Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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07.08.2014 |
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Pau d'arco speeds up oestrogen breakdown
Supplements manufacturers sell Pau d'arco – an extract made from the bark of the South American tree Tabebuia avellandae – as an immune booster, but according to researchers at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center in New York, Pau d'arco also has an antioestrogenic effect. Could natural bodybuilders combine Pau d'arco with pomegranate?
Pau d'arco
Molecular oncologists have been examining Pau d'arco's potential as a medicine against cancer. The researchers at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center exposed MCF-7 breast cancer cells, which grow faster the more estradiol they get, to a water-based extract of Pau d’arco. The stronger the extract, the more deadly it was for the cancer cells.
Mechanism
CYP1A1 is, as far as estradiol is concerned, a 'good' enzyme. It converts estradiol into the harmless 2-hydroxy-estradiol. CYP1B1 is a 'less good' enzyme, and converts estradiol into 4-hydroxy-estradiol. 4-hydroxy-estradiol is also less active than estradiol, but it is an oncological worry, as it can attach itself to the DNA, causing damage and turning a healthy cell into a cancer cell.
If you still smoke, you're better off not using Pau d'arco: smokers with extra active CYP1A1 genes develop cancer more frequently than other smokers.
Speculation
You can read more about naturally occurring substances that have real or suspected antioestrogenic effects here.
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