[Lotus]

That's a nice diagram, thanks for posting it. I think there should also be a direct route from DHEA to estriol. I think some bodybuilder was taking a gram of it and then complaining about it aromatizing on him. This diagram looks plausible but I can't vouch for it.

Candace,

Lol, he probably should've taken Armidex than. I like that diagram, thanks for sharing too. The biggest problem still is DHT, once testosterone is converted by 5-alpha-reductase to dihydrotestosterone, an even more potent agonist for androgen receptor activation. So it seems DHT would/will negate any positive gains by Estrogen, here's what I mean: the info is from Wikipedia. (137 references on the topic of androgen receptors).

The primary mechanism of action for androgen receptors is direct regulation of gene transcription. The binding of an androgen to the androgen receptor results in a conformational change in the receptor that, in turn, causes dissociation of heat shock proteins, transport from the cytosol into the cell nucleus, and dimerization.

The androgen receptor dimer binds to a specific sequence of DNA known as a hormone response element. Androgen receptors interact with other proteins in the nucleus, resulting in up- or down-regulation of specific gene transcription.

Up-regulation or activation of transcription results in increased synthesis of messenger RNA, which, in turn, is translated by ribosomes to produce specific proteins. One of the known target genes of androgen receptor activation is the insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-1R).

Thus, changes in levels of specific proteins in cells is one way that androgen receptors control cell behavior. One thing that gets overlooked is edema due to simulation of Aldosterone receptors as it's pointed out.


The conclusion is that once DHT binds to androgen receptors (which btw DHT has two to three times greater androgen receptor affinity than testosterone) it can't be converted back to estrogen. When this happens boob growth is essentially inhibited.

Thanks again Candace for the post.