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I just want to get a general consensus on something here. We all know that Trenbolone is highly androgenic (5 times as androgenic as Testosterone), and so are a few other AAS. But do you know what I have discovered? Clinical studies that have observed that Trenbolone actually causes LESS aggravation to the prostate and has a far more mild impact on polycythemia (excessive red blood cell production) than Testosterone does(1)(2). So much so, in fact, that these studies are treating Trenbolone as though it's almost like a SARM in that it is more selective in promoting muscle growth, fat loss, and tissue repair over other undesired effects than Testosterone. These studies are all very recent too, about 3 years old.
"The lowest doses of TREN successfully maintained prostate mass and hemoglobin concentrations at sham levels in both intact and orchiectomized animals, whereas supraphysiological testosterone-enanthate and high-dose TREN elevated prostate mass by 84 and 68%, respectively (P < 0.01)."(1)
This is telling us that Trenbolone in low to moderate doses actually DOESN'T affect the prostate like Testosterone does at the same doses. It only becomes an issue at higher doses, as per usual. So, some of you might be wondering "but how can this be? Trenbolone has an anabolic:androgenic ratio of 500:500 while Testosterone's is 100:100". Well, guess what? The measure of whether or not an anabolic steroid exhibits strong androgenic effects (and thereby causes those undesirable androgenic side effects such as acne, prostate issues, oily skin, etc.) is actually not 100% dependent on its androgenic strength rating as we all once originally thought! That's right, the general understanding of the last 70 years of anabolic steroid use is that the stronger the androgenic rating is, the more people will experience androgenic side effects from it. Well, that's not 100% true.
And here's why: it has to do with the concentration of these hormones in different tissues. Let me explain... Trenbolone is not reduced via 5-alpha reductase (5AR) into a more potent androgenic metabolite, unlike Testosterone. Testosterone, as we all know, is reduced via the 5AR enzyme into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is at least 5 times as androgenic as Testosterone. This occurs only in tissues where the 5AR enzyme is in high abundance, which means the prostate, the skin, the scalp, etc. Now, as Testosterone is circulated throughout the bloodstream, it passes through these tissues where once it enters these tissues, a high percentage of it is converted into DHT. What you end up having is a very high saturated concentration of DHT in these tissues as a result, and therefore an immediate high exposure of a strong androgen like DHT to the receptor sites of these tissues (such as the prostate). This does not happen with Trenbolone, and although Trenbolone exhibits an androgenic rating of 500, there is much less exposure of it overall in these tissues UNLESS, and only UNLESS you start to administer doses of Trenbolone that are so high that there ends up being very high concentrations of it everywhere in the body.
This same explanation is the reason why exogenous Testosterone in lower-moderate dose ranges in men acts as a contraceptive while extremely high Testosterone doses will result in a massive fertility boost.
It looks like Trenbolone is now being investigated for (once again) use in humans, and specifically as a selective androgen to help people while avoiding the undesired androgenic effects. So, if any of you have inexplicably found that you actually tend to tolerate androgenic side effects much better with Trenbolone than you do with Testosterone and wondered why, well, now you know. This also lends more credence and support to my suggestions of running your cycles at TRT doses of Testosterone with moderate-higher doses of other anabolic steroids, allowing them to do the anabolic work and that Testosterone should merely be there for support. Running Testosterone at bodybuilding doses or excessive doses, in my opinion, is asking for side effects, and the clinical research out there is demonstrating this more and more. I knew/suspected this long before the clinical data started mounting.
Looks like I might have to update the Trenbolone profile here on Steroidal.com sometime soon...
REFERENCES:
1. Tissue selectivity and potential clinical applications of trenbolone (17beta-hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one): A potent anabolic steroid with reduced androgenic and estrogenic activity. Yarrow JF, McCoy SC, Borst SE. Steroids. 2010 Jun;75(6):377-89. doi: 10.1016/j.steroids.2010.01.019. Epub 2010 Feb 4.
2. 17β-Hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one (trenbolone) exhibits tissue selective anabolic activity: effects on muscle, bone, adiposity, hemoglobin, and prostate. Yarrow JF, Conover CF, McCoy SC, Lipinska JA, Santillana CA, Hance JM, Cannady DF, VanPelt TD, Sanchez J, Conrad BP, Pingel JE, Wronski TJ, Borst SE. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Apr;300(4):E650-60. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00440.2010. Epub 2011 Jan 25.
"The lowest doses of TREN successfully maintained prostate mass and hemoglobin concentrations at sham levels in both intact and orchiectomized animals, whereas supraphysiological testosterone-enanthate and high-dose TREN elevated prostate mass by 84 and 68%, respectively (P < 0.01)."(1)
This is telling us that Trenbolone in low to moderate doses actually DOESN'T affect the prostate like Testosterone does at the same doses. It only becomes an issue at higher doses, as per usual. So, some of you might be wondering "but how can this be? Trenbolone has an anabolic:androgenic ratio of 500:500 while Testosterone's is 100:100". Well, guess what? The measure of whether or not an anabolic steroid exhibits strong androgenic effects (and thereby causes those undesirable androgenic side effects such as acne, prostate issues, oily skin, etc.) is actually not 100% dependent on its androgenic strength rating as we all once originally thought! That's right, the general understanding of the last 70 years of anabolic steroid use is that the stronger the androgenic rating is, the more people will experience androgenic side effects from it. Well, that's not 100% true.
And here's why: it has to do with the concentration of these hormones in different tissues. Let me explain... Trenbolone is not reduced via 5-alpha reductase (5AR) into a more potent androgenic metabolite, unlike Testosterone. Testosterone, as we all know, is reduced via the 5AR enzyme into Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is at least 5 times as androgenic as Testosterone. This occurs only in tissues where the 5AR enzyme is in high abundance, which means the prostate, the skin, the scalp, etc. Now, as Testosterone is circulated throughout the bloodstream, it passes through these tissues where once it enters these tissues, a high percentage of it is converted into DHT. What you end up having is a very high saturated concentration of DHT in these tissues as a result, and therefore an immediate high exposure of a strong androgen like DHT to the receptor sites of these tissues (such as the prostate). This does not happen with Trenbolone, and although Trenbolone exhibits an androgenic rating of 500, there is much less exposure of it overall in these tissues UNLESS, and only UNLESS you start to administer doses of Trenbolone that are so high that there ends up being very high concentrations of it everywhere in the body.
This same explanation is the reason why exogenous Testosterone in lower-moderate dose ranges in men acts as a contraceptive while extremely high Testosterone doses will result in a massive fertility boost.
It looks like Trenbolone is now being investigated for (once again) use in humans, and specifically as a selective androgen to help people while avoiding the undesired androgenic effects. So, if any of you have inexplicably found that you actually tend to tolerate androgenic side effects much better with Trenbolone than you do with Testosterone and wondered why, well, now you know. This also lends more credence and support to my suggestions of running your cycles at TRT doses of Testosterone with moderate-higher doses of other anabolic steroids, allowing them to do the anabolic work and that Testosterone should merely be there for support. Running Testosterone at bodybuilding doses or excessive doses, in my opinion, is asking for side effects, and the clinical research out there is demonstrating this more and more. I knew/suspected this long before the clinical data started mounting.
Looks like I might have to update the Trenbolone profile here on Steroidal.com sometime soon...
REFERENCES:
1. Tissue selectivity and potential clinical applications of trenbolone (17beta-hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one): A potent anabolic steroid with reduced androgenic and estrogenic activity. Yarrow JF, McCoy SC, Borst SE. Steroids. 2010 Jun;75(6):377-89. doi: 10.1016/j.steroids.2010.01.019. Epub 2010 Feb 4.
2. 17β-Hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one (trenbolone) exhibits tissue selective anabolic activity: effects on muscle, bone, adiposity, hemoglobin, and prostate. Yarrow JF, Conover CF, McCoy SC, Lipinska JA, Santillana CA, Hance JM, Cannady DF, VanPelt TD, Sanchez J, Conrad BP, Pingel JE, Wronski TJ, Borst SE. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Apr;300(4):E650-60. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00440.2010. Epub 2011 Jan 25.