In Addition to Milk Thistle Every Cycle Should Have............

[Lozgod]

I know a thread about AAS's and pubic hair gets more attention than health related issues, but I want most of you guys to stay healthy so I dug this up. Feel free to add anything.

Everyone is aware i am sure of the negative effects AAS's have on HDL/LDL which is what leads to heart disease. How do you lower that risk????????

I say every cycle should have Niacin in the cycle. Enjoy my copy and pasted research read.

by Ward Dean, MD
I have always considered nicotinic acid (niacin, vitamin B3) to be the premier lipid-lowering substance of choice. Niacin cheaply and effectively reduces cardiovascular risk and optimizes the blood lipid profile for most people. Niacin reduces total cholesterol, increases HDL-C ("good cholesterol"), and lowers LDL-C ("bad cholesterol") and triglycerides. As an added bonus, niacin also is a powerful growth hormone secretagog, and to top it off, is very inexpensive.

The only potential downsides to niacin use in most people is the distinctive (and unpleasant, to some people) "niacin flush", a transient redness of the skin (due to a harmless dilation of capillaries in the skin), and itching. Fortunately, this effect resolves after several days or weeks in most people with careful dosage titration and continued use. In addition, niacin has been implicated in occasional mild to severe elevations of liver enzymes and even hepatotoxicity (especially involving the timed-release variety).

There has also been a generally accepted belief that niacin should be avoided by diabetics, due to a purported tendency to cause elevations of blood sugar, thereby worsening glucose tolerance and actually exacerbating the abnormal lipid profile, for which it was ostensibly being taken to correct.

Recently, the results of a fairly large study appear to indicate that this bit of conventional wisdom, which I have observed myself, in a number of patients, causing me to discourage diabetics from taking niacin, may not be universal, and may in fact, be wrong (Elam, et al, 2000). In this 5-month study, the effects of niacin on lipid and glucose levels were observed on 468 hyperlipidemic patients (125 of whom suffered from Type II or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM]).

All subjects in the study participated in an "active niacin run-in period." During this period, niacin was administered in progressively increasing doses of 50, 250 and 500 mg twice daily, at 4 week intervals. Upon completion of the "run-in period," niacin was increased to 750 mg twice daily, and subsequently increased to 1,000 mg and then 1,500 mg twice daily, or until maximum tolerated dose was reached for the remainder of the 48 week treatment period. The researchers also ingeniously provided placebos, only 15% of which contained 50 mg of niacin. This was designed to cause intermittent flushing to minimize the likelihood of inadvertent "unblinding" of the study.

Both diabetic and non-diabetic participants experienced a progressive decrease in both total and LDL-Cholesterol as niacin dosage was increased to 3,000 mg/day (Fig. 1). HDL-C levels continued to increase, and triglycerides decreased further in participants both with and without diabetes. The researchers found, surprisingly, that niacin therapy was effective in modifying lipoproteins in participants both with and without diabetes.

[bigmack62]

Good Post.

[thejuiceisloose]

I know a thread about AAS's and pubic hair gets more attention than health related issues, but I want most of you guys to stay healthy so I dug this up. Feel free to add anything.

Everyone is aware i am sure of the negative effects AAS's have on HDL/LDL which is what leads to heart disease. How do you lower that risk????????

I say every cycle should have Niacin in the cycle. Enjoy my copy and pasted research read.

by Ward Dean, MD
I have always considered nicotinic acid (niacin, vitamin B3) to be the premier lipid-lowering substance of choice. Niacin cheaply and effectively reduces cardiovascular risk and optimizes the blood lipid profile for most people. Niacin reduces total cholesterol, increases HDL-C ("good cholesterol"), and lowers LDL-C ("bad cholesterol") and triglycerides. As an added bonus, niacin also is a powerful growth hormone secretagog, and to top it off, is very inexpensive.

The only potential downsides to niacin use in most people is the distinctive (and unpleasant, to some people) "niacin flush", a transient redness of the skin (due to a harmless dilation of capillaries in the skin), and itching. Fortunately, this effect resolves after several days or weeks in most people with careful dosage titration and continued use. In addition, niacin has been implicated in occasional mild to severe elevations of liver enzymes and even hepatotoxicity (especially involving the timed-release variety).

There has also been a generally accepted belief that niacin should be avoided by diabetics, due to a purported tendency to cause elevations of blood sugar, thereby worsening glucose tolerance and actually exacerbating the abnormal lipid profile, for which it was ostensibly being taken to correct.

Recently, the results of a fairly large study appear to indicate that this bit of conventional wisdom, which I have observed myself, in a number of patients, causing me to discourage diabetics from taking niacin, may not be universal, and may in fact, be wrong (Elam, et al, 2000). In this 5-month study, the effects of niacin on lipid and glucose levels were observed on 468 hyperlipidemic patients (125 of whom suffered from Type II or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM]).

All subjects in the study participated in an "active niacin run-in period." During this period, niacin was administered in progressively increasing doses of 50, 250 and 500 mg twice daily, at 4 week intervals. Upon completion of the "run-in period," niacin was increased to 750 mg twice daily, and subsequently increased to 1,000 mg and then 1,500 mg twice daily, or until maximum tolerated dose was reached for the remainder of the 48 week treatment period. The researchers also ingeniously provided placebos, only 15% of which contained 50 mg of niacin. This was designed to cause intermittent flushing to minimize the likelihood of inadvertent "unblinding" of the study.

Both diabetic and non-diabetic participants experienced a progressive decrease in both total and LDL-Cholesterol as niacin dosage was increased to 3,000 mg/day (Fig. 1). HDL-C levels continued to increase, and triglycerides decreased further in participants both with and without diabetes. The researchers found, surprisingly, that niacin therapy was effective in modifying lipoproteins in participants both with and without diabetes.

Nice! you'll be amazed how many people neglect Niacin in their diet. Excellent post

[SportsMedVIP]

Quality post Lozzie.

[Lozgod]

Quality post Lozzie.

lol you must of been in the lounge.

[Tryin2getHUGE]

Interesting read Loz

[SportsMedVIP]

lol you must of been in the lounge.

Nope, that place is the devil. I said that on another thread a week ago. Maybe that sparked the lounge conversation you're refering to. Either way I think it's sticking.

[Lozgod]

Nope, that place is the devil. I said that on another thread a week ago. Maybe that sparked the lounge conversation you're refering to. Either way I think it's sticking.

No I was refering to the thread How Did you get your AR name. I told the story of Lozgod.

[SportsMedVIP]

No I was refering to the thread How Did you get your AR name. I told the story of Lozgod.

Ahhhh ... interesting, because I've wondered that before. Got the link?

[bjayg]

good read loz.

[Lozgod]

Ahhhh ... interesting, because I've wondered that before. Got the link?

How did you come up with your Username???

[usualsuspect]

A good article although I'd take r-ala any day of the week over milk thistle. R-ala is not only a better liver protectant, it also helps control insulin spikes.

[SV-1]

A good article although I'd take r-ala any day of the week over milk thistle. R-ala is not only a better liver protectant, it also helps control insulin spikes.

R-ALA + Tyler's for me.

[Lozgod]

A good article although I'd take r-ala any day of the week over milk thistle. R-ala is not only a better liver protectant, it also helps control insulin spikes.

I agree with saying r-ala is better for the body overall, but for the liver thats a big no way. Milk Thistle helps generate new liver cells. That is the only natural supplement that can make that claim. If I only had to take one of the two it would be r-ala, not because it is superior in liver protection because it isn't, but because it is better in general for the body.

Milk Thistle— The Liver Herb


The liver is the body's great detoxifier. All foods, liquids and oral drugs pass through the liver as they travel from the intestines to the bloodstream. Blood passes through the liver at a rate of about 3 pints per minute; at any instant, the liver contains about 10 percent of all the blood in the body.

Milk thistle is one of the most ancient herbal medicines known, and its main action is on the liver. As early as the 12th century, milk thistle was being used to treat liver disease. Modern experiments have shown that silymarin, a combination of milk thistle's active ingredients, can protect the body against many synthetic chemicals such as carbon tetrachloride, as well as against natural toxins, such as those from the deadly Amanita mushroom.

Milk thistle heals the liver in three ways. First, it stabilizes and strengthens the membranes of liver cells, preventing the entry of damaging toxins. Second, milk thistle is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals. It is many times more powerful than vitamin E in this respect. Third, milk thistle speeds the regeneration of damaged liver tissue by initiating cellular protein synthesis.

Placebo-controlled experiments have shown that milk thistle is useful in the treatment of alcohol and drug-induced liver disease. In one study, six months of treatment with silymarin significantly improved liver function in 36 patients with alcohol-induced liver disease. Some experts claim that milk thistle can completely regenerate a diseased liver. Based on information in: Better Nutrition, Feb 1996