[The First Aria]

My GID had me heading toward the wrong gender binary at first, I felt way too uncomfortable wearing a bra. In comparison, image your worst hair day, or donning corduroy pants (who remembers them lmao), that's bras for me. That's a good question on bras, there's tons of conflicting information, imo it will come down to the individual.

I like bra's, I don't think so much for the looks but for reducing the pain you get wearing regular T-shirts or the occasional bump against something unexpectedly. It also, now that mine are growing again, helps to shape them, and keep them from sagging much.

It's gone, deleted upon my own ignorance.

That's too bad.

We had a poll about bra's at the New Males Staying Males section. I found the numbers interesting.

Bra Poll

[Lotus]

I like bra's, I don't think so much for the looks but for reducing the pain you get wearing regular T-shirts or the occasional bump against something unexpectedly. It also, now that mine are growing again, helps to shape them, and keep them from sagging much.

That's cool. It's just not me at this time. However, I love how bras look on other people, and our bra queen (my queen) has buckets of bras, but I love her collection.

It's gone, deleted upon my own ignorance.

That's too bad.

Yup, it was a gesture of futility to appease the offended back in the day. Too bad cause one of them was my first bud pic. Even MissC (where R U?) made mention on it.

We had a poll about bra's at the New Males Staying Males section. I found the numbers interesting.

Bra Poll

That was(is) a good one, so what do we think, is a sports bra considered a real bra?

[The First Aria]

Nah, not in my opinion. It does help with chaffing nipples, but as far as support, molding and bump protection..... No Go.

[Lotus]

Nah, not in my opinion. It does help with chaffing nipples, but as far as support, molding and bump protection..... No Go.

Lol @ No Chafe Zone

[Eloise]

I have enough boobage to barely fill out an AA pushup, so it's not like I have much to go on. For me, bras are generally uncomfortable as hell but, last week, mine started to wear more comfortably for me. I would vote for t-shirt and no bra, however.

[The First Aria]

Tell you all what.. That's about all I wore up until a yr or better ago. But then, my nipples seemed at attention all the time, then the chaffing started. To me, it was like having a marble red hot and sitting on my nipples.... My wife took me out shopping and got me 3 athletic type bra's... Wow, I was in heaven. Plus, someone here at BN suggested using the type of lip gloss for chaffed lips. That felt wonderful as well.

[Lotus]

Hi BN,

Red Clover is beneficial for NBE. If you don't know what PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor), you should. (Info supplied below).


red clover extract: a putative source for simultaneous treatment of menopausal disorders and the metabolic syndrome.
Mueller M1, Jungbauer A.
Author information

Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Currently, red clover extract is used to treat menopausal disorders as an alternative to classic hormone therapy. Several human and animal studies have attributed hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, or antiatherosclerotic effects to red clover extract or isoflavones. This study was designed to determine the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma activation by red clover extract.
DESIGN:
The PPARgamma binding affinities and the transactivation activities of red clover extracts, isoflavones, and their metabolites were analyzed. The presence of specific substances in the extracts was proved by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry.
RESULTS:
The red clover extracts and the compounds genistein and biochanin A were potent PPARgamma ligands and activators. Several metabolites exerted higher binding affinities or transactivational activities than their precursor molecules. 6-Hydroxydaidzein exerted a more than 100-fold higher binding affinity than its precursor daidzein. The maximal transactivational activity of 6-hydroxydaidzein and 3'-hydroxygenistein exceeded even that of rosiglitazone, a known PPARgamma agonist. Equol and O-desmethylangolensin showed an approximately fivefold higher binding affinity and, in the case of O-desmethylangolensin, a fourfold higher PPARgamma agonistic activity than the precursor. The daily dose of Menoflavon forte, a widely used red clover extract for treatment of menopausal disorders, provides theoretically 15% to 30% of the daily recommended dose of rosiglitazone. Considering the more active metabolites formed, activity must be higher in vivo.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study shows that red clover extracts, the major compounds, and especially several main metabolites exert significant PPARgamma binding and transactivational activity. Red clover extract, which is currently used for treating menopausal disorders, could be simultaneously used for ameliorating the metabolic syndrome.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18724264



peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) in mediating the effects of fibrates and fatty acids on gene expression.
Schoonjans K1, Staels B, Auwerx J.
Author information

Abstract
The three types of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR), termed alpha, delta (or beta), and gamma, belong to the nuclear receptor superfamily. Although peroxisome proliferators, including fibrates and fatty acids, activate the transcriptional activity of these receptors, only prostaglandin J2 derivatives have been identified as natural ligands of the PPAR gamma subtype that also binds thiazolidinedione antidiabetic agents with high affinity. PPARs heterodimerize with retinoic X receptor (RXR) and alter the transcription of target genes after binding to response elements or PPREs, consisting of a direct repeat of the nuclear receptor hexameric DNA recognition motif (PuGGTCA) spaced by 1 nucleotide (DR-1). Upon activation by fatty acids (FAs) and drugs that affect lipid metabolism, PPARs control the expression of genes implicated in intra- and extracellular lipid metabolism, most notably those involved in peroxisomal beta-oxidation. PPARs partially mediate the inductive effects of fibrates and fatty acids on high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels by regulating the transcription of the major HDL apolipoproteins, apoA-I and apoA-II. The hypotriglyceridemic action of fibrates and certain fatty acids also involves PPAR and is constituted of: 1) increased hydrolysis of plasma triglycerides due to induction of LPL and reduction of apoC-III expression; 2) stimulation of cellular fatty acid uptake and conversion to acyl-CoA derivatives due to increased expression of genes for fatty acid transport protein and acyl-CoA synthetase; 3) increased peroxisomal and mitochondrial beta-oxidation; and 4) decreased synthesis of fatty acids and triglycerides and decreased production of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). Hence, both enhanced catabolism of triglyceride-rich particles and reduced secretion of VLDL particles contribute to the hypolipidemic effect of fibrates and fatty acids. Finally, PPARs appear to be involved in differentiation processes because activation of PPAR gamma 2 triggers adipocyte differentiation and stimulates expression of several genes critical to adipogenesis. It is suggested that PPARs are key messengers responsible for the translation of nutritional and pharmacological stimuli into changes in gene expression and differentiation pathways.
PMID: 8725145 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Free full text

[Lotus]

Two ingredients that are vital in a NBe plan are green tea and coconut oil. coconut oil helps to bind estrogen receptors.

Some recent research show Aromatase expression in homogenates from scAT was 213% higher. In other words, aromatase in subcutaneous fat is 213% higher.


Br J Nutr. 2014 May 28;111(10):1782-90. doi: 10.1017/S000711451400004X. Epub 2014 Feb 11.
Influence of virgin coconut oil-enriched diet on the transcriptional regulation of fatty acid synthesis and oxidation in rats - a comparative study.
Arunima S1, Rajamohan T1.
Author information

Abstract
The present study was carried out to evaluate the effects of virgin coconut oil (VCO) compared with copra oil, olive oil and sunflower-seed oil on the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids and the molecular regulation of fatty acid metabolism in normal rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed the test oils at 8 % for 45 d along with a synthetic diet. Dietary supplementation of VCO decreased tissue lipid levels and reduced the activity of the enzymes involved in lipogenesis, namely acyl CoA carboxylase and fatty acid synthase (FAS) (P< 0·05). Moreover, VCO significantly (P< 0·05) reduced the de novo synthesis of fatty acids by down-regulating the mRNA expression of FAS and its transcription factor, sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c, compared with the other oils. VCO significantly (P< 0·05) increased the mitochondrial and peroxisomal β-oxidation of fatty acids, which was evident from the increased activities of carnitine palmitoyl transferase I, acyl CoA oxidase and the enzymes involved in mitochondrial β-oxidation; this was accomplished by up-regulating the mRNA expression of PPARα and its target genes involved in fatty acid oxidation. In conclusion, the present results confirmed that supplementation of VCO has beneficial effects on lipid parameters by reducing lipogenesis and enhancing the rate of fatty acid catabolism; this effect was mediated at least in part via PPARα-dependent pathways. Thus, dietary VCO reduces the risk for CHD by beneficially modulating the synthesis and degradation of fatty acids.



Suppression of Androgen Receptor Signaling and Prostate Specific Antigen Expression by (−)-Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate in Different Progression Stages of LNCaP Prostate Cancer Cells


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles...s95453.pdf

The green tea polyphenol, (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), inhibits the development and progression of prostate cancer in TRAMP mice and in men. We examined the effects of EGCG on LNCaP human prostate cancer sublines 104-S, 104-R1 and R1Ad representing different progression stages of prostate cancer. EGCG suppressed cell proliferation, prostate specific antigen (PSA) expression, and AR transcriptional activity in the different LNCaP sublines. Intraperitoneal administration of EGCG also suppressed the growth of relapsing R1Ad tumors and decreased tumor- derived serum PSA. Effects of EGCG on tumor PSA expression have the potential to affect accurate monitoring of patient tumor burden by serum PSA measurements.

__________________

50% decrease in serum PSA

EGCG inhibits cell proliferation, PSA and Human tissue kallikreins 2 (hK2) secretion, expression of AR mRNA, and transcriptional activity of AR in androgen-dependent LNCaP cells treated with androgen [18,19]. EGCG, but not EGC, ECG, or EC, suppresses tumor growth of androgen receptor (AR)-negative androgen-insensitive PC-3 prostate xenografts, AR-positive androgen-independent LNCaP 104-R1 prostate xenografts, and MCF breast xenografts in athymic mice [1].

___________________


Plasma 17b-estradiol and testosterone concentrations. The plasma concentration of 17b-estradiol was undetectable in control rats, whereas that of GT-treated rats was 39.2 6 10.4 pmol/L (P , 0.01).

Aromatase expression. Relative aromatase expression in homogenates from scAT was ;213% higher than that of vAT (P , 0.05) in control rats (Fig. 2). Interestingly, GT treatment induced a marked increase in aromatase expression in both AT locations to 318.5 6 60.6% of control in scAT (P , 0.05) and 285.5 6 82.9% of control in vAT (P , 0.01).

We monitored ad libitum consumption of both food and fluid every other day and recorded rat weight every week. To prepare GT infusion, 1 L of boiling water (100°C) was dispensed over 3 tea bags (1.3 g/bag) for 5 min. The infusion was allowed to cool to room temperature before being transferred to the bottles and supplied to the rats.

[ellacraig]

QUOTE: That's cool. It's just not me at this time. However, I love how bras look on other people, and our bra queen (my queen) Big Grin has buckets of bras, but I love her collection.

How did I miss this!

[The First Aria]

QUOTE: That's cool. It's just not me at this time. However, I love how bras look on other people, and our bra queen (my queen) Big Grin has buckets of bras, but I love her collection.

How did I miss this!

??? Did you miss post this one??