A million theories on what could be causing our issues. Alot of people think neurosteroids etc. It seems that the few that have fully recovered many have used diet as a means to do so. I use Mitch as an example the guy had depression, panik attacks, brain fog and libido issues. Stuck to his diet for years and finally recovered. He was with me in the old yahoo group an suffered for about 7 years so I don’t believe his recovery was natural. I dug up some studies on the effect of soy on 5alpha reductase.
Here is an excerpt from the second study. If inhibiting 5alpha caused this is it possible that long term 5aplpha promoting diets could raise correct it?
However, significant alterations in MBH-POA and amygdala 5alpha-reductase activities were detected in animals receiving the phytoestrogen-containing versus the phytoestrogen-free diets.
Regulation of 5alpha-reductase type II (SRD5A2) gene expression by phytoestrogens
Rajasree Solipuram, Srivatcha Naragoni and Wesley G. Gray
Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA
DHT is the main growth promoting factor in the prostate and is an androgenic stimulus in males. A long period of exposure to androgens has been suggested as one of the causes of prostate cancer in adult life. Thus, inhibition of 5alpha reductase type 2 (SRD5A2) may lower the risk of developing prostate cancer by lowering androgenic stimulation. Epidemiological studies suggest that the incidence of prostate cancer is lower in Eastern men than in Western men, which is attributed to the dietary factors like phytoestrogens (PEs). Extensive research is being conducted on PEs to determine their molecular mechanisms of action in androgen dependent pathways. We investigated the question, does the phytoestrogen, Genistein (GE) regulate SRD5A2 mRNA expression and if so, is the Androgen Receptor (AR) involved. To answer this question, LNCaP cells, an AR-positive cell line, were treated with or without 1 nM DHT, 1 to1000 nM PE for 24 h. RNA was isolated and analyzed by Northern blot and Quantitative Real-Time RT-PCR. Total protein was analyzed for AR expression by Western Blot. Our results demonstrated that SRD5A2 gene expression was stimulated by increasing concentrations of GE when compared to the control. At 100 nM GE, SRD5A2 was up-regulated approximately 2- fold. Western blot indicated that GE, at 100 nM, down-regulated AR protein expression, but with GE at 10 nM a 3-fold up-regulation of AR was observed. To test the binding function of PE, in vitro competitive ligand binding assay was performed using recombinant rat AR Ligand Binding Domain in the presence of 10 nM 3H-Methyltrienolone (3H-R1881) and increasing concentration (10-10000-fold) of GE. Competitive Ligand Binding Assay data suggests that GE does not bind to AR at concentrations tested. These results suggest that PEs at low concentrations stimulate the SRD5A2 gene expression with out binding to androgen receptor. Thus, PEs may stimulate androgen dependent pathway through stimulation of SRD5A2. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the mechanism of action of phytoestrogens in regulation of SRD5A2 gene expression.
Brain aromatase and 5alpha-reductase, regulatory behaviors and testosterone levels in adult rats on phytoestrogen diets.
Weber KS, Jacobson NA, Setchell KD, Lephart ED.
Source
Department of Zoology, Cellular Biology Division, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the short-term effects of phytoestrogens in the diet on regulatory behaviors (food/water intake and locomotor activity), prostate weight, testosterone levels, and brain androgen metabolizing enzyme activity levels in adult male rats. Sprague-Dawley rats were fed phytoestrogen-containing versus phytoestrogen-free diets for 29 days. Standard methods were used to measure open field behavior, reproductive, hormonal parameters, and enzymatic activity levels. The phytoestrogen diet contained approximately 200 microg/g of isoflavones whereas in the phytoestrogen-free diet, no phytoestrogens were detected by HPLC analysis. There were no significant differences in any of the regulatory behaviors (food/water intake or locomotor activity), prostate weight, or testosterone levels between the treatment groups. Furthermore, there was no significant influence of phytoestrogens on brain aromatase activity levels, in either the medial basal hypothalamic-preoptic area (MBH-POA) or amygdala brain tissue sites examined. However, significant alterations in MBH-POA and amygdala 5alpha-reductase activities were detected in animals receiving the phytoestrogen-containing versus the phytoestrogen-free diets.