RANT WARNING
The real reason for keeping men in testosterone decline, as KSman states, is big Pharma. They still promote the idea to the medical establishment that prostate cancer and heart disease is fueled by testosterone. This guarantees that aging males will be kept in a state of decline so that they can be put on an expensive regimen of statins, pituitary hormone antagonists, dutasteride, antidepressants and Viagra, all for profits for Pfizer, GSK, Astrazeneca, et al.
It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to note that young men with high testosterone do not suffer from these “diseases”. There is no money to be made in testosterone supplementation by Pharma. Testosterone cannot be patented, so there is no exclusive rights to market and sell for profit. The money is to be made by selling patented drugs, and keeping men in a state of decline until they need prostate and/or by-pass surgery.
Government is in bed with big Pharma worldwide. And that’s the real reason that steroids are bad, kids.[/quote]
There was a time when I passed off such comments as conspiracy theories, but more and more I’m coming around to believing this. It’s funny that with the huge public debate going on now about so-called healthcare reform, no one is talking about Pharma’s role other than to say the feds should use their buying power to negotiate cheaper drug prices. Never mind the fact that a lot of elderly people are taking almost as many prescriptions as Elvis or Michael Jackson. And then you have the president himself talking about how, in some cases, a pill is more economical and effective than say, a pacemaker. If anything we seem to moving even further in the direction of having a prescription for every possible symptom and never mind about addressing the underlying problem. Yet at the same time, they want to tighten up regulations so you can’t try to treat yourself with supplements and herbs, of course because that might be dangerous to your health (and their profits).
In keeping with the classic rock quotes, here’s one for ya:
One pill makes you larger / and one pill makes you small / And the ones that Mother gives you don’t do anything at all!
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
I too like the new avatar, Yo. Is it you? Nice breasts if so
BBB[/quote]
HAHA!! If you look closely, you can see I’m wearing a support bra. It’s a dead giveaway for women over 50, if you can’t see her face up close. Besides, my “man hands” complete with no fingernails and my wedding ring reveal my identity.
One pill makes you larger / and one pill makes you small / And the ones that Mother gives you don’t do anything at all!
Feed your head!!!
[/quote]
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you’re going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Call Alice
When she was just small
Ah damn you guys and gals getting me with the classic lyrics!
From TESTOSTERONE - PHYSIOLOGY AND FACTORS AFFECTING SERUM CONCENTRATION
Alcohol and Analgesics
One of the most powerful T suppressors is alcohol. There is a direct, negative correlation between blood alcohol and T concentrations such that T concentration is lowest when blood alcohol concentration is highest (2, 11). This is caused by enzyme inhibition in the testes that reduces conversion of cholesterol to T. ‘Intoxication’ decreases serum T by more than 25% and for between 10 and 16 hours after blood alcohol concentrations return to normal. LH concentrations however increase in response to alcohol as the body increases secretion in an attempt to regain T homeostasis. Another group of drugs that suppress T are analgesics such as aspirin and codeine. These act not at the testes, but at the pituitary where they reduce LH secretion. The more powerful the analgesic the more effective it is in inhibiting T production (2, 11).
Psychology
T has been shown to be extremely sensitive to an individual’s emotional state. Life stresses such as those caused by work and relationships can cause a sustained reduction in testosterone secretion (unlike adrenal hormone secretion which initially increases but returns to base levels if stress persists). Conversely positive emotional states increase T production (4).
Emotional state can invoke ‘viscous cycles’ for example poor performance could induce anxiety and hence further declines in performance. Understanding of these hormonal responses may allow athletes to pre-empt and accept declines in performance and adapt there training accordingly.
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone secreted from the beta cells of the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Its secretion is influenced by a number of factors but most significantly by high plasma glucose concentration. It promotes cellular uptake of glucose and amino acids and inhibits protein degradation (11). Elevation in blood insulin above ‘baseline’ levels causes a decrease in serum T. There is however, no correlation between insulin elevation and the degree of T decrease. The decreased serum T is believed to occur due to an increase in utilisation at muscle cells rather than a decrease in secretion. Supporting evidence to this theory includes LH concentration, which remain unaffected by elevated insulin (1). The popular idea of consuming large amounts of protein and carbohydrate post exercise to take advantage of elevated serum T therefore appears to be correct…
Energy Deficit
Energy deficit due to calorie expenditure is greater than calorie consumption. When the deficit is greater than ‘threshold’ serum T decreases. This occurs due to a decrease in LH secretion and an increase in binding proteins that decreases bio-available T (4). When multiple stresses are present such as sleep deprivation and psychological stress, energy deficit appears to be limiting factor to suppress serum T (4). The decrease in T and increase in cortisol caused by energy deficit contribute to a decrease in lean body mass. Sports people who are attempting to reduce body fat or to make body weight categories may be advised to reduce calorie intake to just above threshold. Further research is therefore required to ascertain typical thresholds and any factors that influence them.
Following a low-fat diet is another pretty well-known T killer. Fat should make up at least 25% to 30% of one’s calories, whether trying to lose or gain weight or just maintain. Beyond the presence of fats in general, specifically avoiding saturated fats and cholesterol in your food is also a way to limit the amount of T you naturally produce. That’s not to say your body can’t manufacture T without eating cholesterol or saturated fats, but severely limiting these raw materials does make the body’s hormone-production job a little bit harder.
So, if you vilify cholesterol and saturated fat, plus you generally do your best to choose low fat or non fat foods and couple this with lots of carbs throughout the day (for multiple large insulin spikes), you are off to a very good start as far as limiting T production. Next, you’ll want to avoid eating too much protein (because too much will damage your kidneys and make your bones brittle, of course!), and you’ll also want to eat below maintenance to lose weight. (Remember, keeping your weigh down is important because your BMI is based on the number on the scale - not on your body composition). Taken together, you now have pretty much the perfect anti-T eating plan!
Hmm, now why does that sound exactly like the sort of “healthy” eating plan we hear promoted so often to the general public?
[quote]Yo Momma wrote:
Type 2 diabetes causes testosterone levels to drop and stay low for the long term… Also a low fat diet can cause decreases of up to 20%, but can be easily corrected and even raised by switching to a healthy high fat diet.
RANT WARNING
The real reason for keeping men in testosterone decline, as KSman states, is big Pharma. They still promote the idea to the medical establishment that prostate cancer and heart disease is fueled by testosterone. This guarantees that aging males will be kept in a state of decline so that they can be put on an expensive regimen of statins, pituitary hormone antagonists, dutasteride, antidepressants and Viagra, all for profits for Pfizer, GSK, Astrazeneca, et al.
It doesn’t take Sherlock Holmes to note that young men with high testosterone do not suffer from these “diseases”. There is no money to be made in testosterone supplementation by Pharma. Testosterone cannot be patented, so there is no exclusive rights to market and sell for profit. The money is to be made by selling patented drugs, and keeping men in a state of decline until they need prostate and/or by-pass surgery.
Government is in bed with big Pharma worldwide. And that’s the real reason that steroids are bad, kids.[/quote]
[quote]Cymru wrote:
From TESTOSTERONE - PHYSIOLOGY AND FACTORS AFFECTING SERUM CONCENTRATION
Alcohol and Analgesics
One of the most powerful T suppressors is alcohol. There is a direct, negative correlation between blood alcohol and T concentrations such that T concentration is lowest when blood alcohol concentration is highest (2, 11). This is caused by enzyme inhibition in the testes that reduces conversion of cholesterol to T. ‘Intoxication’ decreases serum T by more than 25% and for between 10 and 16 hours after blood alcohol concentrations return to normal. LH concentrations however increase in response to alcohol as the body increases secretion in an attempt to regain T homeostasis. Another group of drugs that suppress T are analgesics such as aspirin and codeine. These act not at the testes, but at the pituitary where they reduce LH secretion. The more powerful the analgesic the more effective it is in inhibiting T production (2, 11).
Psychology
T has been shown to be extremely sensitive to an individual’s emotional state. Life stresses such as those caused by work and relationships can cause a sustained reduction in testosterone secretion (unlike adrenal hormone secretion which initially increases but returns to base levels if stress persists). Conversely positive emotional states increase T production (4).
Emotional state can invoke ‘viscous cycles’ for example poor performance could induce anxiety and hence further declines in performance. Understanding of these hormonal responses may allow athletes to pre-empt and accept declines in performance and adapt there training accordingly.
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone secreted from the beta cells of the Islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Its secretion is influenced by a number of factors but most significantly by high plasma glucose concentration. It promotes cellular uptake of glucose and amino acids and inhibits protein degradation (11). Elevation in blood insulin above ‘baseline’ levels causes a decrease in serum T. There is however, no correlation between insulin elevation and the degree of T decrease. The decreased serum T is believed to occur due to an increase in utilisation at muscle cells rather than a decrease in secretion. Supporting evidence to this theory includes LH concentration, which remain unaffected by elevated insulin (1). The popular idea of consuming large amounts of protein and carbohydrate post exercise to take advantage of elevated serum T therefore appears to be correct…
Energy Deficit
Energy deficit due to calorie expenditure is greater than calorie consumption. When the deficit is greater than ‘threshold’ serum T decreases. This occurs due to a decrease in LH secretion and an increase in binding proteins that decreases bio-available T (4). When multiple stresses are present such as sleep deprivation and psychological stress, energy deficit appears to be limiting factor to suppress serum T (4). The decrease in T and increase in cortisol caused by energy deficit contribute to a decrease in lean body mass. Sports people who are attempting to reduce body fat or to make body weight categories may be advised to reduce calorie intake to just above threshold. Further research is therefore required to ascertain typical thresholds and any factors that influence them.
[/quote]
I wonder if taking the low dose 81mg. of aspirin often recommended to prevent heart attack is enough to supress T ?
[quote]Dustyluv wrote:
When you get older…like me, your body will convert T into estrogen. Studies are now showing that it isn’t low T that causes prostate problems in men like once believed…It is elevated estrogen levels from the older male converting T to E…Sucks don’t it?[/quote]
[quote]Rapt wrote:
Dustyluv wrote:
When you get older…like me, your body will convert T into estrogen. Studies are now showing that it isn’t low T that causes prostate problems in men like once believed…It is elevated estrogen levels from the older male converting T to E…Sucks don’t it?
I only linked articles from 2009, so the studies are recent. Basically, if you don’t want to wade through all the science, the bullet point is:
Increased androgen aromatization is to the over-expression of P450 aromatase, increasing the levels of circulating estrogens and reducing those of androgens.
So get your E levels checked, and use an aromatase inhibitor as needed.
Note that most of us see “P450” references in the context of the liver and mostly in the context of P450 enzymes clearing estrogens from the blood stream. When I refer to that the concern is drugs [Rx and OTC], alcohol and some other things that load up the P450 enzymes that are clearing those drugs which is competitive for E clearance which reduces E clearance and increases serum E levels and SHBG [while lowering T in guys who are not on TRT via HPTA repression].
Ginkgo biloba supplements decrease the production of the testosterone-inhibiting hormone prolactin in the body, according to Taiwanese researchers in Hormones & Behavior. Ginkgo probably increases the dopamine levels in the brain. Dopamine inhibits the release of prolactin.
The Taiwanese tested male rats, which were given ginkgo daily for four weeks. The researchers used four groups of animals, which were administered zero, 10, 50 or 100 mg of ginkgo per kg body weight per day. During the month the researchers put the male rats together with female rats and recorded the number of times they had sex. The figure on the right shows the number of times the rats had sex during the last day of the test.
Because the researchers wanted to know how ginkgo stimulates the sexual behaviour of rats, they measured the testosterone and prolactin levels. The effect was most clear in the group of animals that had received 50 mg per kg body weight a day.
In high concentrations, prolactin inhibits the production of testosterone. But even when prolactin levels are too low to reduce the production of testosterone, prolactin can still reduce the sex drive. When the researchers examined the brains of the rats in the 50 mg group, they discovered higher concentrations of dopamine and its metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. The Taiwanese researchers think that this is why ginkgo acts as a prolactin inhibitor. They also tested whether ginkgo influences the production of testosterone in the testes directly, but the results were inconclusive.
