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ElectricPuppy wrote:But... but... I don't want any moobs.
Nobody wants moobs. Yet they are usually caused by foods we eat or drugs we take.
(Following is a Man Boob Public Service Announcement)
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Causes of Man Boobs
- Oestrogen This female sex hormone is mitogenic, meaning it causes cells to divide and multiply. Man boobs result when the levels of oestrogen rise, as a consequence the ratio of testosterone to oestrogen becomes unbalanced. Oestrogen and testosterone cause the secondary sexual characteristics to develop at puberty. Both sexes make both hormones, men making principally testosterone, women oestrogen. Testosterone causes muscle mass to increase, deepening of the voice and body hair to grow in men. Oestrogen stimulates the breasts and ovaries to develop and the fatty layer covering humans to thicken in women, emphasizing the hips. An excess of oestrogen will increase these feminizing traits in men. Excess oestrogen can arise from numerous causes: pesticides and industrial chemicals which mimic the action of oestrogen, also called xeno-oestrogens, are now found in food, water, air and skin care products, particularly sunscreens. Other causes of excess oestrogen are drugs, tumours, malnutrition and foods containing phytosterols like soy which have an oestrogenic affect.
- Androgen antagonists or antiandrogens can cause man boobs, i.e., the drugs spironolactone, finasteride, flutamide and cyproterone. These drugs are given to suppress testosterone in prostate cancer, BHP etc. But by suppressing testosterone, oestrogen begins to rise.
- HIV medications, in particular efavirenz, used in HAART treatment
- Anti-anxiety drugs eg. valium
- Antidepressants particularly the older tricyclic antidepressants
- Corticosteroids
- Cimetidine an ulcer medication which enhances oestrogen activity
- Chemotherapy
- Heart medications
- Alcohol
- Amphetamines
- Marijuana
- Heroin
- Antipsychotics - These are known to cause high levels of prolactin (hyperprolactinemia), leading to a milky discharge (galactorrhoea). Risperidone increases prolactin to a greater extent than other atypical antipsychotics. High prolactin levels can be caused by factors other than antipsychotic drugs. A lack of protein in the diet, leading to a deficiency in the amino acid tyrosine can cause it. Tyrosine is the precursor to dopamine, a drop in dopamine levels stimulates prolactin release. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter responsible for sexual arousal, prolactin counters the effect of dopamine. Hyperprolactinemia is thought to be a cause of impotence and loss of libido. In a pregnant woman, high levels of progesterone prevent the release of prolactin, the same would apply in men using supplemental progesterone. The drop in progesterone levels at childbirth signals the release of prolactin. It's at this point the foetus can absorb prolactin from the mother, leading to both male and female babies sometimes secreting milk from their nipples. Commonly known as Witch's milk, this affect is generally short lived. Stress can drop dopamine levels thereby increasing prolactin levels. Tyrosine is not only the precursor to dopamine, but to the stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline which are released when stressed. Supplemental tyrosine affectively counters the release of prolactin, increases dopamine levels and by the same token increases libido if the drop is caused by excess prolactin. Progesterone also causes an increase in dopamine by suppressing prolactin. Progesterone is a mono amine oxidase inhibitor. Mono amine oxidase is an enzyme that breaks down dopamine and serotonin to name two. Due to this action progesterone is helpful in depression. Oestrogen causes prolactin to rise by suppressing progesterone.
See under 'More Information' below for further drugs that can cause man boobs.
Other causes of man boobs...- Tumours in the pituitary, adrenals and testes
- Hypogonadism, which results in low levels of testosterone
- Excess thyroxine caused by an over active thyroid
- Kidney failure which affects the testicles
- Androgen resistance syndrome where cells fail to respond to androgens in the blood stream
- Chronic liver disease, liver failure, and cirrhosis
- Adrenal malfunction
- Malnutrition, including feeding after malnutrition, which increases substances for aromatase production
- Herbs containing phytosterols, which bind to oestrogen receptors
- Foods containing phytosterols, particularly soy, have oestrogenic affects. Soy reduces the sperm count in men, avoid eating it
- Congenital testicular regression, where the testes regress back to a less developed state
- Herpes zoster
- Cystic fibrosis
- Myotonic dystrophy
- Mental stress
- Spinal cord injury
- Leukaemia
- Hemophilia
- Leprosy
- Genetic disorders such as Klinefelter's syndrome and Gilbert's syndrome
That's cheered me up no end on this special day. 
Originally Posted by Metrosonus
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