[(boron OR boric OR borate) AND testosterone] ________________________________________________________________ Comparative effects of daily and weekly boron supplementation on plasma steroid hormones and proinflammatory cytokines. Naghii MR, Mofid M, Asgari AR, Hedayati M, Daneshpour MS J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2011 Jan;25(1):54-8 Boron possesses widespread properties in biochemistry and nutrition. Acute supplementation with 11.6 mg of boron resulted in a significant increase in plasma boron concentration. Given such a fast bioavailability, the objective was to determine whether acute (hourly or daily), and weekly supplementation could have any significant biological effects on the steroid hormones and further on some inflammatory biomarkers. Eight healthy male volunteers attended the laboratory on three occasions (days 0, 1 and 7). On the first day (day 0), a blood sample collection at 8.00 A.M was followed by ingestion of placebo with the breakfast. On the next day (supplementation-day 1), similar procedure was followed by ingestion of a capsule containing 10mg of boron. On both occasions blood was collected every 2h for the next 6h. Subjects were requested to consume a capsule of 10mg boron every day with their breakfast, and on the day 7, the blood collection was carried out at 8.00 A.M, again. Boron in plasma increased significantly following hours and weekly consumption. Six hours supplementation showed a significant decrease on sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), high sensitive CRP (hsCRP) and TNF-α level. After one week (in samples taken at 8.00 A.M, only), the mean plasma free testosterone increased and the mean plasma estradiol decreased significantly. Dihydrotestosterone, cortisol and vitamin D was elevated. Also, concentrations of all three inflammatory biomarkers decreased after supplementation. Of note, despite decreased proinflammatory cytokines, based on recent clinical data, this must be the first human study report to show an increase level of free testosterone after boron consumption. ________________________________________________________________ Effect of dietary boron on mineral, estrogen, and testosterone metabolism in postmenopausal women. Nielsen FH, Hunt CD, Mullen LM, Hunt JR. FASEB J. 1987 Nov;1(5):394-7. A study was done to examine the effects of aluminum, magnesium, and boron on major mineral metabolism in postmenopausal women. This communication describes some of the effects of dietary boron on 12 women between the ages of 48 and 82 housed in a metabolic unit. A boron supplement of 3 mg/day markedly affected several indices of mineral metabolism of seven women consuming a low-magnesium diet and five women consuming a diet adequate in magnesium; the women had consumed a conventional diet supplying about 0.25 mg boron/day for 119 days. Boron supplementation markedly reduced the urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium; the depression seemed more marked when dietary magnesium was low. Boron supplementation depressed the urinary excretion of phosphorus by the low-magnesium, but not by the adequate-magnesium, women. Boron supplementation markedly elevated the serum concentrations of 17 beta-estradiol and testosterone; the elevation seemed more marked when dietary magnesium was low. Neither high dietary aluminum (1000 mg/day) nor an interaction between boron and aluminum affected the variables presented. The findings suggest that supplementation of a low-boron diet with an amount of boron commonly found in diets high in fruits and vegetables induces changes in postmenopausal women consistent with the prevention of calcium loss and bone demineralization. ________________________________________________________________ The effect of boron supplementation on lean body mass, plasma testosterone levels, and strength in male bodybuilders. Ferrando AA, Green NR. Int J Sport Nutr. 1993 Jun;3(2):140-9 The effect of boron supplementation was investigated in 19 male bodybuilders ages 20-27 years. Ten were given a 2.5-mg boron supplement while 9 were given a placebo every day for 7 weeks. Plasma total and free testosterone, plasma boron, lean body mass, and strength measurements were determined on Days 1 and 49 of the study. Plasma boron values were significantly (p < 0.05) different as the experimental group increased from (+/- SD) 20.1 +/- 7.7 ppb pretest to 32.6 +/- 27.6 ppb posttest, while the control group mean decreased from 15.1 +/- 14.4 ppb pretest to 6.3 +/- 5.5 ppb posttest. Analysis of variance indicated no significant effect of boron supplementation on any of the dependent variables. Both groups demonstrated significant increases in total testosterone, lean body mass, 1-RM squat, and 1-RM bench press. The findings suggest that 7 weeks of bodybuilding can increase total testosterone, lean body mass, and strength in lesser trained bodybuilders, and that boron supplementation had no effect on these measures. ________________________________________________________________ Plasma boron and the effects of boron supplementation in males. Green NR, Ferrando AA. Environ Health Perspect. 1994 Nov;102 Suppl 7(Suppl 7):73-7 Recently, a proliferation of athletic supplements has been marketed touting boron as an ergogenic aid capable of increasing testosterone. The effect of boron supplementation was investigated in male bodybuilders. Ten male bodybuilders (aged 20 to 26) were given a 2.5-mg boron supplement, while nine male bodybuilders (aged 21 to 27) were given a placebo for 7 weeks. Plasma total and free testosterone, plasma boron, lean body mass, and strength measurements were determined on day 1 and day 49 of the study. A microwave digestion procedure followed by inductively coupled argon plasma spectroscopy was used for boron determination. Twelve subjects had boron values at or above the detection limit with median value of 25 ng/ml (16 ng/ml lower quartile and 33 ng/ml upper quartile). Of the ten subjects receiving boron supplements, six had an increase in their plasma boron. Analysis of variance indicated no significant effect of boron supplementation on any of the other dependent variables. Both groups demonstrated significant increases in total testosterone (p < 0.01), lean body mass (p < 0.01), and one repetition maximum (RM) squat (p < 0.001) and one RM bench press (p < 0.01). The findings suggest that 7 weeks of bodybuilding can increase total testosterone, lean body mass, and strength in lesser-trained bodybuilders, but boron supplementation affects these variables not at all. ________________________________________________________________ The significance of dietary boron, with particular reference to athletes. Naghii MR Nutr Health. 1999;13(1):31-7 Ergogenic substances and synthetic steroids have a wide spread use, particularly among non-professional athletes. To avoid the side-effect of drug abuse, it is suggested that the key to success is a proper athletic nutrition. It is a balanced intake of nutritional wholesome foods that contain a proper blend of essential nutrients. Knowledge of human physiology and nutrition has increased greatly, and so has application of dietary alterations and supplementation with specific nutrients. Modulation of dietary composition and/or supplementation with specific nutrients with the intent of improving human physical performance is a working definition of nutritional ergogenic aids. Boron is a trace element nutrient, and recently its supplements have been shown to increase the concentration of plasma steroid hormones. In a single blind cross-over trial, it resulted in a significant increase in plasma 17-B estradiol (E2) concentration (P < 0.004) and there was a trend for plasma testosterone (T) levels to be increased. The ratio of E2/T increased significantly. However, there was no perturbation in plasma lipids. Furthermore, the effect of boron on steroidogenesis and its mechanism was also investigated in two more studies conducted on adult male rats. The elevation of endogenous steroid hormones as a result of boron supplementation suggest that boron may be used as an ergogenic safe substance for athletes which should be further investigated. ________________________________________________________________ Several effects of boron are induced by uncoupling steroid hormones from their transporters in blood. Bello M, Guadarrama-García C, Velasco-Silveyra LM, Farfán-García ED, Soriano-Ursúa MA Med Hypotheses. 2018 Sep;118:78-83 Boron is increasingly added to food supplements due to multiple effects that have been reported in mammals after boric acid administration. Among these effects are inflammatory process control, bone and muscle strength enhancement, protein expression regulation, and a decreased risk of developing some pathologies in which these processes are key, such as osteoporosis, dermatological inflammatory non-infectious maladies and diseases affecting the central nervous system. Experimental data have suggested that steroid hormone levels in plasma change after boric acid administration, but a clear mechanism behind these variations has not been established. We analyzed possibilities for these changes and hypothesized that boric acid disrupts the interactions between steroid hormones and several carriers in plasma. In particular, we proposed that there is an uncoupling of the interactions between sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) and estrogens and testosterone and that there are alterations in the binding of hydrophobic ligands by other carrier proteins in plasma. Further experimental and computational studies are required to support the hypothesis that boric acid and probably other boron-containing compounds can displace steroid hormones from their plasma carriers. If such phenomena are confirmed, boron administration with a clear mechanism could be employed as a therapeutic agent in several diseases or physiological events that require modulation of steroid hormone levels in plasma. ________________________________________________________________