Androgens reduce HDL2-cholesterol and increase hepatic triglyceride lipase activity

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Abstract
Serum lipids and postheparin plasma lipolytic activities were studied in 5 weightlifters presently self-administering androgenic steroids (users) and an equal number not currently using these drugs (non-users). Mean (.+-. SD) age (23 .+-. 2 vs. 25 .+-. 4 yr), body wt (102.7 .+-. 11.4 vs. 86.8 .+-. 13.6 kg), and percent body fat (8.6 .+-. 2.5 vs. 7.8 .+-. 6.0%) were not different in users and non-users, respectively. Similarly, there were no differences in total cholesterol (183 .+-. 27 vs. 176 .+-. 32 mg .cntdot. dl-1) low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (138 .+-. 25 vs. 108 .+-. 32 mg .cntdot. dl-1), or triglyceride (93 .+-. 26 vs. 93 .+-. 41 mg .cntdot. dl-1) levels in the 2 groups. High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol concentrations were significantly lower in the users (26 .+-. 10 vs. 50 .+-. 13 mg .cntdot. dl-1; P < 0.05), and most of the difference was due to lower HDL2-cholesterol concentrations (6 .+-. 4 vs. 22 .+-. 9 mg .cntdot. dl-1; P < 0.05). Postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase activity was only slightly lower in the users (3.49 .+-. 2.23 vs. 5.36 .+-. 1.73 .mu.mol FFA [free fatty acid] .cntdot. ml-h-1; P = NS [not significant]), but hepatic triglyceride lipase activity was significantly higher in this group (27.99 .+-. 6.89 vs. 11.15 .+-. 2.76, .mu.mol FFA .cntdot. ml-hr-1; P < 0.001) and correlated inversely with HDL2-cholesterol concentrations (r = -0.81; P < 0.01). Androgenic hormones reduce HDL-cholesterol concentrations and the HDL2-cholesterol subfraction, possibly by enhancing hepatic triglyceride lipase activity.

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