Greetings:

Thanks for your kind words in your last post considering my postings
to morelife. Thank you.

[You have contributed value to us with information in areas of interest, some of
which we had not previously known (and opportunities for broader discussion, in
addition to specific Value for Value transfers) - and likely more so to others,
most of whom are not willing to fully identify themselves to us and post here
using their real names, as you have done. In addition, instead of simply
perusing the items and sending along a link with questions or brief comment, you
try to relate the contents to other information you've found and determine a
reasonable conclusion, at least based on what is currently known. We would like
to see more members of MoreLife Yahoo do the same and use this group to
non-anonymously verbalize their understanding on subjects that relate to the
contents of MoreLife.org and SelfSIP.org. **Kitty]

[Keep up the good work Erich, your posts are highly appreciated. -°Olafur]


I came across in the most recent Life Extension News (Volume 9 No. 3
August 2006)
(http://www.life-enhancement.com/article_template.asp?ID=1746) an
article by The Durk Pearson & Sandy Shaw on the importance of
Testosterone's conversion to Estradiol via aromatization and how this
has been shown in men to be important in reducing atherosclerosis.

[Estradiol is also highly important for brain health via conversion from
testosterone in neurons and glia of males, PMID: 16785597, 16181121, 15597268.
Premenopausal females, by producing ample estradiol, do not need such conversion
from testoserone (of which all females produce little). However, the fact that
postmenopausal females have insufficient estradiol production *and* insufficient
testosterone production leads to the greater degree of brain deterioration (eg
Alzheimers) seen in older females than males. --Paul]


Durk and Sandy conclude their article with the following:

"One advantage of the local conversion of testosterone to estradiol by
aromatase in blood vessels is that it avoids the negative effects of
systemic estrogen treatment in males. The moral of this story is that,
unless required for treatment of a serious condition, such as cancer,
men should probably not take powerful systemic aromatase inhibitors.
We have seen no indication, however, of an increased cardiovascular
risk in heavy tea drinkers or in moderate drinkers of red wine."

[This reasoning including the negative effects on the brain is why I have always
been negative about systemic aromatase inhibitors. --Paul]


The article stated that, "Chrysin, naringenin, and quercetin were the
most potent polyphenols in inhibiting aromatase activity."

So it seems that men taking quercetin (or any powerful systemic
aromatase inhibitors) could increase the risk of developing
atherosclerosis.

However, a very low risk for atherosclerosis, due to diet,
supplementation, lifestyle and/or genetics, may obfuscate the need to
worry about the risk of taking powerful systemic aromatase inhibitors
like quercetin in relation to atherosclerosis in men.

[Note: I think you mean "reduce" or "minimize" instead of "obfuscate" above,
which means to confuse or disguise.

This is my view also and I think it is a correct one. I also ingest quercetin
and naringenin (currently only within foods - mainly berries and naringenin
particularly from the citrus peels in my smoothies - and as minor unlisted
components of a few supplements after I recently eliminated my quercetin
supplement in case it was causal of my still too high homocysteine) because of
their many benefits beyond atherosclerosis prevention ones. As with so many
chemicals, there are body pathways in which they can be both harmful and
beneficial - witness simple ascorbic acid, which can be both anti- and
pro-oxidant.

One must always remember that the body is a homeostatic *system* with the sum
total of all interactions generating a point of relative stability with respect
to a multitude of measurable parameters.
The goal of one's diet, supplements and lifestyle activities is to both maintain
that stability and move the point of stability towards the direction of better
values of all those parameters that one wants to have better functioning.
--Paul]


Erich Brueschke