New study from Spain [1].
For many years, I used a product that probably contained DES (diethylstilbestrol) - perhaps 1 mg? My QoL was very good.
When I eventually migrated to 3 mg DES - plus a shot of testosterone cypionate every 3 months - I began to feel frail.
The new study associates high levels of androstenedione [andro] with frailty.
When I became interested in using testosterone [T] to manage PCa 19 years ago, the obvious source was andro, a T precursor, plus chrysin, an aromatase inhibitor that prevents T conversion to estradiol [E2]. In the U.S., one could buy andro in any health store.
Unfortunately, young boys who wanted to improve their baseball games began buying andro. There was outrage in DC & possession of andro became a felony. While it was not a felony to bring T in from Mexico, say, it was illegal to bring in its precursor.
Anyway, I successfully used andro for several years, until my stash was depleted & my integrative medicine doctor began prescribing Androderm T patches.
In the steroidogenesis cascade, andro can be produced from progesterone, or from pregnenolone-->DHEA. As such, production is inhibited by Abiraterone (which targets the enzyme that acts on progesterone and pregnenolone.)
Adrenal andro production is controlled by ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone). Gonadal andro production is inhibited by ADT.
In the new study:
"high concentrations of androstenedione were significantly associated with frailty syndrome in both groups" {"patients with localised (PCa) or metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) receiving ADT with analogues of luteinising hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH)."}
"In addition, the results of the non-parametric tests show significant results between a decreased gait speed in the two groups (metastatic and localised) and the concentration of androstenedione. High androstenedione levels were associated with a slow walking speed in the mCaP group), while high testosterone levels were associated with a better walking speed in the localised CaP group".
I'm interested in the gait speed experience of those on ADT monotherapy & in those using Abi.
I wonder if there is a way of speeding the clearance of andro? Or inhibiting ACTH?
Thanks, -Patrick
