Peat has written on the benefits of progesterone in viral conditions and how precursors such as pregnenolone or even cholesterol have similarly protective effects. I posted a study almost 2 years ago showing that high levels of cholesterol blocked viral infection and replication, and that people with high cholesterol are a lot more resilient to the "flu".
Higher levels of cholesterol in cells block viral infection
Now this study goes a step further and point the finger at progesterone as the protective factor and also identifies a mechanism of action behind progesterone's beneficial effects. More importantly, the study found that progesterone specifically protected from the lethality of the viral infection and the damage of a severe but sub-lethal infection. The HED was about 2mg/kg progesterone daily and the study exposed the mice to progesterone for 21 days before infection. I don't know if acute administration of progesterone would have the same effects.
Progesterone-Based Therapy Protects Against Influenza by Promoting Lung Repair and Recovery in Females
Female Sex Hormone May Protect Women From Worst Effects of the Flu
Two surprising health benefits of the pill, unrelated to birth control, discovered
"...Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, reporting their findings in the journal PLOS Pathogens, suggest that sex hormones have an effect far beyond the reproductive system and that progesterone may one day be a viable flu treatment for women. In the study, some female mice received progesterone implants while others didn’t. The mice were then infected with influenza A virus. Both sets of mice became ill, but those which had the implants had less pulmonary inflammation, better lung function and saw the damage to their lung cells repaired more quickly. Progesterone was found to be protective against the more serious effects of the flu by increasing the production of a protein called amphiregulin by the cells lining the lungs. When the researchers bred mice that were depleted of amphiregulin, the protective effects of progesterone disappeared as well."
Higher levels of cholesterol in cells block viral infection
Now this study goes a step further and point the finger at progesterone as the protective factor and also identifies a mechanism of action behind progesterone's beneficial effects. More importantly, the study found that progesterone specifically protected from the lethality of the viral infection and the damage of a severe but sub-lethal infection. The HED was about 2mg/kg progesterone daily and the study exposed the mice to progesterone for 21 days before infection. I don't know if acute administration of progesterone would have the same effects.
Progesterone-Based Therapy Protects Against Influenza by Promoting Lung Repair and Recovery in Females
Female Sex Hormone May Protect Women From Worst Effects of the Flu
Two surprising health benefits of the pill, unrelated to birth control, discovered
"...Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, reporting their findings in the journal PLOS Pathogens, suggest that sex hormones have an effect far beyond the reproductive system and that progesterone may one day be a viable flu treatment for women. In the study, some female mice received progesterone implants while others didn’t. The mice were then infected with influenza A virus. Both sets of mice became ill, but those which had the implants had less pulmonary inflammation, better lung function and saw the damage to their lung cells repaired more quickly. Progesterone was found to be protective against the more serious effects of the flu by increasing the production of a protein called amphiregulin by the cells lining the lungs. When the researchers bred mice that were depleted of amphiregulin, the protective effects of progesterone disappeared as well."
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