Cholesterol, Gear and Longterm Effects... BAD!

**johnsomebody** · 09-25-2004, 12:28 PM

Hey bros,

I've been researching cholesterol and gear and it's potential longterm effects and wanted to post up a couple things. For starters, here's Superchicken, quoted by Basck8case at http://67.18.108.244//showthread.php...ht=cholesterol

."..steroids do mess our cholesterol up pretty badly, and we will pay for it later in life."

What Superchicken is talking about is that gear use lowers HDL, raises LDL and raises cholesterol overall. In other words, it raises the stuff that clogs your arteries and lowers the stuff that clears it. How much? It's not unusual to go from a normal HDL count of 50 to 10 during a cycle. According to Dr Meir Stampfer of Harvard Medical School in an article I've got here, each 1-point drop in HDL represents a 6% increase in the risk of heart disease. That's assuming total cholesterol remains the same, while in fact it rises on gear so the risk is much greater. Based on that, you can count on a minimum 240% increase in likelihood of developing heart disease while on gear.

What does that mean longterm? I have read posts (based on nothing) saying that it's not a worry since levels will return to normal after a cycle. But it's my understanding that artherosclerosis develops over time as plaque slowly builds in arteries, and a person who checks out fine one month can have a heart attack from 90% blockage a few months later (I know a couple people that's happened to personally.)

Now, maybe I'm wrong, but I gotta assume that everyone who uses gear doesn't really want to be a wornout sclerotic wreck by fifty. But maybe it doesn't matter to a lot of people.

Just don't say you were never warned. I've reached the conclusion this is the most dangerous aspect of gear use longterm and I just want people to be aware that they need to PAY ATTENTION to what's happening to their HDL/LDL and total cholesterol levels and understand the longterm risks

There are things you CAN do to lower your risk. The biggest is to eliminate sat fats and cholesterol from your diet as much as possible while on gear. Basck8case has a good thread at http://67.18.108.244//showthread.php...ht=cholesterol on the subject, among others.

.

**builtthekid** · 09-25-2004, 02:28 PM

good post man.

**Blown_SC** · 09-25-2004, 02:30 PM

BASK8KACE hates it when people misspell his name

haha.. good read...

**GrimmReaper** · 09-25-2004, 02:31 PM

bump

**Mighty Joe** · 09-25-2004, 03:15 PM

Can you say Lipitor........

MJ

**johnsomebody** · 09-25-2004, 03:40 PM

Oops, my apologies to Bask8kase for spelling his name wrong.

I'm glad for the bumps, bros, and here's a suggestion: you can get these little Cholesterol/HDL/LDL kits at drugstores and online for like $25 so you can test yourself any time. You have to go 12 hours without eating, including overnight, so if you can manage to go from like 9pm to 9am without eating (which I KNOW is hard on gear), you do the fingerprick thing, put a few drops of blood down, let it dry, mail it in, and you get a complete report back, including trigycerides.

Honest to God, anybody who does gear really ought to get a handle on this HDL/LDL thing cuz longterm at least it could save your life -at least from all I've read. (And don't forget blood pressure too!)

**BASK8KACE** · 11-06-2004, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by Blown_SC

BASK8KACE hates it when people misspell his name

haha.. good read...

LOL Thanks for the catch, Blown. I know this is an old thread, but I was pouring through a bunch of them and was finding that people keep telling people to search for my threads, but they keep spelling my name wrong (they won't find my threads with the wrong spelling)! Of course, the next thread I come across is this one....

Originally Posted by johnsomebody

Oops, my apologies to Bask8kase for spelling his name wrong.

...And my good friend Johnsomebody, still didn't get it right the second time!!!

BASK8KACE <----correct spelling

Anyway....Regarding this thread. I'm bumping it because this is an important issue. Although Lipitor and other drugs can be used, they require a prescription, and throwing drugs at every problem to try to solve them is not a habbit that I suggest anyone should foster. It's better to regulate and control your cholesterol without drugs. Be aware of all aspects of cycling (good and bad), control the bad effects and you'll be better off in the long run.

**ace ventura** · 01-28-2005, 06:24 PM

bumb ... hmm ..

**prolangtum** · 01-28-2005, 06:55 PM

My cholesterol profile has improved since I started using Sesathin, which is sort of a super fish oil. Its a good antioxidant, and does wonders for cardiovascular health, as well as allows me more leeway (sp?) when I overeat on carbs.

**johnsomebody** · 01-28-2005, 11:22 PM

Wallgreen's has a product out now called Advocate that contains policosanol (among other stuff like nonflush niacin) that has been proven effective in lowering cholesterol and, if I remember right, improving HDL/LDL. I'm on it right now since I'm doing a cycle.

Weird thing is I can't even get my cholesterol level to register on the little finger-prick test kits they include -it comes up as 100 total cholesterol.

**Ntpadude** · 01-29-2005, 12:25 AM

I see you are worried about plaque build up in veins... this is what makes Nolva so idealy suited for steroid users. Nolva has been shown in higher doses (40 mg or about double the normal dose), even in high steroid cycles with high cholesterol, can quadruple HDL levels, lower cholesterol and also de-plaques the veins. There are also good benefits at the normal 20 mg levels that body builders take now but there appears to be evidence that the double dose can normalize lipids even on the guys taking 1 gram of testosterone a week. As compared to nolva's extremely helpful cholesterol benefits, Aromatase inhibitors such as arimidex /ldex, femera and others are the opposite and all make HDL values even worst then base line and also accellerates plaquing of the main arteries.