[spanky]

This link may have been posted before somewhere within this tome of a thread, but a little repetition surely won't hurt. There appear to be significant cardiac benefits of increased endogeonous production of estrogens for men. Aromatise me, baby.

http://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1...84.10.5954

Evidence of a role for endogenous estrogens in men:

There is now compelling evidence that endogenous production of estrogens in men plays an important role in cardiovascular health and disease. Physiological levels of estrogen have been reported to play a role in influencing plasma lipoprotein concentrations in men. When selective estrogen deficiency was induced in young men by administration of combined drug therapy with a GnRH antagonist (to suppress endogenous steroid hormones), testosterone (to restore testosterone levels to baseline), and testolactone (an aromatase inhibitor that prevents conversion of testosterone to estrogens), plasma high density lipoprotein (HDL) and apolipoprotein A-1 decreased, while plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglyceride levels did not change (7). Shono et al. (8) investigated the relationships of plasma sex hormones to lipid and glucose metabolism in a cross-sectional study on 212 apparently healthy men ranging in age from 18 to 59 yr. They showed that the estradiol level was negatively related to both LDL cholesterol and fasting blood glucose, suggesting that the levels of estradiol within the physiological range for healthy men may help maintain a desirable profile of lipid and glucose metabolism.

Lessons from “experiments of nature”. Recent evidence from a 28-yr-old man with estrogen insensitivity caused by a disruptive mutation in the estrogen receptor (ER) gene suggests that estrogen may play an important role not only in bone metabolism but also in cardiovascular function. This individual presented with tall stature, normal masculinization, incomplete epiphyseal closure, and decreased bone mineral density. His serum estradiol and estrone, FSH, and LH concentrations were elevated, while testosterone was normal. Direct sequencing of exon 2 of his ER gene revealed a cytosine-to-thymine transition at codon 157 of both allelles, resulting in a premature stop codon and expression of a truncated nonfunctional ER protein (9). Peripheral vascular studies in this individual revealed an intact rapid nongenomic vasodilator response to sublingual estradiol; however, he demonstrated marked endothelial dysfunction evidenced by absence of flow-mediated vasodilation in the brachial artery (10), an observation consistent with the impaired basal nitric oxide release in the aorta of the male estrogen-α receptor knockout mouse (11). Electron beam computed tomography scanning of the heart in this individual showed calcium deposition in his left anterior descending coronary artery, indicating early atherosclerosis (12). Lipoprotein analysis showed relatively low levels of HDL, but total and LDL cholesterol concentrations were also low, as were apolipoprotein A-1 and lipoprotein(a), while triglyceride concentrations were normal (12). Overall, these observations suggest that some actions of estrogen likely to be protective against the development of premature vascular disease in men.

Potential role of phytoestrogens and other dietary factorsSectionrevious sectionNext section
It is also known that other dietary factors may affect sex hormone metabolism. For example, it has been shown that in healthy men a high fat, low fiber diet is known to reduce urinary excretion of estradiol and estrone and their metabolites while increasing mean plasma concentrations of testosterone (67). It is therefore possible that dietary modification could also be used to control endogenous sex hormone levels in men in a manner potentially beneficial to the cardiovascular system.

Potential role of phytoestrogens and other dietary factors:

A significant number of structurally diverse plant and fungal secondary metabolites exist in nature that may contribute to the total estrogen exposure of the human population (64). It is now recognized that these phytoestrogens may act in beneficial ways on the cardiovascular system (65), and recent research has emphasized the widespread potential health benefits of dietary phytoestrogens (66). It is likely that the cardiovascular benefits of these substances would apply to men as much as to women, but to date little study of their effects in men has been undertaken. It is also known that other dietary factors may affect sex hormone metabolism. For example, it has been shown that in healthy men a high fat, low fiber diet is known to reduce urinary excretion of estradiol and estrone and their metabolites while increasing mean plasma concentrations of testosterone (67). It is therefore possible that dietary modification could also be used to control endogenous sex hormone levels in men in a manner potentially beneficial to the cardiovascular system.

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