Cholesterol help!!

[LoneTree]

I completely disagree, take the niacin. Its more the ratio of HDL to LDL that one needs to be concerned with rather than the actual values - unless they are completely jacked. Side effects are overrated, at a gram a day split up into two 500mg doses throughout the day I saw absolutely no side effects.

Diet will do you well, significantly increase fiber intake. Nolvadex post cycle will also help increase HDL values.

If you're that concerned, drop the Winny-thats whats messing up your cholesterol values.

I am a researcher in the field.
Please check the NIH guidelines.

 

[UA_Iron]

you got me then.

45 is an average HDL level for males I agree.

You're saying lifestyle change wont significantly reduce his LDL levels?

 

[geoboy]

Niacin is not a good choice because its main effect is on HDL, and your HDL is already better than average (average for men: 45). It also had high side effects (flushing, stomach/intestine problems)..

UA is right- according to most doctors and my readings, the HDL/Total ratio is the more important reading, rather than LDL or Total. As well, low HDL is an independant risk factor. (example http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cach....med.cardiology/msg13022.html+hdl/total&hl=en)

 

[genesis]

I am going in to see a dietician sometime next week.. I don't think he'll give me any new information that I wouldn't be able to find on my own.. but we'll see...



If they don't put on any drugs.. well... I'll see where it takes me..


I use femara because I am slightly scared that I may not be done growing.. not expecting to grow like 5 more inches or anything but possibly another half inch... AT MOST.. and honestly I'd like that half inch.. so yeah.. just playing it safe on the whole growing vertical thing with some letrozole.

 

[DJ_UFO]

I just found out yesterday mine is 279. 58 HDL and 188LDL. My doc actually recommended read yeast rice and niacin along with diet and excercise of course. He wants to test again in 2 months. I was thinking about using the at home cholesterol tests you can buy at walgreens. Anyone know if these tests are accurate?

I was wondering the same about those home tests.
Any info about that?

 

[LoneTree]

you got me then.

45 is an average HDL level for males I agree.

You're saying lifestyle change wont significantly reduce his LDL levels?

They do, especially in short run. Most people have problem in maintaining it in the long run. Most important thing is weight (fat) loss AND MAINTAIN IT. In his case, it is not likely to bring it below 130.

 

[genesis]

Ok, I'm going to cut back on the femara to EOD and see how that works.. but if I start to notice any bloat or estrogen related sides.. I'm booting it right back up to ED.

If I were to drop the winny at 50mgs ED, what would be an appropriate amount to substitute it with EQ? I'm already doing 400mgs every week.



Also, what would be the actual residual consequences of having piss poor cholesterol ratios for about 10 week sor so? I'm 2 weeks into my cycle.. so i have another 8 weeks or so left.. including PCT.

 

[knight1811]

Niacin is not a good choice because its main effect is on HDL, and your HDL is already better than average (average for men: 45). It also had high side effects (flushing, stomach/intestine problems).
You need to decrease LDL. For high HDL, Statins are best choice.
Your LDL needs to get below 130. Diet and exercise is not going to do that job. But giving it 2 months is not that bad an idea.

I would diagree about Niacin not being a good choice simply b/c he has a higher than average HDL. It's not really about HDL or LDL...it's more about the ratio. The higher the HDL the better your HDL/LDL ratio. But you are right, he needs to work on lowering the LDL which again will improve his HDL/LDL ratio. Just my 2 cc's.

However, I am interested in knowing more about what you mean by in the short run and long run. I didn't quiet catch what you are saying. Or am I mixing up things?

Knight1811

 

[geoboy]

Ok, I'm going to cut back on the femara to EOD and see how that works.. but if I start to notice any bloat or estrogen related sides.. I'm booting it right back up to ED.

and if still no bloat, cut it back even further. better yet, substitute nolva or aromasin and do the same trail & error to find minimum effective dose.

Also, what would be the actual residual consequences of having piss poor cholesterol ratios for about 10 week sor so? I'm 2 weeks into my cycle.. so i have another 8 weeks or so left.. including PCT.

Excerpts from my prior posts re Cholesterol, HDL etc

the number one REAL health concern for AAS users is Cardiovascular disease.

The ultra-low HDL & elevated LDL is causing greatly accelerated formation of sludge in your arteries that will lead to either angioplasties & bypass operations (ala arnold) or heart attack & death (ala Mentzer brothers & any number of WWF wrestlers).

the worst offenders are anavar (the "safe" steroid), winny, and any of the other non-aromatizing gear. anadrol gets special mention.

keep an eye on the lipid panel in your bloodwork, and take agressive remedial action (plenty of threads to search out here). why this isn't obvious and discussed more often is shocking.

one cycle won't kill you. neither will 2 or 3. but when you figure multiple cycles over multiple years, during each of which you are HDL-impaired (depending on choice of gear & supps) and you're looking for trouble.

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1) genetics & predisposition rule. why do some people smoke 4 packs a day & wash it down with whisky, and live to be 90? another smokes 1/2 pack a day & gets lung cancer at 40. if the 2nd guy never smoked, he wouldn't have gotten the lung cancer. if you're predisposed to CVD, AAS will tip you over the edge & get you there real quick.

in any event, whether or not you were predisposed to CVD, your cardiovascular aging will be accelerated.

best you can do is keep an eye on the HDL especially (actually the hdl/ldl ratio is what matters) and take agressive action to try and keep it near normal for as much of the year as possible. rotation of gear, off-time, remedial supplements, aerobic excercize (i know i know), diet. all the info everyone needs is in various threads here for searching. one by Fonz & one by drveejay come to mind on cholesterol.

2) another thing to watch out for that has negative synergy with above is "thickening" of blood from AAS. the Red Blood cell count (RBC). the higher the number, the thicker the blood is. so now you have thicker sludge trying to get tru smaller pipes. EQ is one of the worst in this area.
I read somewhere that donating blood every month or so will help to thin out, but can't vouch for this. one of the docs should chime in.

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"sludge" is just slang for artery plaque; the accumulated cholesterol based deposits lining the walls of the arteries that eventually leads to blockages and then agina, heart attacks, etc. one part of cardiovascular disease. the diameter of the pipe gets smaller & smaller till blood can't get tru & poof you get your heart attack.

HDL helps carry away the bad cholesterol (ldl) that forms these plaques.
var & many other orals (as well as non-aromatizing injectables) greatly lower HDL while on & for a time afterwards. During this HDL-impaired time, you are greatly accelerating your cardiovascular age, as you pile on the plaque. this is why so many BB wrestlers etc drop dead at a youing age of heart attacks, and/or end up as bypass patients.

the worst that i know of would be var, anadrol, winny, masteron, proviron (notice they have 1 thing in common- no estrogen. estrogen helps keep hdl levels up, & is the reason women have virtual immunity from heart disease untill menopause).

when i do var, i can easily get down to 9 HDL where low end of normal is 40-something. low HDL is considered an important independent risk factor for heart attack.

you can of course mitigate the risks with low animal fat diet (so less raw material for ldl & plaque) and diet high in fiber (or psyllium seed husk like metamucil), nuts & olive oil (which actually work to raise hdl), aerobic excercize, supplements like policosanol, noflush niacin.
====================
While on, and until your HDL levels recover, it would be useful to take Garlic (kyolic in the cardiovascular dose-see the box) .

I had a post awhile back (search geoboy & garlic & you should find it) that cites a study demonstrating that Garlic functions as a pseudo-replacement HDL, or even a super-HDL, carrying away ldl. If the fact works like the theory, this would prevent the accumul;ation of "sludge" while HDL-impaired during a cycle.

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http://elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=340027&page=3&pp=20&highlight=sludge

http://elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=254418&page=6&pp=20&highlight=sludge




l
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[Triple J]

get off the winny and start the niacin

you can finish your cycle if you want - just eat clean and take your vitamins, suggest adding garlic as well

also, no need for femara on that cycle