02-05-2012, 03:19 PM
Hi Karen,
Thank you for the link, I had been looking into what dietary factors reduce estrogen, and this is a nice guide. Eve M used yogurt, I use milk.
Then maca. The article Susan found says maca digests to DIM, and DIM metabolizes estrogens. It's the first time I read about this possibility. It's possible to test it in two steps: DIM is for sale as a supplement.
The general effect of maca is nutritional. It's supposed to feed the endocrine system. I always assumed this means it increases cholesterol. Then LH determines if more pregnenolone is made from cholesterol, etc.
Only, I haven't found a study yet that confirms an increase in cholesterol, or even looked for it. Studies that measured testosterone or estrogens after maca intake found no increase, except in case of real shortages or imbalances. So a lot of literature that wants to promote maca advertises it as an "adaptogen", a term that was invented in Russia to help market ginseng. It means something like the dream supplement, it only does something if you need something, you can never take too much, etc.
So back to your questions. The literature is not clear, but I assume it increases total T, and only if you have a shortage of it. It will increase it by feeding cholesterol, so if LH is zero, I don't expect an effect, because LH decides how much pregnenolone is made from cholesterol.
This is an expectation on the basis of literature that is full of unanswered questions, contradictions, and controversy between advertisers and critics. So if you try it and find something different, I wouldn't be surprised either.
Thank you for the link, I had been looking into what dietary factors reduce estrogen, and this is a nice guide. Eve M used yogurt, I use milk.
Then maca. The article Susan found says maca digests to DIM, and DIM metabolizes estrogens. It's the first time I read about this possibility. It's possible to test it in two steps: DIM is for sale as a supplement.
The general effect of maca is nutritional. It's supposed to feed the endocrine system. I always assumed this means it increases cholesterol. Then LH determines if more pregnenolone is made from cholesterol, etc.
Only, I haven't found a study yet that confirms an increase in cholesterol, or even looked for it. Studies that measured testosterone or estrogens after maca intake found no increase, except in case of real shortages or imbalances. So a lot of literature that wants to promote maca advertises it as an "adaptogen", a term that was invented in Russia to help market ginseng. It means something like the dream supplement, it only does something if you need something, you can never take too much, etc.
So back to your questions. The literature is not clear, but I assume it increases total T, and only if you have a shortage of it. It will increase it by feeding cholesterol, so if LH is zero, I don't expect an effect, because LH decides how much pregnenolone is made from cholesterol.
This is an expectation on the basis of literature that is full of unanswered questions, contradictions, and controversy between advertisers and critics. So if you try it and find something different, I wouldn't be surprised either.