Are you Hyperhomocysteinemic??

[DecaDent*]

High levels of the amino acid Homocysteine have been linked to heart attacks,strokes and blood clots. AAS,especially winstrol,has been linked to elevated cholesterol levels and now there is also a link to elevated Homocysteinine and AAS. Your doctor can get a simple blood test when you have a cholesterol check that can measure the level of homocysteine and judge your risk level.

Here's a recent actual study on bodybuilders using AAS(don't find alot of these)

Hyperhomocysteinemia in bodybuilders taking anabolic steroids

Background: Hyperhomocysteinemia has been accepted as an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and atherothrombosis(hardening of the arteries and blood clots). In recent years, several reports have appeared in the literature linking the use of anabolic steroids with acute vascular events in bodybuilders. In this study, we investigated whether hyperhomocysteinemia could contribute to the high vascular risk in bodybuilders taking anabolic steroids.
Methods and results: Twenty-three bodybuilders in different phases of their training cycle and six control athletes participated in our study. Anthropomorphic measures displayed a higher body mass index for bodybuilders in the competition phase than for bodybuilders in the work-out and build-up phases, and for control athletes. Homocysteine levels were 8.7+/-1.6 mol/l (mean+/-S.D.) in control athletes, 8.5+/-2.8 mol/l in work-out phase bodybuilders, and 8.3+/-1.5 mol/l in competition phase bodybuilders, but 11.9+/-3.1 mol/l in build-up phase bodybuilders (P <0.05 for build-up phase bodybuilders vs. control athletes, work-out phase bodybuilders, and competition phase bodybuilders, respectively). Vitamin B12 and folate levels did not differ significantly between the four groups.

Conclusion: Our study shows that intake of anabolic steroids, as used typically by bodybuilders in the build-up phase, induces acute hyperhomocysteinemia and is likely to initiate an additional, potentially atherothrombotic mechanism in this group of athletes.

2001 Feb;12(1):43-47 (ISSN: 0953-6205)
Ebenbichler CF; Kaser S; Bodner J; Gander R; Lechleitner M; Herold M; Patsch JR
Universitatsklinik fur Innere Medizin, Universitat Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6010, Innsbruck, Austria.

 

[DecaDent*]

Hers's a study outlining the current theory on how homocystine becomes elevated and why it causes damage to blood vessels.
It's notable that the B vitamins : folate ,B6 and B12 all have a protective effect. Another good reason to supplement the B vitamins and antioxidants during a cycle.
Heres some more backround:
Studies have shown that hyperhomocysteinemia is an important and independent risk factor for a variety of human cardiovascular diseases. In this paper, a unifying hypothesis is proposed which suggests that hyperhomocysteinemia may exert its pathogenic effects largely through metabolic accumulation of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine, a strong noncompetitive inhibitor of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT)-mediated methylation metabolism of various catechol substrates (such as catecholamines and catechol estrogens). In the case of endogenous catecholamines in peripheral tissues, inhibition of their methylation by S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine will result in elevation of blood or tissue levels of catecholamines, and consequently, over-stimulation of the cardiovascular system's functions. Moreover, because the vasculature is constantly exposed to high levels of endogenous catecholamines (due to high levels of circulating neurohormone epinephrine plus rich innervation with sympathetic nerve terminals), vascular endothelial cells would incur chronic cumulative damage caused by the large amounts of the oxidative products (catechol quinones/semiquinones and oxyradicals) generated from endogenous catecholamines. This mechanistic explanation for the vascular toxicity of hyperhomocysteinemia is supported by many experimental findings, and it also fully agrees with the known protective effects of folate, vitamins B6 and B12 in hyperhomocysteinemic patients. In addition, based on the predictable effects of hyperhomocysteinemia on the methylation of catecholamines in the central nervous system as well as on the methylation of catechol estrogens in estrogen target organs, it is also suggested that hyperhomocysteinemia is an important risk factor for the development of neurodegerative disorders (Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases) and estrogen-induced hormonal cancers. More studies are warranted to test these intriguing ideas

Histol Histopathol 2002 Oct;17(4):1283-91 (ISSN: 0213-3911)
Zhu BT

Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA. [email protected].

 

[scorpio]

So increasing B6, B12, and antioxidants would be a good idea during a cycle in order to combat Hyperhomocysteinemia.

 

[DecaDent*]

Exactly! Elevated levels of Homocysteine(HC) are a "silent" side effect of AAS ....no symptoms until it's to late and...unfortunately it's one of the potentially more fatal and long lasting as the damage done to blood vessels will only worsen with age....premature heart attack,early stroke....sooo

Don't forget folate when your supplementing .....along with B6 + B12 plus antioxidants to offset the elevated HC and cholesterol levels of AAS.

 

[BLEED GREEN]

Great info Deca-Something many people(myself included) are not even aware of.

 

[scorpio]

Never heard of this, great info. I'm buying a boat load of b6, b12 and antio's soon!

 

[gymrat]

great post Deca.

 

[rugbythug]

great post-one question can the damage sustained on cycle be lessened in any way?

 

[DecaDent*]

great post-one question can the damage sustained on cycle be lessened in any way?

Folate .....along with B6 + B12 plus antioxidants definetly help. There are people with an inherited form of elevated HC and that is what they are treated with...,otherwise they die early deaths from heart attacks.

While all AAS elevate HC levels ,cholesterol is elevated primarily by one....winstrol....so much that I won't even touch winstrol because of the elevation in LDL(bad) and lowering of HDL(good) cholesterol. Get a simple cholesterol check near the end of a winny cycle to see how prone you are to this effect.

 

[scorpio]

bump, great info.

 

[scorpio]

Bump again for a great article.

 

[scorpio]

bumping a good read

 

[BiggerStronger]

Me too. He's definitely a good bro.

Someone should tell him to stop by one of these days...