocker. Products that contained several potential estrogen blockers scored better than products that just had a few.
Next up, we looked for products that would have a potentially synergistic effect on testosterone and/or human growth hormone, which are two of the most important hormones for muscle growth, vigor, and sex drive—all of which are targets of estrogen blockers too.
These kinds of synergistic interactions are particularly important for men who don’t have a massive supplement stack.
Men who are just trying to lose weight and increase their sex drive may not have the time and energy to get a protein powder, a post-workout supplement, an HGH supplement, and a testosterone booster.
These individuals can get a lot out of a supplement that combines both estrogen blockers and androgen boosters, so we gave extra points to products that addressed both of these points.
Benefits
Estrogen blockers are supplements that reduce the production or biological activity of estrogen, the female sex hormone. Estrogen works more or less in direct opposition to testosterone, so all the benefits of high testosterone (strong sex drive, easy lean muscle gains, high energy levels, and little trouble losing body fat) can be counteracted by high levels of estrogen in your body. Hence the need for an estrogen blocker.
Men who are already pushing the limits of their natural testosterone levels (for example, by using a testosterone booster as part of their regular supplementation routine) might benefit more from trying to reduce estrogen versus trying to increase their testosterone levels even more.
There’s just more headroom to improve in that direction for many men. But what’s it take to decrease your estrogen levels?
One supplement that’s on the cutting edge of estrogen blocking research is diindolylmethane, also known as DIM. The utility of DIM in reducing estrogen levels was discovered initially by cancer researchers.
Some cancers, such as thyroid cancer, are many times more common in women than men. Given that one of the most significant metabolic differences between men and women is estrogen levels, estrogen and cancer is an area of active research.
DIM can block estrogen. One scientific paper published in 2011 flagged DIM as a potent anti-estrogen compound while researching it as a treatment for thyroid cancer (1).
The researchers discovered that DIM resulted in a strong anti-estrogen effect. Later research published in 2016 in the journal Anti-inflammatory Nutraceuticals and Chronic Diseases showed that DIM has strong anti-estrogen and anti-inflammatory effects.
While this paper focused specifically on using DIM to treat or prevent cancer and heart disease, this is good news for people who want to reap the benefits of higher androgen levels too (2).
Grape seed extract works well too. A similar mechanism is at play in other anti-estrogen compounds, such as grape seed extract. Research (again focused on cancer cell metabolism) published in 2003 found that grape seed extract contains biologically active compounds that inhibit estrogen production (3).
This indicates that, in addition to DIM, you should be on the lookout for estrogen blocking supplements that contain grape seed extract.
What are the consequences of high estrogen levels? Observational studies give some indication of the negative consequences.
Estrogen is linked to obesity. One natural experiment that demonstrates what happens when testosterone levels drop and estrogen levels increase is the metabolic changes that take place in obesity. According to research published in 1999 by P.G. Cohen, people with morbid obesity experience a progressive shut-down in testosterone production and an increase in estrogen production (4).
Since one of the primary consequences of low testosterone and high estrogen is gaining fat mass and losing muscle mass, this sets off a positive feedback loop, making it very difficult to stop gaining fat.
The same double-whammy of low testosterone and high estrogen is observed in elderly men. A large cohort study of elderly men published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found marked health risks associated with low testosterone and high estrogen levels (5).
Men with both low testosterone and high estrogen were more likely to be overweight, have diabetes, frailty, and cardiovascular disease. All of these outcomes appear to be connected with low muscle mass and high body fat content.
The effects of estrogen and testosterone appear to be substantially worse in men above age 60. Men over this threshold have a 20% chance of having testosterone levels that are below the healthy range for young men, according to a 2005 study in the journal Endocrine Reviews (6).
This means that estrogen blockers aren’t just for young guys looking for muscle gains—older men should consider an estrogen blocker too, if they feel they are suffering from the negative effects of low testosterone and high estrogen, namely, decreasing muscle mass, increasing fat mass, low energy levels, and a low libido.
The benefits of higher testosterone and low estrogen seem to extend beyond the physical, too. One study suggests that cognitive abilities could be enhanced in older men who keep their testosterone levels high and their estrogen levels low.
The study, published in 1999 by researchers at the University of California San Diego, looked at testosterone and estrogen levels among a group of over 500 men age 59 and up (7).
The men had standard blood tests done to check their hormone levels, then underwent a series of tests of cognitive ability, including tests for memory, visual reasoning, and overall mental state.
Low estrogen means better cognitive performance. Even after adjusting for potentially confounding factors like age, smoking status, and body weight, the men with high testosterone and low estrogen performed better on the cognitive tests compared to the men with low testosterone and high estrogen.
This indicates that older men who are feeling “foggy” or a little less mentally sharp than they used to be might not be just getting old—they might have low testosterone and high estrogen levels.
Estrogen blockers are often used in combination with androgen boosters for synergistic effects. Since the primary goal of almost all users of estrogen blockers is suppressing the androgen-blocking effects of estrogen, it’s often advantageous to use them alongside supplements specifically focused on the opposite effects: increasing vigor and sex drive, cutting fat, and boosting lean muscle mass.
There are a huge variety of individual supplemental ingredients that are thought to boost androgens, the most important of which are testosterone and human growth hormone.
We have specific rankings for supplements that boost testosterone and supplements that boost human growth hormone (HGH), and these supplements often have a good bit of crossover with estrogen blocker ingredients.
Regardless, they combine well with estrogen blockers, and are often used in muscle building supplement stacks to achieve synergistic muscle growth effects. Of course, it’s still important to train hard and recover well, as muscle fiber stress is the stimulus needed to activate all of these hormones for muscle growth.
DIM may function as an inhibitor of estrogen receptors, rather than decreasing levels of estrogen in the blood directly. DIM has been heavily studied because of its high prevalence in ultra-healthy foods like kale and broccoli.
A great deal of research on the cellular biology of cancer involves the effects of DIM, particularly as these effects relate to certain cancers that react to estrogen, like breast cancer. DIM appears to inhibit the growth of these cancers by altering the activity of certain receptors that are sensitive to estrogen (8).
These effects might explain why many nutritionists think that DIM is one of the best estrogen blockers out there. Contrary to popular opinion, even if these nutritionists are right, DIM won’t actually decrease estrogen levels in your body—but it might block the physiological effects that DIM has.
Side effects
Fortunately, the most effective estrogen blocking supplements appear quite safe.
Even after six years of a commercial DIM supplement being used in clinical research, no serious adverse effects have been reported (8).
In the case of grape seed extract, it’s been used in clinical research with no major adverse effects in studies up to 14 weeks in duration, but you shouldn’t use it if you are on blood thinners like warfarin, or if you have an allergy to grapes (9).
The safety profile of other estrogen blockers is less clear, as they have ingredients that haven’t been tested in rigorous clinical trials.
Recommended dosage
Since many of the most effective estrogen blockers, such as diindolylmethane and grape seed extract, are fairly new, details on optimal doses are still a little sketchy.
Studies recommend 50-300 mg per day of DIM, though this is gleaned from cancer research, not studies for overall health and vitality (10, 11).
As for grape seed extract, recommendations vary as well, from 100 to 400 mg per day. Beyond this, the top-ranked estrogen blockers all do a great job balancing out active ingredients, so it’s hard to go wrong following the dosage recommendations of a quality estrogen blocker.
FAQ
Q: What foods block estrogen?
A: Most research on dietary choices and estrogen levels have been conducted in women, but it’s possible that that the results could generalize to men. One study reported that high levels of dietary fat (and especially saturated fat) were correlated with high levels of estrogen in the blood (12).
Based on these results of this study, it makes sense to keep saturated fats low, particularly because other sources have linked saturated fat in red meat to higher estrogen levels, at least in women. Instead, try lean meats that don’t have much in the way of saturated fat, like poultry and fish.
Moreover, there’s even a case to be made for a vegetarian or at least low-meat diet when it comes to blocking estrogen: research studies (again, focused on women, not men) have found lower levels of estrogen hormones in the blood of female vegetarians compared to female omnivores (13). A diet that is high in fiber also appears to block estrogen (14).
A major limitation of all of these studies is that they are focused on women. The reason for such intense research interest in women’s estrogen levels and diet is because of the link between high estrogen levels and cancer risk, specifically breast cancer and endometrial cancer.
More work needs to be done on men’s dietary choices and estrogen levels. Another good source of estrogen blockers are foods that are rich in DIM, like kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.
These are all great sources of DIM, which might help block the activity of estrogen on certain estrogen-sensitive receptors in your body. They are also great sources of fiber, which can block estrogen as well through different mechanisms, so these cruciferous vegetables are the perfect addition to your diet if you are looking to limit the effects of estrogen.
Q: What do estrogen blockers do for men?
A: Many men are looking to lower their estrogen levels because of the potential negative effects on wellbeing of high estrogen levels, especially if they coincide with low testosterone.
This unfavorable hormonal profile in men could cause problems ranging from erectile dysfunction and low libido to high body fat and a lack of significant improvements from resistance training, as well as overall low energy levels.
Q: How can I lower my estrogen levels quickly?
A: If you are trying to drop estrogen levels fast, an estrogen blocker can help, but you’re more likely to have success by combining the effects of an estrogen blocker with a testosterone booster.
On top of that, it’s very smart to adopt androgen-boosting life habits, like getting more sleep and doing an intense whole-body workout several days per week.
Though there’s less evidence, it might be beneficial to also decrease your dietary saturated fat intake and increase your fiber intake. Each of these strategies alone may only make a small difference, but they all add up.
If you want to bring down your estrogen and increase your testosterone and growth hormone as quickly as possible, you’ll want to combine multiple strategies for the best shot at success.
Q: Is DIM an estrogen blocker?
A: Yes, DIM is one of the best supported supplement ingredients for blocking estrogen levels. Research on DIM is widespread due to its presence in many of the healthiest superfoods, like broccoli and kale.
Many researchers think that DIM may be partially responsible for the known health benefits of these superfoods, and one mechanism may be related to DIM’s ability to bind to estrogen receptors.
While DIM won’t bring down the level of estrogen in your body, it may reduce the extent to which it is able to influence your body’s hormonal state by blocking its action. As such, you’ll find DIM in many of the top-ranked estrogen blocker supplements, and it was one of the key ingredients we looked for when we formulated our rankings.
Q: What is an estrogen blocker?
A: An estrogen blocker is any individual compound or multi-ingredient supplement that is designed to reduce estrogen levels or reduce the biological activity of estrogen in the body.
Estrogen blockers are popular among athletes, who often use them in combination with testosterone boosters in an aim to increase energy levels and muscle mass.
Estrogen blockers also find use among men who have problems related to sexual function, vigor, and energy levels, again often using estrogen blockers in combination with a testosterone booster or a male enhancement pill for increased efficacy.
Q: What are the most effective estrogen blockers?
A: Some of the most effective ingredients that our research team looked for when formulating our rankings were DIM, ginseng, aspartic acid, and grape seed extract.
These ingredients have some degree of scientific research supporting the possibility that they modulate your body’s estrogen levels. The evidence appears the strongest for DIM and grape seed extract, so definitely look for these ingredients when choosing an estrogen blocker supplement.
Additionally, while they may not affect estrogen directly, it’s important not to forget about basic vitamins and minerals like vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium, which could help support higher testosterone levels.
High testosterone offsets the effects of estrogen, so if you are not taking a dedicated testosterone booster, it might be a good move to get an estrogen blocker that also has these testosterone-supporting ingredients as well.
Q: Can you get estrogen blockers over the counter?
A: Yes, estrogen blocking supplements can be had over the counter. These supplements use vitamins, minerals, herbal compounds, and other supplemental molecules in an aim to bring down your body’s estrogen levels.
There are specific chemicals that act as estrogen inhibitors that are only available with a prescription from a doctor—these are often used to treat specific medical conditions, and while they’re definitely more effective, they also have side effects.
Q: Can estrogen blockers help with gynecomastia?
A: Supplemental estrogen blockers are popular with men who are trying to deal with gynecomastia (enlarged breasts), but there haven’t been any studies specifically examining whether the ingredients in an over the counter estrogen blocker can counteract gynecomastia.
Estrogen levels are definitely linked to the development of gynecomastia, because it is one of the biggest side effects of direct hormonal supplementation with estrogen. However, it is not known what level of estrogen causes gynecomastia, and to what extent any changes in estrogen levels brought about by an estrogen blocker will reduce or reverse gynecomastia.
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Recap
Estrogen blockers aren’t just for super-athletes. Men looking to get out of the destructive positive-feedback loop of weight gain, increased estrogen, and decreased testosterone can benefit greatly from an estrogen blocker, as can men who are getting older and are feeling the effects of decreasing testosterone with age.
High estrogen and low testosterone isn’t just for physical benefits, either; older men can gain cognitive benefits from increasing their testosterone levels and decreasing their estrogen levels.
When you’re looking for an estrogen blocking supplement, look for one that includes diindolylmethane, and preferably grape seed extract too.
These are two of the best-researched estrogen blocking compounds, and they have a strong track record of inhibiting the activity of estrogen in your body. Other compounds that boost androgen production, such as zinc and magnesium, can be helpful too.
For BodyNutrition‘s #1 estrogen blocker recommendation, click here.
