Androgens reduce HDL2-cholesterol and increase hepatic triglyceride lipase activity.

We quantified serum lipids and postheparin plasma lipolytic activities 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 weight (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.dl-1) low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (138 +/- 25 vs 108 +/- 32 mg.dl-1), or triglyceride (93 +/- 26 vs 93 +/- 41 mg.dl-1) levels in the two groups. High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol concentrations, however, were significantly lower in the users (26 +/- 10 vs 50 +/- 13 mg.dl-1; P less than 0.05), and most of the difference was due to lower HDL2-cholesterol concentrations (6 +/- 4 vs 22 +/- 9 mg.dl-1; P less than 0.05). Postheparin plasma lipoprotein lipase activity was only slightly lower in the users (3.49 +/- 2.23 vs 5.36 +/- 1.73 mumol FFA.ml-hr-1; P= NS). but hepatic triglyceride lipase activity was significantly higher in this group (27.99 +/- 6.89 vs 11.15 +/- 2.76, mumol FFA.ml-hr-1: P less than 0.001) and correlated inversely with HDL2-cholesterol concentrations (r = -0.81; P less than 0.01). We conclude that androgenic hormones reduce HDL-cholesterol concentrations and the HDL2-cholesterol subfraction, possibly by enhancing hepatic triglyceride lipase activity.