buckwheat/DCI= lower testosterone?

According to wikipedia and the section pasted below from another article, di-chiro-inositol found in high amounts in buckwheat is useful for treating PCOS, but it says that it lowers testosterone in women. Does anyone know if it could do the same in men? I eat buckwheat everyday now, and this concerns me as my free T is already low...

" There is evidence that the insulin resistance seen in women with PCOS is due in part to a deficiency of D-chiro-inositol or to a defect in its utilization in the tissues.(1,2) If these abnormalities can be reversed by supplementation with D-chiro-inositol, then this compound might be beneficial for women with PCOS.

To test that possibility, 44 obese women with PCOS were randomly assigned to receive, in double-blind fashion, D-chiro-inositol (1,200 mg once a day) or placebo for eight weeks.

Supplementation with D-chiro-inositol resulted in an improvement in insulin resistance and a 55% reduction in testosterone levels compared to the placebo group.

Significantly more women ovulated in the D-chiro-inositol group than in the placebo group (86% vs. 27%). D-chiro-inositol supplementation decreased testosterone levels and improved ovulatory function, presumably by enhancing the action of insulin.(2)"

JHarsh80 - Usually when health is improved in both women and men their respective hormone profiles move in a positive direction for their gender. So in other words, when insulin resistance is reversed, testosterone levels usually rise in men, and they often fall in women.

However, it would still be nice to see a study on di-chiro-inositol involving men.

Thanks CS,

That is a good point. I tried briefly to find some studies with men via google but didn't. With my T being low, should I even risk it with the buckwheat IYO? I noticed that Prauge (I believe) placed a very high importance on it in his "hair going crazy thread". Maybe it could simply be improving hair growth due to less free T> less DHT? What do you think. I've noticed others as well as myself jumping on the buckwheat bandwagon and wonder if we should be more cautious. I had been eating buckwheat every morning, including the day I collected my salivary samples which showed my elevated E2 and low free T. I am not suggesting that my hormonal imbalance is due to buckwheat, but I am wondering now if it may have played a role in my test results.

JHarsh80 - Something is wrong and hopefully further tests can figure it out. Usually when testosterone is low, cholesterol levels are high, in an attempt by the body to raise it, since cholesterol is a building block to your hormones.

I would suggest getting screen for conditions such as liver disease, hyperthyroidism, and intestinal malabsorption.
Another possibility is Manganese deficiency.

Finally, if you're using any kind of 5-AR blocker, like dutasteride or finasteride, this could wreak havoc with the endocrine system in some individuals.

CS,

Hyper-thyroid would have showed up in my lab work right? The only thing out of range regarding thyroid was T3 uptake was high. Any idea what that indicates?

My liver was healthy as well.

I believe it is probably intestinal malabsorbtion due to the fact that my gliaden sensitivity was high. I have 86'd wheat and gluten.

My hair seems to slowly be going to hell at 5-6 weeks off finasteride. I have noticed more recession of the hairline at the temples and I have this itching of the scalp in the area that would typically go bald and leave the horse-shoe pattern top of the head.

My skin has been really dry and itchy lately and I am trying to figure out what could cause it. i suspect it may be so much HA, and NAG even though HA should hydrate...if I have too much because of my high e2 levels it may cause an adverse reaction? Also there is the shellfish allergy that can go with it. I'm just grasping at straws on that one.

Right now my regimen looks like this:

iodine- iosol 1830mcg x 3/day
multi- Now Adam men's
ALC- 1000mg 3 x's a day
RLA- 100mg with ALC 3 x's a day
Lecithin granules- 2-4 tbspns/day
myo-inositol- 2-6 tspns/day
ashwaghanda- 450mg 3/day
fibroboost- 400mg 2/day
enzymedica gluten ease- 2/day
metagenics trancor- 4/day
mag citrate- 200mg 3-4/day
carlson clo- 1000mg 3-6/day
vD- cholecalciferol 10,000iu/day
vD/k2- 1000iu/day
super bio circumin- 400mg/day
biotin- 5000mcg
l-theanine- 200mg 2-6/day
vitex agnus (just started)- 800mg bid
zinc picolinate- 50mg 2-3/day
Now C-1000 (100mg bioflavinoids, 25mg rutin)- 3-6/day
TMG- 500mg
N-A-G 750- 1-3/day
Dr Best hyaluronic acid 100mg, chondroitin sulphate 200mg, hydrolizede collagen type II 600mg
jarrow eps- 1-3/day

JHarsh80 - High T3 suppresses testosterone.

CS my T3 was normal, but the "T3 uptake" was slightly elevated? Could that have anything to do with the iodine or type of iodine I take- Iosol? Could this really all be a result of dutasteride/finasteride?