What Causes Man Boobs

About 15 million men in the United States suffer from the embarrassment that man boobs can bring. It is estimated that 15 percent of the male population have this enlarged chest condition. In medical terms, it is referred to as gynecomastia. This is characterized by the development of male breasts that look like a woman’s breasts. This disorder may affect a male of any age, especially teenagers in their puberty or an adult in middle age.

Hormonal Factors

There are several factors that may trigger the occurrence of gynecomastia. One of the most predominant causes is hormonal imbalance. A normal part of growing up, teens experience hormonal changes. At this phase, a teenage boy produces more estrogen, a female hormone, than testosterone, a male hormone. This causes him to acquire some female features like chest enlargement. After the puberty stage, all hormones are usually restored back to normal, and the puffy boobs will eventually disappear.

However, in some circumstances, this hormonal imbalance persists. Males producing higher amounts of estrogen than they should have the tendency to have man boobs up to their adulthood. There are also a few cases of gynecomastia in newborn babies, due to the mother’s estrogen. But, this condition usually disappears after a week or two. There is a very slight chance that this condition becomes really permanent.

Drugs and Medications

Several drugs and medications can lead to the development of man boobs. About 20 percent of gynecomastia cases are caused by some medications to treat heart problems, epilepsy and ulcers. These drugs include cimetidine, spironolactone and finasteride. These drugs tend to increase the production of estrogen and decrease that of testosterone, causing the chest to become enlarged. Among these drugs, cimetidine does not trigger this hormonal imbalance but studies have proven that patients taking the drug as treatment for stomach problems do develop gynecomastia. 

Body builders using anabolic steroids also develop fatty tissue buildup on their chest area. This is because steroids are known to cause unilateral or bilateral breast growth in men. Illegal drugs like marijuana and heroin have furthermore been found to trigger the development of man boobs after a period of use. In addition, too much alcohol consumption can also contribute to gynecomastia.

Being Overweight

Another factor that may cause man boobs to develop is being overweight. Fatty tissues that may build up on the chest area may lead to gynecomastia. This circumstance  often occurs in men during their middle age when they tend to gain more weight and store fats more.

Other contributing factors

 Aside from the three common causes of gynecomastia discussed above, there are still other conditions that may account for this condition. Suddenly losing a significant amount of weight, like 50 pounds or so, may cause tissues on the chest to sag and the breasts to appear bigger as a result. Health problems including an overactive thyroid gland, cirrhosis, and cancers (such as liver, lung, pituitary and adrenal cancers) can also cause man boobs.