Hi guys. just doing a small research on cholesterol and steroids, and I found this. I thought it was worth sharing. What do you think?

"Since many bodybuilders who use steroids are concerned about aromatase converting them into estrogen, they use other drugs, such as Arimidex, to block the aromatase. They do it to prevent various estrogen-related side effects, such as gynecomastia and water retention. The question is how that affects the protective cardiovascular benefits offered by estrogen. In one study, subjects were given a 280-milligram injection of enanthate per week. Other subjects got the same injection but also used an aromatase-inhibiting drug called testolactone. The third group in the study took the oral steroid methyltestosterone, at a dose of 20 milligrams a day. The study lasted for 12 weeks, and the researchers noted only small changes in the HDL levels in those who got only the testosterone injections. After four weeks, however, those who got the testosterone as well as the aromatase-blocking drug showed an average 25 percent drop in HDL. Those who took the oral steroid fared even worse, showing a 35 percent drop in HDL after a month.

The point here is that although the 500-milligram testosterone injection used in the study did cause a rapid rise in blood cholesterol after only two days, an injection that big would likely result in considerable conversion of the testosterone to estrogen by way of aromatase. The increased estrogen, in turn, would boost protective HDL, thus neutralizing most of the bad effects of the higher cholesterol levels induced by the injection. Of course, if a drug is also used that blocks aromatase, the protective effect is lost. Interestingly, another drug used to control estrogen, tamoxifen citrate—trade name Nolvadex—works not by inhibiting aromatase but rather by competitively interfering with estrogen binding to cell receptors. As such, using Nolvadex to control estrogen would not have as bad an effect on lipids as the aromatase-blocking drugs."

• by Jerry Brainum , exercise and nutrition researcher and journalist for more than 25 years. He’s worked with pro bodybuilders as well as many Olympic and professional athletes.