111 replies to this topic

[ta5]

 

At 10,000 IU, I would be way above 85 nmol/L. I'm targeting 30-35 ng/mL, and I'm there with less than 2000 IU/day.

 

Not the majority. At http://www.grassrootshealth.net/ they found out that 90% of adults need 5,000 IU just to get their 25(OH)D3 up from the usual 20 to 40 ng/ml.

 

Personally took for the last 7 years in average 7,700 IUs to get an average serum of 60 ng/ml (10 times tested). Despite 6 weeks each year in subtropical sun.

 

That chart looked at the change in serum level based on intake and starting level. Your chart shows that if someone is at 20 now, then they need 5000 IU more to get above 40. Your dose depends on where you are starting from. That's why it's important to get tested.

 

85 nmol/L = 34 ng/ml. 5000 IU would probably put me around 45-50 ng/ml, as the chart shows. But, that's more than I want. The evidence I've seen disagrees with your site's recommendation of more than 40 ng/ml. 

[RWhigham]

Thank you RWhigham. You do not mention your age. Do you have BPH and what else are you doing for your prostate health. Any other condition you wish to share and/or hormonal panel?

I am 78 yr old. BMI 20. 15%Fat. BP 105/65. I probably have a mild case of undiagnosed BPH. The main thing I do for prostate health is take vitamin D3. I'm probably bothered more by the reduced bladder elasticity than by constriction.

 

I bought some to the usual BPH herbs (stinging nettle, saw palmetto, lycopene), but still have the nearly full bottles - they just didn't "feel" right to me.

 

Hormone Test on 05/26/2016 ( LabCorp):

DHEA            64.9 ug/dL       95 to 530 (for 40 yr old);  21 to 226 (for > 69 yr old)

Estradiol       16.6 pg/mL       7.6 to 42.6 (men)

IGF-1            122  ng/mL       105 to 300 (for 30 yr old);  37 to 172  (for 78 yr old)

Testosterone 846  ng/mL       348 to 1197 (for 40 yr old)

Vitamin D3    82.9 ng/mL       30 to 100 (all)

 

I was happy with everything except the DHEA which is age typical. I want it higher.

 

The IGF-1 would be ok, except I want to add a few pounds of muscle.

Higher IGF-1 is bad for lifespan, but not having enough muscle may be worse.

 

From my notes (I don't have the sources):

Pregnenolone is produced by young adults at 15 mg/day, declining to 5 mg by age 75 - down 10 by 80

DHEA is produced by young adults at 15 mg/day, declining 2 mg/decade after 30 - down 10 by 80 

IGF-1 peaks at age 30, then declines 1% per yr - down 50% by 80

 

Before the test I was taking:

DHEA 25mg SL - I expected 30% to absorb SL, but from the test it seems to have been 20%

Progest cream 1 tsp TD before bed - gave me great testosterone and, paradoxicaly, may relieve BPH

Pregnenolone 50mg PO b.i.d. - about 10% is bio-available PO

 

After the test

I increased the DHEA to 25mg SL b.i.d.

I ordered rikkunshito, a traditional Japanese Kampo  medicine, from eagleherbs - its a ghrelin releaser like mk-677 (but less expensive and I trust this source). The standard Kampo treatment is 2.5g t.i.d for 2 weeks which should have a long lasting effect, and hopefully will increase my IGF-1 and help me gain a few pounds of muscle. They do warn that Westerner's should ease into it for some reason.

Edited by RWhigham, 23 June 2016 - 09:41 AM.

[aconita]

I am not convinced by rikkunshito licorice content which is a quite strong phytoestrogen that, at least in theory, shouldn't do any good for males and BPH.

 

 "The daily dose of 7.5g (3 unit packets) contains 3.60g of Six-Gentlemen Formula extract powder: Ginseng (Ren shen). 4.0g; Atractylodes Rhizome (Bai zhu) 4.0g; Hoelen (Fu ling)..4.0g; Pinellia Tuber (Ban xia)..4.0g; Tangerine Peel (Chen pi) .2.0g; Jujube (Da zao).2.0g; Licorice (Gan cao)..1.0g; Ginger (Sheng jiang)..0.5g; This product is standardized to contain 20.4-38.0 mg/day of Hesperidin and 12.6-23.5 mg/day of Glycyrrhizin."

 

https://www.goldenne...kkunshi-to.html

 

By the way your hormones looks great!

 

I think IGF-1 would be a concern only at supra physiological levels, restoring it at young levels it's unlikely to cause any issue, actually the opposite is probably true. 

[ta5]

Semin Cancer Biol. 2016 Jun 28. pii: S1044-579X(16)30023-2. 
Bioactive natural products for chemoprevention and treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Kallifatidis G1, Hoy J1, Lokeshwar BL2.

Prostate cancer (PCa), a hormonally-driven cancer, ranks first in incidence and second in cancer related mortality in men in most Western industrialized countries. Androgen and androgen receptor (AR) are the dominant modulators of PCa growth. Over the last two decades multiple advancements in screening, treatment, surveillance and palliative care of PCa have significantly increased quality of life and survival following diagnosis. However, over 20% of patients initially diagnosed with PCa still develop an aggressive and treatment-refractory disease. Prevention or treatment for hormone-refractory PCa using bioactive compounds from marine sponges, mushrooms, and edible plants either as single agents or as adjuvants to existing therapy, has not been clinically successful. Major advancements have been made in the identification, testing and modification of the existing molecular structures of natural products. Additionally, conjugation of these compounds to novel matrices has enhanced their bio-availability; a big step towards bringing natural products to clinical trials. Natural products derived from edible plants (nutraceuticals), and common folk-medicines might offer advantages over synthetic compounds due to their broader range of targets, as compared to mostly single target synthetic anticancer compounds; e.g. kinase inhibitors. The use of synthetic inhibitors or antibodies that target a single aberrant molecule in cancer cells might be in part responsible for emergence of treatment refractory cancers. Nutraceuticals that target AR signaling (epigallocatechin gallate [EGCG], curcumin, and 5α-reductase inhibitors), AR synthesis (ericifolin, capsaicin and others) or AR degradation (betulinic acid, di-indolyl diamine, sulphoraphane, silibinin and others) are prime candidates for use as adjuvant or mono-therapies. Nutraceuticals target multiple pathophysiological mechanisms involved during cancer development and progression and thus have potential to simultaneously inhibit both prostate cancer growth and metastatic progression (e.g., inhibition of angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and proliferation). Given their multi-targeting properties along with relatively lower systemic toxicity, these compounds offer significant therapeutic advantages for prevention and treatment of PCa. This review emphasizes the potential application of some of the well-researched natural compounds that target AR for prevention and therapy of PCa.

PMID: 27370570

[albedo]

...Nutraceuticals that target AR signaling (epigallocatechin gallate [EGCG], curcumin, and 5α-reductase inhibitors), AR synthesis (ericifolin, capsaicin and others) or AR degradation (betulinic acid, di-indolyl diamine, sulphoraphane, silibinin and others) are prime candidates for use as adjuvant or mono-therapies...

Interesting find Ta5. I am traveling and cannot have access to the full paper for the moment. Just wonder if you have read it. In particular, I am interested to what authors studied as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors. Thank you.

[albedo]

I did not read this recent full study and from the abstract it looks another of those warranting further research. However, I though useful to post it here anyway as we discuss micronutrient impacting the risk of PCa, here in particular looking at vitamins D, E and A (using the powerful tool of metabolomics):

 

Vitamins, metabolomics, and prostate cancer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/27339624

 

"PURPOSE:

How micronutrients might influence risk of developing adenocarcinoma of the prostate has been the focus of a large body of research (especially regarding vitamins E, A, and D). Metabolomic profiling has the potential to discover molecular species relevant to prostate cancer etiology, early detection, and prevention, and may help elucidate the biologic mechanisms through which vitamins influence prostate cancer risk.

METHODS:

Prostate cancer risk data related to vitamins E, A, and D and metabolomic profiling from clinical, cohort, and nested case-control studies, along with randomized controlled trials, are examined and summarized, along with recent metabolomic data of the vitamin phenotypes.

RESULTS:

Higher vitamin E serologic status is associated with lower prostate cancer risk, and vitamin E genetic variant data support this. By contrast, controlled vitamin E supplementation trials have had mixed results based on differing designs and dosages. Beta-carotene supplementation (in smokers) and higher circulating retinol and 25-hydroxy-vitamin D concentrations appear related to elevated prostate cancer risk. Our prospective metabolomic profiling of fasting serum collected 1-20 years prior to clinical diagnoses found reduced lipid and energy/TCA cycle metabolites, including inositol-1-phosphate, lysolipids, alpha-ketoglutarate, and citrate, significantly associated with lower risk of aggressive disease.

CONCLUSIONS:

Several active leads exist regarding the role of micronutrients and metabolites in prostate cancer carcinogenesis and risk. How vitamins D and A may adversely impact risk, and whether low-dose vitamin E supplementation remains a viable preventive approach, require further study."

 

[albedo]

Fexapotide new and single administration drug brings hope for BPH and prostate cancer prevention:

 

https://globenewswir...out-Cancer.html

[aconita]

Since progesterone seems to act as an hormonal regulator, an antiflammatory and more (of course) what about its use in the treatment of BPH and maybe even cancer prevention?

 

Any thoughts?

[aconita]

Urolithins too seems to be promising

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/25214070

[albedo]

Good find Aconita. Urolithins seems to be be everywhere these days e.g. here as beneficial byproduct from our gut metabolization of pomegranates (likely not coincidental as they are recommended for our prostate health) for mitophagy and here for sarcopena, the two being related.

[albedo]

Since progesterone seems to act as an hormonal regulator, an antiflammatory and more (of course) what about its use in the treatment of BPH and maybe even cancer prevention?

 

Any thoughts?

 

I never researched in this direction and it might well be. In general, when it gets to hormones, I feel looking at ratios (say DHEA/Cortisol, Estradiol/Free-Testosterone, Progesterone/Estradiol, ...), important hormonal axis (say GH/IGF-1) and time trends rather than spot values might be more beneficial also because I understand only small hormonal changes are enough to generate important effects.

[albedo]

How to Reverse Markers of Prostate Cancer

http://www.lifeexten...-Cancer/Page-01

 

I found particularly interesting the link to the pro-inflammatory dietary habits and what you can do with nutrition (which apparently W. Faloon succeeded very well to do)

 

"... The connection between obesity and low grade-chronic inflammation is partly to blame, providing a window of opportunity to reduce such risk through dietary changes. And this is precisely what was seen on a recent study by the British Journal of Nutrition. Researchers measured the “dietary inflammatory index” to predict the risk of prostate cancer. The results showed that men in the two highest dietary inflammatory index quartiles had a 32% increased risk compared to men in the lowest inflammatory index quartile.¹⁵ ..."

 

The given reference 15 (and one therein) give details on the DII (Dietary Inflammatory Index), a carefully studied pro- and anti-inflammatory scoring of many nutrients which can turn to be very practical in picking up the right nutrients for our condition.

 

[albedo]

How to Reverse Markers of Prostate Cancer

http://www.lifeexten...-Cancer/Page-01

 

I found particularly interesting .....

Re-reading it, my only complain against an otherwise excellent article is that, while it is known higher PSA is damaging by itself (e.g. see this reference) we should probably pay attention not to blindly attempt to lower it without assessing whether or not we are masking a rise which is reveling of prostate dysfunction or worse. The article does not pay justice to this point which has been also central to the controversy on finasteride. Baseline and trends before treatment will likely help.

 

[albedo]

"This study provides important new information for men with prostate cancer and all men who hope to prevent it. This is the first in a series of trials attempting to better identify the exact role of diet and lifestyle in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer."

 

Lifestyle And Diet May Stop Or Reverse Prostate Cancer Progression

https://www.scienced...50811084426.htm

[albedo]

Good review by Dr. M. Greger on Soy Foods and Prostate Cancer risk reduction and aggressiveness:

 

https://nutritionfac..._eid=f56b67bcfa

 

One problem I see though is passing over, e.g. for the studies showing no effect, about stratification on genotype as mentioned e.g. in my post here:

 

http://www.longecity...ndpost&p=751393

 

 

 

[albedo]

Very good review:

 

Prostate Cancer, Nutrition, and Dietary Supplements (PDQ®)

https://www.ncbi.nlm...0000719335__485

[albedo]

Another support for I3C (molecule from cruciferous vegetables). In this original research study published in Science they suppressed prostate cancer in mice. The dosage used of 20mg/kg could possibly translate to about 1.62mg/kg for adult human or about 129mg for 80kg (see here) not that far from usual supplementation.

 

"Activation of tumor suppressors for the treatment of human cancer has been a long sought, yet elusive, strategy. PTEN is a critical tumor suppressive phosphatase that is active in its dimer configuration at the plasma membrane. Polyubiquitination by the ubiquitin E3 ligase WWP1 (WW domain–containing ubiquitin E3 ligase 1) suppressed the dimerization, membrane recruitment, and function of PTEN. Either genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of WWP1 triggered PTEN reactivation and unleashed tumor suppressive activity. WWP1 appears to be a direct MYC (MYC proto-oncogene) target gene and was critical for MYC-driven tumorigenesis.We identified indole-3-carbinol, a compound found in cruciferous vegetables, as a natural and potent WWP1 inhibitor. Thus, our findings unravel a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer prevention and treatment through PTEN reactivation."

 

 I3C inhibits WWP1.PNG   406.42KB   0 downloads

 

Lee YR, Chen M, Lee JD, et al. Reactivation of PTEN tumor suppressor for cancer treatment through inhibition of a MYC-WWP1 inhibitory pathway. Science. 2019;364(6441)

[albedo]

Last LEF magazine featured a short article on DHEA. Not extremely new for many of us here but though useful to log it here:

https://www.lifeexte...ea-on-longevity

 

I keep cautious with DHEA supplementation, as always, but do it in the winter season for immunity and keep tracking it, as LEF recommends, also together with estradiol, testosterone, DHT and cortisol.

 

I recently met again with DHEA in the context of Covid-19 via the work of Dr Marian Laderoute in Ottawa, which I attach. It is maybe new to many of you and I am intrigued by her theory.

Fighting COVID 19 with an Old Approach

 DHEA Covid.PNG   228.66KB   1 downloads

 

I also met again DHEA in the very interesting Greg Fahy's paper on thymus rejuvenation where it is used as a side effect (diabetogenic) mitigation of the intervention (using GH):

https://onlinelibrar...1111/acel.13028

Attached Files

•  Marian Laderoute Fighting COVID 19 with an Old Approach.pdf   223.87KB   5 downloads

[albedo]

I use soy and tend to use fermented soy (as tempeh) against prostate cancer. Here is the first time i see a positive effect of non-fermented (as tofu) and about null with fermented:

 

"...consumption of soy foods is associated with a reduction in prostate cancer risk in men. Our results from analyses of nonfermented soy foods and isoflavones support this food-disease relation and suggest that this protection is related to the type and quantity of soy foods consumed..."

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/19211820/

 

 fermented vs non fermented.PNG   32.46KB   0 downloads

 

"...A systematic review of all soy and prostate cancer population studies to date confirmed that soy foods are associated with lower the risk, but that’s a relatively broad category. There are all sorts of soy foods. There are fermented soy foods, like miso and tempeh, and unfermented ones, like tofu and soy milk. Which are more protective? Researchers sifted through the studies, and it turns out that only the unfermented soy seemed to help. Tofu and soy milk consumption was associated with about a 30 percent reduction in risk, whereas there didn’t appear to be any protection linked to fermented soy foods..."

 

https://nutritionfac..._eid=f56b67bcfa

[zorba990]

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/18358071/

"Effects of dietary flaxseed lignan extract on symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia

Wei Zhang 1 , Xiaobing Wang, Yi Liu, Haimei Tian, Brent Flickinger, Mark W Empie, Sam Z Sun
Affiliations expand
PMID: 18358071 DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2007.602
Abstract

A flaxseed lignan extract containing 33% secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) was evaluated for its ability to alleviate lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in 87 subjects with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with repeated measurements was conducted over a 4-month period using treatment dosages of 0 (placebo), 300, or 600 mg/day SDG. After 4 months of treatment, 78 of the 87 subjects completed the study. For the 0, 300, and 600 mg/day SDG groups, respectively, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) decreased -3.67 +/- 1.56, -7.33 +/- 1.18, and -6.88 +/- 1.43 (mean +/- SE, P = .100, < .001, and < .001 compared to baseline), the Quality of Life score (QOL score) improved by -0.71 +/- 0.23, -1.48 +/- 0.24, and -1.75 +/- 0.25 (mean +/- SE, P = .163 and .012 compared to placebo and P = .103, < .001, and < .001 compared to baseline), and the number of subjects whose LUTS grade changed from "moderate/severe" to "mild" increased by three, six, and 10 (P = .188, .032, and .012 compared to baseline). Maximum urinary flows insignificantly increased 0.43 +/- 1.57, 1.86 +/- 1.08, and 2.7 +/- 1.93 mL/second (mean +/- SE, no statistical significance reached), and postvoiding urine volume decreased insignificantly by -29.4 +/- 20.46, -19.2 +/- 16.91, and -55.62 +/- 36.45 mL (mean +/- SE, no statistical significance reached). Plasma concentrations of secoisolariciresinol (SECO), enterodiol (ED), and enterolactone (EL) were significantly raised after the supplementation. The observed decreases in IPSS and QOL score were correlated with the concentrations of plasma total lignans, SECO, ED, and EL. In conclusion, dietary flaxseed lignan extract appreciably improves LUTS in BPH subjects, and the therapeutic efficacy appeared comparable to that of commonly used intervention agents of alpha1A-adrenoceptor blockers and 5alpha-reductase inhibitors."

[albedo]

@zorba990.

 

Thank you! It is a nice find. LEF formula has some I guess maybe not in the appropriate dosage though but still ... They have put in almost all herbals known to be beneficial. I am cutting for a while on it thought because of very high (I mean vs reference and functional ranges) test of linoleic free fatty acid (FFA, see also here) as the formulation includes pumpkin oil which is rich in this FFA. Of course I am also cutting on other oils for the same reasons. However I am still taking saw palmetto and lycopene separately.

 

I also think using alpha1A-adrenoceptor blockers as tamsulosin is not major risk as alternative. For a while I have been even using it together with the LEF formula and had my urologist agree.

[JamesPaul]

"Maximum urinary flows insignificantly increased 0.43 +/- 1.57, 1.86 +/- 1.08, and 2.7 +/- 1.93 mL/second" for the 0, 300, and 600 mg/day SDG groups, respectively,

 

I'm highly surprised.  I'm a 67-year-old male.  I had the opposite effect.  I took an SDG product and my urine flow was severely restricted the next morning.

I've noticed restriction of urine flow after consumption of large amounts of sour cream and olive oil also.