T Nation

Fennel and Phytoestrogens

Supplements and Nutrition
#1

I drink Fennel Tea from time to time and Fennel as a vegetable is recommended in a few forum topics, books.

However I just googled some info on fennel and it seems that fennel contains Phytoestrogens, and is progesteronic. It is even used to aid breastfeeding in pregnant woman.

Some sources:

Wikipedia:
“Fennel contains anethole, which can explain some of its effects: it, or its polymers, act as phytoestrogens. [SNIP]”

http://www.cyst101.com/phyto.htm

It is listed as progesteronic on http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=462198

The same is true for some other herbs like Anice

Is this something to worry about and would it be better to avoid fennel?

#2

not all phytoestrogens are bad for you, in fact the majority of them all are good for you. If you are going to avoid one food because it contains “phytoestrogens” you may end up avoiding all vegtables, herbs, and spices.

#3

[quote]Beatnik wrote:
not all phytoestrogens are bad for you, in fact the majority of them all are good for you. If you are going to avoid one food because it contains “phytoestrogens” you may end up avoiding all vegtables, herbs, and spices.[/quote]

This is very true.

It’s like believing that all fats are bad.