[Lotus]

Yesss!  Looking good!  

Hi Eloise,  thank you, 

Feeling any better?

I'm feeling great, thanks for asking 

Thoughts on Astaxanthin?

Can taking astaxanthin increase the risk of breast enlargement in men?
https://www.consumerlab.com/answers/asta...ecomastia/

A few. Astaxanthin is a healthly supplement aside from using in just in nbe or hrt, but you'll see the notes I've archived here for breast growth. Health benefits range in diabetes, ATP production, DNA protection, inhibition of DHT, reducing inflammation, cAMP (pro aromatase) and many more. Btw, we've outlined how astaxanthin helped with breast in 2016 (here at BN...in this thread, coincidence?maybe, maybe not).   My theory doesn't rely on solely on the reduction of DHT by 5ar, no sir, but also via the addition of the the second messengers. But, you have understand the concept of what second messengers, more importantly
...cAMP (cyclic nucleotide monophosphates) and what it does to biosynthesis of estrogen, to jump down this rabbit hole you'll need clear your mind of any cobwebs, it's deep, but fun stuff. 

Side-effects: possible histamine response , red poop, or seafood allergies, read all info and check with your health care professional. 

In this study astaxanthin inhibits (or delays) β-cell destruction, in other words, preventing glucose overproduction, a 1mg dose of astaxanthin was used in the study. So what does it tell about astaxanthin that we didn't already know?, well......astaxanthin is 500x stronger than vitamin C, it inhibits DHT, protects against free radicals, inhibits DHT, promotes sperm (reminds me of a PDE5 supplement), protects against skin damage, etc.

astaxanthin may exert beneficial effects on pancreatic β-cell function in diabetes  


Astaxanthin protects β-cells against glucose toxicity in diabetic db/db mice
http://www.cyanotech.com/pdfs/bioastin/batl19.p

Quite possible, the further studies indicate astaxanthin promotes (or protects) male fertility (aka sperm). It reminds me of an erectile dysfunction med (without the high blood pressure, or strain to the heart). Meaning astaxanthin lowers LDL cholesterol and promotes energy production, in large part in mitochondria (the protection of DNA). So, maybe this also means help with combating chronic fatigue.....help w/preventing dementia was also mentioned in other studies. Part of astaxanthin comes from its carotenoid ingredient. Think tomato juice for NBE too (carotenoids).

Astaxanthin inhibits DHT, free radicals, cancer, radiation, diabetes and protects DNA.. Maybe 8-12 mg is too much, the study demonstrated (in vitro) .3 mg was to inhibit DHT @ 99% (type II most likely). I found in further studies that astaxanthin inhibits DHT while promoting T. In other words, an ideal scenario for pro-aromatase (increased estrogen), though in combination with a pro-aromatase. So, maybe 2mg -4mg would be a good starting dose. 

A preliminary investigation of the enzymatic inhibition of 5alpha-reduction and growth of prostatic carcinoma cell line LNCap-FGC by natural astaxanthin and Saw Palmetto lipid extract in vitro.

J Herb Pharmacother. 2005;5(1):17-26.
Abstract
Inhibition of 5alpha-reductase has been reported to decrease the symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and possibly inhibit or help treat prostate cancer. Saw Palmetto berry lipid extract (SPLE) is reported to inhibit 5 alpha-reductase and decrease the clinical symptoms of BPH. Epidemiologic studies report that carotenoids such as lycopene may inhibit prostate cancer. In this investigation the effect of the carotenoid astaxanthin, and SPLE were examined for their effect on 5alpha-reductase inhibition as well as the growth of prostatic carcinoma cells in vitro. These studies support patent #6,277,417 B1. The results show astaxanthin demonstrated 98% inhibition of 5alpha-reductase at 300 microg/mL in vitro. Alphastat, the combination of astaxanthin and SPLE, showed a 20% greater inhibition of 5alpha-reductase than SPLE alone in vitro. A nine day treatment of prostatic carcinoma cells with astaxanthin in vitro produced a 24% decrease in growth at 0.1 mcg/mL and a 38% decrease at 0.01 mcg/mL. SAMPLE showed a 34% decrease at 0.1 mcg/mL.
CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of carotenoid astaxanthin inhibit 5alpha-reductase and decrease the growth of human prostatic cancer cells in vitro. Astaxanthin added to SPLE shows greater inhibition of 5alpha-reductase than SPLE alone in vitro.

PMID 16093232 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Anti-cancer potential of flavonoids: recent trends and future perspectives
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3824783/

As listed, second messengers improve the biosynthesis of hormones, so does ATP (Adenosine triphosphate, and Astaxanthin works quite well for this ), G protein-coupled estrogen receptors (GPER), activation of GPER comes from estrogen, which is the result of adenylyl cyclase and cAMP-dependent signaling.

For me lol I'm only interested in astaxanthin, I don't need SP lol. Astaxanthin is in the krill oil I take, it's not enough imo. So I'm looking for a high grade product. 


High fat diet alters estrogen receptor expression, now I think I have a good idea why NBE some get apples and pear shapes. I'm very interested (or hot on the heels lol) of body re-sculpting and I share some info (study below) on how " fit " can work . I read how an impaired immune system can have the mitochondria misread and result in an inflammatory response. Now the question is how does a crappy diet impair boob growth?...answered above. This study found that when a high fat diet of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids was given to virgin mice (hey now, no jokes lol) resulted in an increase of 61% to estrogen receptor binding sites. Imo, this suggested a few things, e.g. Like, n-6 polyunsaturated fats increase breast growth, and that it's a pro-aromatase , in this case (61% increase in receptor bioavailability)...I'm thinking this moved walnuts to a " must have " lol in NBE. Oh, I can't forget, Carotenoids will prove to be a winner for NBE, right along with citrus and green tea. 

estrogen receptor content, protein kinase C activity, and mammary gland morphology in virgin and pregnant mice and female offspring.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9485017

Exercise and Estrogen Make Fat Cells ‘‘Fit’’ 
Victoria J. Vieira-Potter1, Terese M. Zidon1, and Jaume Padilla1,2,3 
1Departments of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, and 2Child Health, and 3Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 
VIEIRA-POTTER, V.J., T.M. ZIDON, and J. PADILLA. 

Exercise and estrogen make fat cells ‘‘fit’’. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev., Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 172Y178, 2015. Adipose tissue inflammation links obesity and metabolic disease. Both exercise and estrogen improve metabolic health, enhance mitochondrial function, and have antiinflammatory effects. We hypothesize that there is an inverse relationship between mitochondrial function and inflammation in adipose tissue and that exercise acts as an estrogen ‘‘mimetic.’’ Explicitly, exercise may improve adipose tissue ‘‘immunometabolism’’ by improving mitochondrial function and reducing inflammation. Key Words: adipose tissue, inflammation, mitochondria, estrogen, exercise, immunometabolism 
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Vicki_Vieira-Potter/publication/275357931_Exercise_and_Estrogen_Make_Fat_Cells_%27Fit%27/links/5589b2a808ae4e384e25ffa7.pdf?inViewer=0&pdfJsDownload=0&origin=publication_detail

Overview of inflammation
Chronic inflammation can result from a viral or microbial infection, environmental antigen (e.g., pollen), autoimmune reaction, or persistent activation of inflammatory molecules. Chronic inflammation is primarily mediated by monocytes and long-lived macrophages (3); monocytes mature into macrophages once they leave the bloodstream and enter tissues.

Carotenoids
Various dietary phytochemicals could affect inflammatory processes within the body. Carotenoids, the yellow, orange, and red pigments synthesized by plants, have a number of different biological activities (see the article on Carotenoids). In one study, the carotenoid β-carotene displayed anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting pro-inflammatory gene expression through suppressing the activation of NFκ-B, a redox-sensitive transcription factor (66). Specifically, a decrease in expression of various pro-inflammatory genes was seen with β-carotene treatment when an endotoxin was used to induce inflammation in macrophages in vitro as well as mice in vivo (66). The carotenoids, lycopene and astaxanthin, have also been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory activities in cell cultures and animal models (67-72). Sources of lycopene include tomatoes, red grapefruit, red watermelon, and guava, while the main dietary sources of astaxanthin include salmon, shrimp, and other seafood (73).
Additionally, the putative anti-inflammatory effect of various carotenoids has been examined in humans. Some epidemiological studies have observed serum levels of certain carotenoids, including α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, to be inversely associated with circulating levels of CRP, a cardiovascular and general marker of inflammation (74, 75). In a four-week randomized controlled trial in healthy, nonsmoking men, eight daily servings of carotenoid-rich vegetables and fruit were associated with a reduction in CRP levels; the authors of this study did not observe any change in plasma concentrations of vitamins C or E over the four-week period (76). Consumption of fruit and vegetables, in general, has been inversely associated with CRP levels and other biomarkers of inflammation (77-79). In two small intervention trials, consumption of tomato juice or a tomato-based soft drink was associated with decreased markers of inflammation (80, 81), but other dietary components of tomatoes besides lycopene, such as vitamin C, may in part be responsible for any beneficial effects on inflammatory processes (80). Larger clinical trials are needed to determine whether lycopene or other carotenoids help reduce inflammation and risk of associated diseases. For details on carotenoids in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, see the article on Carotenoids.
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/micronutr...flammation

I'm seeing red,
A preliminary investigation of the enzymatic inhibition of 5alpha-reduction and growth of prostatic carcinoma cell line LNCap-FGC by natural astaxanthin and Saw Palmetto lipid extract in vitro.

J Herb Pharmacother. 2005;5(1):17-26.
Abstract
Inhibition of 5alpha-reductase has been reported to decrease the symptoms of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and possibly inhibit or help treat prostate cancer. Saw Palmetto berry lipid extract (SPLE) is reported to inhibit 5alpha-reductase and decrease the clinical symptoms of BPH. Epidemiologic studies report that carotenoids such as lycopene may inhibit prostate cancer. In this investigation the effect of the carotenoid astaxanthin, and SPLE were examined for their effect on 5alpha-reductase inhibition as well as the growth of prostatic carcinoma cells in vitro. These studies support patent #6,277,417 B1. The results show astaxanthin demonstrated 98% inhibition of 5alpha-reductase at 300 microg/mL in vitro. Alphastat, the combination of astaxanthin and SPLE, showed a 20% greater inhibition of 5alpha-reductase than SPLE alone n vitro. A nine day treatment of prostatic carcinoma cells with astaxanthin in vitro produced a 24% decrease in growth at 0.1 mcg/mL and a 38% decrease at 0.01 mcg/mL. SPLE showed a 34% decrease at 0.1 mcg/mL.
CONCLUSIONS: Low levels of carotenoid astaxanthin inhibit 5alpha-reductase and decrease the growth of human prostatic cancer cells in vitro. Astaxanthin added to SPLE shows greater inhibition of 5alpha-reductase than SPLE alone in vitro.

PMID 16093232 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Anti-cancer potential of flavonoids: recent trends and future perspectives
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3824783/