Posted on 05/11/2025 8:43:49 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
Approximately 25% of women in the United States between ages 45 and 60 are at high risk for breast cancer and should consider preventive medication, such as the commonly prescribed drug tamoxifen.
Unfortunately, tamoxifen can cause side effects, including an increased risk for type 2 diabetes in women with excess body weight.
In a study, researchers investigated the combined effects of bazedoxifene and conjugated estrogens in rat models as an alternative to tamoxifen.
The BZA/CE combination reduced obesity-related changes in rats, including the number and size of fat cells in breast tissues, and increased the abundance of beneficial gut microbes.
"Women who are at high risk for breast cancer are usually prescribed tamoxifen," said Erin Giles.
As an alternative, researchers turned to BZA/CE, which has been shown to influence estrogen behavior.
The team studied the impact of BZA/CE on body weight and fat distribution in lean and obese rats over an eight-week period. The treatment reduced both body weight and fat in all treated rats, with more pronounced effects in obese rats. These animals weighed 19% less than the controls and had reduced body fat, including reduced fat accumulation in their breast tissue.
"The levels of triglycerides and cholesterol were also lower, and the treated rats had lower insulin resistance," Giles said.
The researchers also measured the changes in gut microbe compositions and found that BZA/CE-treated rats had increased levels of Faecalbaculum, which may have helped improve the metabolism in these animals.
In addition, they identified several genes that were different in both lean and obese rats that had been given BZA/CE.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
I estrogen, you estrogen, he/she/it estrogens
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