[Lotus]

This post addresses the 3rd step in the series of posts I described:

Hi sweets,

There's another obstacle in the follicular phase that prevents breast growth that needs to be addressed, and it's called 5-AR (5 alpha reductase)...and insulin too. 5-AR is an enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT)...and dht nukes NBE. In other words, dht inhibits estrogen and prevents breast growth. 

Apologies in advance for the complexity, but there's no easy way to explain. There's two main types of 5-AR, TYPE 1 & II, there's also a type III, but not relevant for this explanation. 

Type I 5-ar inhibits granulous cells in the follicle cells during follicular phase that's initiated by insulin and prevents breast growth during follicular phase...most likely from day 6 to 15. 

Meaning, foods we eat convert to glucose and then spike insulin, when insulin spikes (in the blood) the type 1 5-AR inhibits the ability of testosterone to convert to aromatase (which turns into estrogen). So, that means the enzyme 5-AR is free to convert into dht.

So...we're going to fight the conversion during the follicular phase, from the start of menstruation to Day 15, just before ovulation.

Green Tea inhibits type 1 5-AR, so does reishi mushroom. Though reishi inhibits type 1 around 70-80%. There's other agents to inhibit type 1 5-AR but they also inhibit aromatase...so I won't go there.

So when should we drink green tea or use reishi?. If you work out I'd say post workouts, which is when insulin spikes. But, insulin also spikes after consuming meals and from stress. 

One other thing insulin does is to cause ovulation dysfunction...this (insulin spikes) is also a critical step often overlooked in women with PCOS. Now, this is a particularly important conversation we need to discuss, so I want to go slow on breaking the science down so all parties concerned understand just what happens during the follicular phase for breast growth to occur. 

Sweets, before you add forskolin try the green tea first to lose that extra 6 pounds. I'm only addressing the follicular phase protocol here first, which there's much to discuss, I can't fit all of what needs to be discussed in one post, lol. We'll discuss what and when to supplement with a pumping routine in the next post. However, personally, I'll supplement pre- pump, food intake and pre-and post workout, and I'll explain that too. 

I'm attaching two research studies describing what I just outlined.

Stimulatory Effect of Insulin on 5α-Reductase Type 1 (SRD5A1) Expression through an Akt-Dependent Pathway in Ovarian Granulosa Cells

Abstract 

Elevated levels of 5α-reduced androgens have been shown to be associated with hyperandrogenism and hyperinsulinemia, the leading causes of ovulatory dysfunction in women. 5α-Dihydrotestosterone reduces ovarian granulosa cell proliferation by inhibiting FSH-mediated mitogenic signaling pathways. The present study examined the effect of insulin on 5α-reductase, the enzyme that catalyses the conversion of androgens to their 5α-derivatives. Granulosa cells isolated from immature rat ovaries were cultured in serum-free, phenol red-free DMEM-F12 media and treated with different doses of insulin (0, 0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 μg/ml) for different time intervals up to 12 h. The expression of 5α-reductase type 1 mRNA, the predominant isoform found in granulosa cells, showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in response to the insulin treatment up to 12 h compared with control. The catalytic activity of 5α-reductase enzyme was also stimulated in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). Inhibiting the Akt-dependent signaling pathway abolished the insulin-mediated increase in 5α-reductase mRNA expression, whereas inhibition of the ERK-dependent pathway had no effect. The dose-dependent increase in 5α-reductase mRNA expression as well as catalytic activity seen in response to insulin treatment was also demonstrated in the human granulosa cell line (KGN). In addition to increased mRNA expression, a dose-dependent increase in 5α-reductase protein expression in response to insulin was also seen in KGN cells, which corroborated well with that of mRNA expression. These results suggest that elevated levels of 5α-reduced androgens seen in hyperinsulinemic conditions might be explained on the basis of a stimulatory effect of insulin on 5α-reductase in granulosa cells. The elevated levels of these metabolites, in turn, might adversely affect growth and proliferation of granulosa cells, thereby impairing follicle growth and ovulation. 
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2946143/

5α-reductase activity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5369013/