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The effects of self-administered anabolic steroids (AS) on lipoproteins, liver function, and blood pressure were studied in male amateur body builders. Twenty body builders were studied at the end of a course of AS (group 1) and 42 body builders were studied after discontinuation of the AS for a mean of 5 months (group 2). Sixteen body builders were studied after discontinuation of AS for at least 2 months and at the end of a 9-week course of AS (group 3). A group of 13 body builders who never used AS served as a control group. Both groups 1 and 2 showed higher levels of transaminas and a higher systolic blood pressure than the controls (P less than 0.05). Group 3 showed an increase of the transaminases an a slight but significant increase of systolic blood pressure (+3 mm Hg) and heart rate (+7 bts/min) after one course of AS (P less than 0.05). Group 1 showed a considerably lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) (P less than 0.001), a higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) (P less than 0.05), and a lower apoprotein A-l/B ratio (Apo A-l/ApoB) (P less than 0.001) than the controls and group 2. The ratio of LDLC/HDLC in group 1 was fourfold higher than in the controls (P less than 0.01). In group 3 HDLC decreased from 1.18 +/- 0.05 to 0.60 +/- 0.08 mmol/l (P less than 0.001) and LDLC increased from 3.97 +/- 0.39 to 5.74 +/- 0.71 mmol/l (P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The association between low serum selenium, vitamin A, and vitamin E levels and mortality from cardiovascular disease (CVD) was investigated in a case-control study nested in a 9-yr prospective study in the Netherlands. For 10,532 persons aged greater than or equal to 5 yr who participated in a 1975-1978 medical survey, serum was stored at -20 degrees C. For the 84 of 106 subjects aged 37-87 yr who died of CVD after the baseline exam, 168 cohort members alive at the end of 1983 and matched for age and gender were selected as controls. No significant associations between serum selenium. vitamin A, vitamin E, and CVD mortality were observed before and after multivariate analyses. The adjusted risk of death from CVD for subjects in the lowest selenium quintile (less than 105.0 micrograms/L) was 1.6 (95% CI, 0.8-3.2). For coronary and stroke death risk, estimates were 1.1 (95% CI, 0.5-2.6) and 3.2 (95% CI, 0.8-12.1). Our findings do not show a clear CVD risk from low selenium and vitamin levels. Although some of the risk estimates were strong, larger studies are required for definitive conclusions.

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In a single-blind study the effects of drinking two cups of regular or decaffeinated coffee on blood pressure, heart rate, forearm blood flow and plasma concentrations of caffeine, renin and catecholamines were studied in 12 normotensive subjects. Drinking regular coffee led to a rise of blood pressure, a fall of heart rate and an increase of plasma catecholamines. Decaffeinated coffee induced a smaller increase of diastolic blood pressure without changing other parameters. This study shows that the cardiovascular effects of drinking coffee are mainly the result of its caffeine content.