SHBG & Its Valuable Importance

DeviousD

DeviousD

Well-known member
Trusted Member
The clear understanding of SHBG is not really so clear. The role of SHBG is huge when it comes to us regulating our hormones, that is exactly its function, it is the regulator. I don't think most people even consider their SHBG or they have some bro knowledge that they need to lower it because SHBG is bad. Lowering ones SHBG can actually be terrible if you crush it as I have actually just done so to myself.
This video tells exactly why you shouldn't try to crush it and actually simply explains the vital role that SHBG plays in regulating our sophisticated balance of hormones.
Please watch the whole video and you will learn what these guys are saying,there is good stuff throughout the whole video.
 
Its a great video, and too be honest i dont think iv got everyrhing eles dialed in lol to start trying to figure this stuff out lol but im definitely gonna add this to my blood work.
Personally for me im more concerned with cortisol levels then i think i am shbg at current time but its definitely interesting and important
 
Harley00 said:
Its a great video, and too be honest i dont think iv got everyrhing eles dialed in lol to start trying to figure this stuff out lol but im definitely gonna add this to my blood work.
Personally for me im more concerned with cortisol levels then i think i am shbg at current time but its definitely interesting and important
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You bet it is! Its clear that a lot of people do not understand its value as it is almost never discussed here & there isn't immense amounts of research done on it. This is a recent video and they provide very helpful insight.
 
Yeah I'm trying to figure this whole SHBG thing out given that fact mine has dropped 20pts over the course of a year from just cruise dose test.

r/testosterone & r/steroids has regular discussions on it. They're mostly of the opinion that (really)low SHBG is not necessarily a good thing and guys with low SHBG should pin more frequently but then here it's different...

So conflicting....

But that's the AAS world. Lol.
 
ABMonkey said:
Yeah I'm trying to figure this whole SHBG thing out given that fact mine has dropped 20pts over the course of a year from just cruise dose test.

r/testosterone & r/steroids has regular discussions on it. They're mostly of the opinion that (really)low SHBG is not necessarily a good thing and guys with low SHBG should pin more frequently but then here it's different...

So conflicting....

But that's the AAS world. Lol.
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Thats right, it is conflicting. I think its conflicting because I really think its function is not fully understood. Nobody talks to much about SHBG except for all the bro science that we have to lower it so we can get more free test.....That is true but only to a certain extent.
You can have all the free t in the world but without SHBG its not going to do you much good.
Hell I wasn't too interested in SHBG until I suppressed mine so much that I crushed it, thats when I learned what actually happens. The video I posted on the first comment of this thread is excellent at explaining the function and why we do not want to crush it. Dr. Crisler had the exact same beliefs.
 
For the SHBG there has to be a reason for it otherwise why would the body waste time producing testosterone and these binding proteins that seemingly have a contradictory purpose? Everything in nature is based on a reason of some kind. It must be a scheme of conservation or regulation. Similar to the HPTA why have a feedback control if you can just produce it and dump it into the blood on a constant basis wouldn't that be easier if T is just T? Well haha actually that's the advantage of TRT/gear for performance enhancement so you get it all the time... but in terms of natural levels in the wilderness and conserving energy given certain circumstances, increasing free testosterone for mating/fighting maybe?), there must be a reason that evolved.

Could the SHBG modulation be a way of the body changing the "ester" of your T? The bound T is the slower releasing "longer ester" stuff because it has to be separated from the carrier. But when SHBG goes down, more free T it's like a shot of prop compared to decanoate or something?
 
I personally always like gear that upped my SHBG. I always had the best sex drive, and would feel like a million bucks.

In all the books I read it, it would increase free unbound testosterone.

I would need to read the anabolic reference 10th edition.
 
I remember when I was reading about sex hormones and body composition

higher SHBG was correlated with lower bf, lower bmi, more lean muscle mass. Although it’s just a correlation, I was assuming it was related
 
Rocky said:
I remember when I was reading about sex hormones and body composition

higher SHBG was correlated with lower bf, lower bmi, more lean muscle mass. Although it’s just a correlation, I was assuming it was related
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for sure...chronic low SHBG is considered a marker of metabolic syndrome and elevated insulin, pre/diabetes, which goes hand in hand with being too fat
 
Baggalo said:
For the SHBG there has to be a reason for it otherwise why would the body waste time producing testosterone and these binding proteins that seemingly have a contradictory purpose? Everything in nature is based on a reason of some kind. It must be a scheme of conservation or regulation. Similar to the HPTA why have a feedback control if you can just produce it and dump it into the blood on a constant basis wouldn't that be easier if T is just T? Well haha actually that's the advantage of TRT/gear for performance enhancement so you get it all the time... but in terms of natural levels in the wilderness and conserving energy given certain circumstances, increasing free testosterone for mating/fighting maybe?), there must be a reason that evolved.

Could the SHBG modulation be a way of the body changing the "ester" of your T? The bound T is the slower releasing "longer ester" stuff because it has to be separated from the carrier. But when SHBG goes down, more free T it's like a shot of prop compared to decanoate or something?
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Thats the thing, it isn't even completely understood on what the complete function is. It isn't really something that is talked about alot because of the unproven facts is my guess.
I understand what you're saying about "its like changing the ester" cause thats what it seems like but I think what its doing is more like changing the absorption half life....It cannot physically change the ester but it damn sure can change the rate of absorption.
I'm not a fat cunt nor do I have any issues with my blood glucose but I did have lower but in range SHBG but I unintentionally crushed my SHBG by taking a lowish dose of Primo for just over 8 months and also controlling my E2 with a little Aromasin. Crushed and out of range SHBG made my body excrete the Test Prop that I was taking along with my Primo into my urine, I am 100% convinced about that with bloodwork to show for it. There was no SHBG to be the regulator.....I would have never known this or ever even cared to research it had it not happened to me personally.
I have since dropped the primo and stopped taking the aromasin as my test dose is down to 125mg/wk of test e split into EOD shots. I do not have bloodwork done yet again but will shortly after following this dosing schedule for a few more weeks. I will update this thread and post my results once I get them.
It is known that guys with lower SHBG do better with smaller but more frequent shots and the guys with the higher SHBG do just as well with the whole dose done in one shot for the week. To me that evidence also supports my theory that Testosterone that has been bound by SHBG can still be used by the body if it is needed.
 
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Rocky said:
I remember when I was reading about sex hormones and body composition

higher SHBG was correlated with lower bf, lower bmi, more lean muscle mass. Although it’s just a correlation, I was assuming it was related
Click to expand...
Baggalo said:
for sure...chronic low SHBG is considered a marker of metabolic syndrome and elevated insulin, pre/diabetes, which goes hand in hand with being too fat
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These two points are well documented in almost all research that I have came across. SHBG levels can also be genetically predetermined as well.
 
DeviousD said:
I did have lower but in range SHBG but I unintentionally crushed my SHBG by taking a lowish dose of Primo for just over 8 months and also controlling my E2 with a little Aromasin.
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Hmm. I'm also low normal SHBG (24.5) and was planning a TRT plus 4-6 months primo run. Your experience gives me pause however. What was your e2 like on the blood work where your SHBG was crushed? I was just reading a women's study suggesting that estradiol supplementation increases SHBG. So perhaps e2 and SHBG levels are correlated. looking back over 3 years of labs, my SHBG does seems to rise and fall along with my e2.

Apparently resveratrol has some ability to increase SHBG expression.
 
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Nixter said:
Hmm. I'm also low normal SHBG (24.5) and was planning a TRT plus 4-6 months primo run. Your experience gives me pause however. What was your e2 like on the blood work where your SHBG was crushed? I was just reading a women's study suggesting that estradiol supplementation increases SHBG. So perhaps e2 and SHBG levels are correlated. looking back over 3 years of labs, my SHBG does seems to rise and fall along with my e2.

Apparently resveratrol has some ability to increase SHBG expression.
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I am dealing with a similar issue, but my experience is a bit different. My e2 rises when shbg drops, inverse correlation. The video makes note of this. I believe my shbg had been elevated, but I have no labs. I recently was taking proviron, and have never had an issue with it in the past, but after taking it for a few weeks my aromasin dosage climbed from 12.5/wk to 12.5/day, and I still had gyno flare up. A buddy of mine years ago warned me of lowering shbg results in more free test, which is available for aromatization, but I never thought the results would be so dramatic. I do admit that I frequently over-do it with the ai, which is the main reason I'm cutting back my trt dose. With this latest bit of mess I'm going to skip a week or two of injections, let things settle, drop the ai for a bit as well, then resume at 120/wk. For the longest time I was at 130/wk and at the most used 6.25 in a wk.

Based on the first video, I think taking a break will allow my shbg to normalize more quickly. I've always had a normal value of shbg, have had it tested several times.

To add to the video, dht isn't prostate friendly. I am a huge fan of proviron, I feel great on it, but I will resign to using it on a per use basis, that is, take a tab the day or night before some action.

Not working out, only sleeping 5 hours some nights, and added stress is certainly throwing plenty out of whack.
 
@DeviousD

I wanted to say thanks to you for this post and thread. You are absolutely correct, SHBG doesn't get enough attn and is misunderstood. I personally don't talk much about it because I've never known enough about it to speak confidently. As has been addressed it really seemed like there was not enough good info in the scientific community for must to really understand it well, sounds like that situation is improving which should benefit us all. The first few minutes of the vid in the OP are especially eye opening and reveal some great new info. New to me at least :) Great Post!
 
gondar1 said:
@DeviousD

I wanted to say thanks to you for this post and thread. You are absolutely correct, SHBG doesn't get enough attn and is misunderstood. I personally don't talk much about it because I've never known enough about it to speak confidently. As has been addressed it really seemed like there was not enough good info in the scientific community for must to really understand it well, sounds like that situation is improving which should benefit us all. The first few minutes of the vid in the OP are especially eye opening and reveal some great new info. New to me at least :) Great Post!
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Absolutely!! Thank you very much for saying that because coming from you that means a ton! I respect you and your knowledge just like everyone else on this board does as well or if they don't they're fucked lol. I have leaned a considerable amount of knowledge from you & your posts.

I totally understand what you're saying as I never want to say too much if I am not confident I know what the hell i'm talking about, I would rather not say anything at all.

I never really worried about of even really considered my SHBG before because it isn't discussed very much at all, there is just a lot of bro science that we want to lower it for more free test, thats all anyone really says about it. I have always been in range and on the lower end so I never really worried about it all or even cared really. It took me a bit of time to actually figure out that was my SHBG that was messing with me. I was doing 100mg of prop EOD but was feeling really low and no energy EOD so that was pretty strange so then my bloodwork comes back at 235 ng/dl right before shot when it should have still been around 865 ng/dl as shown by some simple modeling....kinda had me thinking the testosterone was bunk but I thought no way, can't be. Then i looked at the bloodwork again and saw the SHBG was low and outta range too so then I started researching that which lead me to all this and now it makes a lot more sense to me too. Thankfully I didn't contact the lab and accuse them of shitty test as they're a very well known & one of the top labs around.

Yes, lets also hope that there is some more research and developments from the medical field in the complete understanding of SHBG!
 
Nixter said:
Hmm. I'm also low normal SHBG (24.5) and was planning a TRT plus 4-6 months primo run. Your experience gives me pause however. What was your e2 like on the blood work where your SHBG was crushed? I was just reading a women's study suggesting that estradiol supplementation increases SHBG. So perhaps e2 and SHBG levels are correlated. looking back over 3 years of labs, my SHBG does seems to rise and fall along with my e2.

Apparently resveratrol has some ability to increase SHBG expression.
Click to expand...
It was pretty low too actually but I was taking aromasin to keep it low. It was at 21 ng/ml.
I have dropped down to my trt dose (using 125mg test E/week split at EOD shots) and I felt better within just a couple days. I am not controlling E2 so I am assuming that both my SHBG & my E2 are both higher now. Doing bloods again within the next two weeks. Checking again with Letsgetchecked and then bloodwork through my doc right after. I always check my bloods independently prior to my yearly checkup & physical from my doctor just to make sure there isn't going to be any unwanted surprises.
 
Just a thought @DeviousD, is there any way that your low test could have been due to the nature of prop ester? I'm sure you did the math but maybe something happened that affected the metabolization?
 
Also this. Vitamin D might lower SHBG

www.medscape.com

Vitamin D Supplements May Raise Sex Hormone Levels in Men

A small study suggests that vitamin D supplementation in men with normal testosterone levels is followed by increases in estradiol and reductions in sex-steroid-hormone-binding globulin.
www.medscape.com

And resveratrol may raise it

Resveratrol Increases Hepatic SHBG Expression Through Human Constitutive Androstane Receptor: A New Contribution to the French Paradox - PubMed

Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) carries sex steroids in blood regulating their bioavailability. Red wine consumption increases plasma SHBG levels, and we have discovered that resveratrol, a polyphenol enriched in red wine, acts specifically through the human constitutive androstane receptor...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
.
 
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