Cholesterol and anabolics

Printable View

08-09-2023, 07:05 PM
LtStarbuck

Cholesterol and anabolics

Hi all!

Anabolics uniformly affect cholesterol levels negatively, increasing LDL and lowering HDL.

I have high cholesterol due to genetics. EVERYONE in my family has high cholesterol, many on statins, and the ones that are not still have high cholesterol but are able to maintain a decent HDL to LDL ratio through exercise.

My question is, due to this, should I not even consider anabolic use ever?

Some places say things like “maintain a high intake of omega 3 fatty acids” and such, but most studies actually show this has no effect on cholesterol, it just lowers triglyceride levels.

Should I consider a statin? Just maintain a low cholesterol diet (tough as eggs are such a good protein breakfast! Haha) Or just avoid anabolics altogether?
08-09-2023, 07:32 PM
Cylon357

Quote:

Originally Posted by LtStarbuck

Hi all!

Anabolics uniformly affect cholesterol levels negatively, increasing LDL and lowering HDL.

I have high cholesterol due to genetics. EVERYONE in my family has high cholesterol, many on statins, and the ones that are not still have high cholesterol but are able to maintain a decent HDL to LDL ratio through exercise.

My question is, due to this, should I not even consider anabolic use ever?

Some places say things like “maintain a high intake of omega 3 fatty acids” and such, but most studies actually show this has no effect on cholesterol, it just lowers triglyceride levels.

Should I consider a statin? Just maintain a low cholesterol diet (tough as eggs are such a good protein breakfast! Haha) Or just avoid anabolics altogether?

This is not completely true. Yes, some (maybe most) AAS can have a negative effect on cholesterol numbers. Yes, some AAS are way worse than others.

BUT

Moderation and / or duration are key.

TRT level doses of test can actually improve cholesterol numbers, if not directly, then at least indirectly by encouraging exercise. We can run those for life without problems.

Blasting tren / mast / superdrol etc is going to screw your numbers up royally. You run those for a few months (or even weeks in the case of superdrol) and not only will your numbers look like garbage, but you will feel like garbage as well.

So yeah, a little truth, a little not in your statement. That's OK, popular opinion does tend to run that way, it simply is not the case.

And of course, some of us do get dealt crappy cholesterol genetics. Mine are pretty good, but yeah some drugs can mess with my ldl / hdl (looking at you, masteron, damn your glorious self). But, crappy genetics... or maybe bad diet choices? Maybe a bit of both. If you have bad genetics, tighten up the diet.

And I would not preemptively start a statin, but that is a discussion for your doc.

All that said, you won't know where YOU stand until you pull blood work and take a look. You may be fine to start a regimen.

Are you thinking about cycling or TRT?
08-09-2023, 07:47 PM
LtStarbuck

I was hoping to do some lighter cycles (beginner amounts, don’t ever really intend to go to higher), but maybe I’ll just consider TRT.

To give you a sense of my lipids after diet work and exercising regularly for a year I still have high LDL (140) but I’ve managed to get HDL up to 65. It’s still high overall but a pretty good ratio.

Doc thinks that given family history without statins I could make some slight improvements but it’s likely I’m about where I’m going to plateau without no cholesterol at all diet or something severe that tbh I likely could not sustain.
08-09-2023, 07:55 PM
Test Monsterone

First of all, why do you want to start and what is your age and experience with lifting? Hopping on gear is a huge undertaking with a lot of things to consider, cholesterol being one of them. If you haven't lifted for at least 5 years, consistently, and reached your natty potential, then I would say to give it some more time... Some people hop on gear but they weren't meant for the long haul and end up just screwing themselves up. You have to be honest with yourself and ask yourself if this would be worth it, potentially lowering your lifespan and causing other issues. It can become a rabbit hole of taking this to combat that, to combat this, and so forth. For example just running some gear: oh now I need statins, now I need to modify my diet, now I need blood pressure meds, now I need anti-estrogens, now I need HCG so I preserve fertility and my balls don't shrink, now I need finasteride so my hair doesn't fall out... it can get complicated.
08-09-2023, 08:34 PM
LtStarbuck

I’m 33. I’ve been lifting for 4 years regularly again and been lifting since my 20s. The 1 year comment above was related to regular cardio and diet specifically for cholesterol management.

Not looking to jump on gear right away! Joined this forum to learn more and consider. I’d probably still lift another year before considering it.

Heard on the complications. My family has some MPB. I’ve been lucky so far with just some temple recession (NW 1.5-2) that could just be a stable mature hairline but we’ll see! One more thing to consider haha.
08-09-2023, 08:41 PM
Cylon357

Quote:

Originally Posted by LtStarbuck

I was hoping to do some lighter cycles (beginner amounts, don’t ever really intend to go to higher), but maybe I’ll just consider TRT.

To give you a sense of my lipids after diet work and exercising regularly for a year I still have high LDL (140) but I’ve managed to get HDL up to 65. It’s still high overall but a pretty good ratio.

Doc thinks that given family history without statins I could make some slight improvements but it’s likely I’m about where I’m going to plateau without no cholesterol at all diet or something severe that tbh I likely could not sustain.

If you have recent blood work, post up a screen shot. Edit out your name and what not of course. There are a lot of members more experienced with cholesterol issues than me, and the more info they have, the better responses you will get.

If you don't have recent bloods, pull a lipid panel (at least) through ultalabtests or privatemdlabs or similar. That way you know exactly where you are when you start your journey.
08-09-2023, 09:01 PM
LtStarbuck

Wow was excited to be able to get blood tests whenever I wanted (those sites are great!) but apparently they don’t serve NY NJ RI due to state laws. Such BS.
08-10-2023, 12:24 AM
Honkey_Kong

Quote:

Originally Posted by LtStarbuck

Hi all!

Anabolics uniformly affect cholesterol levels negatively, increasing LDL and lowering HDL.

I have high cholesterol due to genetics. EVERYONE in my family has high cholesterol, many on statins, and the ones that are not still have high cholesterol but are able to maintain a decent HDL to LDL ratio through exercise.

My question is, due to this, should I not even consider anabolic use ever?

Some places say things like “maintain a high intake of omega 3 fatty acids” and such, but most studies actually show this has no effect on cholesterol, it just lowers triglyceride levels.

Should I consider a statin? Just maintain a low cholesterol diet (tough as eggs are such a good protein breakfast! Haha) Or just avoid anabolics altogether?

From my experience, a test only cycle at around 500mg per week (test E) didn't affect my cholesterol profile very much. It did cause my RBC count to skyrocket and my blood pressure to go dangerously high (before I started taking BP meds). Now tren on the other hand caused my LDL to go up significantly (in addition to the RBC and BP going up too).

Point is different compounds will affect you differently and it very much is dose dependent. My experience shouldn't be taken as what you'll experience either. Not all people respond the same to the same steroid. Some people, just taking test at low doses can make their lipids go out of whack. This is one of the many reasons bloodwork is important.

I think taking omega 3 fatty acids are probably a good idea (for a healthy life), but that shouldn't be your only defense.

What I would suggest is to get bloodwork done before during and after your cycle (if you choose to do one). That way you have a baseline before you start, you can see what it's doing to you internally after you start and how/if you've recovered after your PCT is done. If your cholesterol is out of control on gear, you might have to take meds for it or stop altogether.

Point is you shouldn't just take medicine for fear that something MIGHT happen. You take it because you KNOW it's happening.

But as far as should you not even consider anabolic use ever? I'd say that's more a decision YOU need to make yourself. I'd also say, you should research the fvuk out of it. The positive points AND the bad points and see if with the best information you have access to if you feel the risk:benefit ratio is worth doing it. That's ultimately only something YOU can decide. I tend to think that most people who have done/currently do gear probably shouldn't have ever touched it. But that's my opinion, not anybody else.

I will also say if you're worried about your cholesterol or going bald, then you shouldn't be playing with steroids. Besides what are you hoping to get out of it anyways?
08-10-2023, 11:53 AM
Ravage

Quote:

Originally Posted by LtStarbuck

Wow was excited to be able to get blood tests whenever I wanted (those sites are great!) but apparently they don’t serve NY NJ RI due to state laws. Such BS.

I’m in the western New York area & plan on logging my experience with pulling bloodwork when I do it in a few months.

Probably have to drive an hour & a half to PA, but I’ve seen some in the NYC area had success with marek.

The other labs have betters prices & if you’re close enough to a state that allows it, you can get it done with buying gift cards & using an out of state address. Or so I’ve been told. We’ll see.