I know ths flies in the face of brotelligence, but estrogen has been shown to decrease adiposity. Most steroids seem to have som antiglucocorticoid effect but there seems to be some difference in how some steroids accomplish this antiglucocorticoid effect. Obviously some reduce cortisol production through inhibition of 11-beta hydroxylase, others act as glucocorticoid receptor antagonists while some is through androgenic competition for HRE sites on DNA. All of these mechanisms are not equivalent in there effects.
Another mechanism for anavar's fat burning is the reduction in TBG and increase in TBPA. Several steroids have this effect and it results in greater T3 uptake. Some other AAS do this as well but the low water retention and antiglucocorticoid effect of anavar make the fat loss more readily apparent. For example, oxymetholone has pretty strong effects on TBG and it also causes decreases in adiposity:
1: Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Jan;284(1):E120-8. Epub 2002 Sep 24. Links
Effects of an oral androgen on muscle and metabolism in older, community-dwelling men.Schroeder ET, Singh A, Bhasin S, Storer TW, Azen C, Davidson T, Martinez C, Sinha-Hikim I, Jaque SV, Terk M, Sattler FR.
Department of Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033, USA.
To determine whether oxymetholone increases lean body mass (LBM) and skeletal muscle strength in older persons, 31 men 65-80 yr of age were randomized to placebo (group 1) or 50 mg (group 2) or 100 mg (group 3) daily for 12 wk. For the three groups, total LBM increased by 0.0 +/- 0.6, 3.3 +/- 1.2 (P < 0.001), and 4.2 +/- 2.4 kg (P < 0.001), respectively. Trunk fat decreased by 0.2 +/- 0.4, 1.7 +/- 1.0 (P = 0.018), and 2.2 +/- 0.9 kg (P = 0.005) in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Relative increases in 1-repetition maximum (1-RM) strength for biaxial chest press of 8.2 +/- 9.2 and 13.9 +/- 8.1% in the two active treatment groups were significantly different from the change (-0.8 +/- 4.3%) for the placebo group (P < 0.03). For lat pull-down, 1-RM changed by -0.6 +/- 8.3, 8.8 +/- 15.1, and 18.4 +/- 21.0% for the groups, respectively (1-way ANOVA, P = 0.019). The pattern of changes among the groups for LBM and upper-body strength suggested that changes might be related to dose. Alanine aminotransferase increased by 72 +/- 67 U/l in group 3 (P < 0.001), and HDL-cholesterol decreased by -19 +/- 9 and -23 +/- 18 mg/dl in groups 2 and 3, respectively (P = 0.04 and P = 0.008). Thus oxymetholone improved LBM and maximal voluntary muscle strength and decreased fat mass in older men.