I don't think you read that wrong, I believe SP does lowers estrogen levels. I did an analysis of SP a couple of years ago, (below).
Saw palmetto
http://www.breastnexus.com/showthread.php?tid=17712
open label, dose response study to determine the effect of a dietary supplement on dihydrotestosterone, testosterone and estradiol levels in healthy males.
Angwafor F 3rd1, Anderson ML.
Author information
1Yaounde Teaching Hospital, Urological Service Department, University of Yaounde, Cameroon. fruangwafor@hotmail.com
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Maintaining endogenous testosterone (T) levels as men age may slow the symptoms of sarcopenia, andropause and decline in physical performance. Drugs inhibiting the enzyme 5alpha-reductase (5AR) produce increased blood levels of T and decreased levels of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). However, symptoms of gynecomastia have been reported due to the aromatase (AER) enzyme converting excess T to estradiol (ES). The carotenoid astaxanthin (AX) from Haematococcus pluvialis, Saw Palmetto berry lipid extract (SPLE) from Serenoa repens and the precise combination of these dietary supplements, Alphastat® (Mytosterone(trade mark)), have been reported to have inhibitory effects on both 5AR and AER in-vitro. Concomitant regulation of both enzymes in-vivo would cause DHT and ES blood levels to decrease and T levels to increase. The purpose of this clinical study was to determine if patented Alphastat® (Mytosterone(trade mark)) could produce these effects in a dose dependent manner.
METHODS:
To investigate this clinically, 42 healthy males ages 37 to 70 years were divided into two groups of twenty-one and dosed with either 800 mg/day or 2000 mg/day of Alphastat® (Mytosterone(trade mark)) for fourteen days. Blood samples were collected on days 0, 3, 7 and 14 and assayed for T, DHT and ES. Body weight and blood pressure data were collected prior to blood collection. One-way, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA-RM) was performed at a significance level of alpha = 0.05 to determine differences from baseline within each group. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA-2) was performed after baseline subtraction, at a significance level of alpha = 0.05 to determine differences between dose groups. Results are expressed as means +/- SEM.
RESULTS:
ANOVA-RM showed significant within group increases in serum total T and significant decreases in serum DHT from baseline in both dose groups at a significance level of alpha = 0.05. Significant decreases in serum ES are reported for the 2000 mg/day dose group and not the 800 mg/day dose group. Significant within group effects were confirmed using ANOVA-2 analyses after baseline subtraction. ANOVA-2 analyses also showed no significant difference between dose groups with regard to the increase of T or the decrease of DHT. It did show a significant dose dependant decrease in serum ES levels.
CONCLUSION:
Both dose groups showed significant (p = 0.05) increases in T and decreases in DHT within three days of treatment with Alphastat® (Mytosterone(trade mark)). Between group statistical analysis showed no significant (p = 0.05) difference, indicating the effect was not dose dependent and that 800 mg/per day is equally effective as 2000 mg/day for increasing T and lowering DHT.
Blood levels of ES however, decreased significantly (p = 0.05) in the 2000 mg/day dose group but not in the 800 mg/day dose group indicating a
dose dependant decrease in E levels.