Re: Why is CFS more prevalent in women than in men?

[Guest guest]

Hi rich, I think its more complex than that. Women are susceptible

to higher rates of autoimmune diseases.

Our hormonal cascade every month is far more complex, and we go

through many more shifts. Any perturbation can cause the cascade to

go out of balance, with resulting problems.

For instance, let's say you have estrogen dominance...which is more

common in our society because even tho nature would not have it so,

we delay childbirth way beyond when menses begin, and we don't

breastfeed as we would, for years, in the wild. Then let's say the

liver over time because of stresses has trouble deconjugating all

that extra estrogen. It stimulates certain bacteria and pathogens,

which even if it is deconjugated, reconjugate it again (this is from

memory). You get a whole complex feedback loop that is deleterious--

and which men don't have.

There is also the fact that once a woman has been pregnant, fragments

of her baby's immune system and HLA subtypes are permanently floating

in her blood. PERMANENTLY. This can lead to some autoimmune

diseases, as has been written about. It can also lead to bizarre

cures--I read recently that when one woman's liver regenerated, her

body actually used her baby's liver cells, not her own. Yup.

[Guest guest]

Hi Rich,

If your hypothesis is correct it may explain why some

women with M.E. and CFS say their M.E. symptoms become

worse in the second half of the menstrual cycle.

Does that sound reasonable to you?

Thanks for all of your hard work.

With warmest regards,

Annette

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[Guest guest]

Hi, Annette.

Yes, I think this hypothesis would match well with what some women

report about the time variation of their CFS symptoms. I think it

is also at least in harmony with the epidemiological evidence that

women who get CFS tend to get it premenopausally.

You're certainly welcome.

Rich

> Hi Rich,

>

> If your hypothesis is correct it may explain why some

> women with M.E. and CFS say their M.E. symptoms become

> worse in the second half of the menstrual cycle.

>

> Does that sound reasonable to you?

>

> Thanks for all of your hard work.

>

> With warmest regards,

> Annette

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ___________________________________________________________ALL-NEW

Messenger - all new features - even more fun!

http://uk.messenger.

[Guest guest]

Hi, Jen.

Thanks for the comments.

That's a really interesting story about that woman's liver!

You're right about the higher prevalence of autoimmune illnesses in

women than in men. I don't think that puzzle has been completely

worked out, either, but I think you're right about the connection

with having children on board that are " foreign " to the woman's body

from an immunological point of view.

I think I'm going to hang onto my hypothesis for now, though. I

think there is a good basis for it. So far, I don't think CFS is an

autoimmune disease, so I think the mechanism is different for the

greater susceptibility for those.

I do think there is a detox issue involving estrogen, though, as you

mentioned, and that is another thing I have been considering. Some

of the estradiol is oxidized to the form of quinones, and they must

be detoxed in Phase II by glutathione. But I think the endometrial

thing is a bigger effect, because it makes use of the amplifying

nature of the estradiol hormone rather than a direct effect of

detoxing a small part of the estradiol molecules themselves.

Rich

>

> Hi rich, I think its more complex than that. Women are

susceptible

> to higher rates of autoimmune diseases.

>

> Our hormonal cascade every month is far more complex, and we go

> through many more shifts. Any perturbation can cause the cascade

to

> go out of balance, with resulting problems.

>

> For instance, let's say you have estrogen dominance...which is

more

> common in our society because even tho nature would not have it

so,

> we delay childbirth way beyond when menses begin, and we don't

> breastfeed as we would, for years, in the wild. Then let's say

the

> liver over time because of stresses has trouble deconjugating all

> that extra estrogen. It stimulates certain bacteria and

pathogens,

> which even if it is deconjugated, reconjugate it again (this is

from

> memory). You get a whole complex feedback loop that is deleterious-

-

> and which men don't have.

>

> There is also the fact that once a woman has been pregnant,

fragments

> of her baby's immune system and HLA subtypes are permanently

floating

> in her blood. PERMANENTLY. This can lead to some autoimmune

> diseases, as has been written about. It can also lead to bizarre

> cures--I read recently that when one woman's liver regenerated,

her

> body actually used her baby's liver cells, not her own. Yup.

[Guest guest]

This is an interesting hypothesis Rich.

My CFS was a gradual onset and I started feeling more fatigued and

very weak when I got my first cycle at the age of 12. But by the time

I hit 14 I got full blown CFS. In my case, I always thought there was

a connection between attaining puberty and getting CFS.

So your hypothesis seems relevant in my case.

I tested low on glutathione in Great Smokies detox panel last year. I

am doing glutathione IM shots twice a week.

Thanks for all your work,

Gayathri.

>

> Hi, all.

>

> O.K., now I'm taking on the Big Question! Here's my answer, and

> comments are very welcome, as usual!

>

> WHY IS CFS MORE PREVALENT IN WOMEN THAN IN MEN?

>

> It has been found recently that the monthly menstrual cycle in

women

> presents an additional demand on glutathione that does not occur in

> men. 17-beta estradiol is elevated in women from the late

> follicular phase through the early luteal phase of the cycle. This

> hormone stimulates the activity of the enzyme glutathione

peroxidase

> (Serviddio et al., 2002).

>

> Presumably this occurs to protect against elevated production of

> reactive oxygen species generated during the rapid growth of the

> endometrium (hypothesis).

>

> The resulting reactions depress the endometrial glutathione level

> during the time the estradiol level is high (Serviddio et al.,

2002).

>

> I suggest that this additional demand for glutathione in women

> exacerbates the glutathione depletion that occurs as a result of

> other causes, and this makes women more vulnerable to developing

CFS

> (hypothesis).

>

>

> Rich