Mike Arnold
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- Jun 22, 2012
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How Effective is Advanced Cycle Support?
Over the years I have gotten blood work numerous times, but for one reason or another, I have never gotten bloodwork when using Advanced Cycle Support, IML's cycle suppport formula. But, after being led to the doctor's office for reasons unrelated to steroid use, the attending physician decided to order some bloodwork, which I took advantage of by asking for additional health markers to be tested, particularly those pertaining to liver, kidney, and cardiovascular function.
At the time bloodwork was conducted, I had been using Anadrol (50 mg/day), Halotestin (20 mg/day), and Anavar (30 mg/day) for 6 weeks--a stack which contained 100 mg of orals, two of which exhibit above average hepatic toxicity. No doubt, an oral cycle of this magnitude, while quite standard for many of today's bodybuilders, is quite stressfull to the liver, typically resulting in liver readings well out of the normal range.
In addition, I had also been using both testosterone and trenbolone at a dosage of 500 mg and 200 mg per week, respectively. It is not unusual for bloodpressure to be significantly elevated during a cycle such as this, and with elevated blood pressure being the #1 risk factor associated with kidney damage, kidney readings are also frequently elevated with these kind of cycles, especially in those who have run AAS for years (Note: I have been on some type of AAS for about 3 years non-stop).
Needless to say, I expected at least some elevation in bloodpressure, would not have been surprised if the kidneys were a bit out of range, and certainly expected at least a moderate elevation in liver enzymes. I was well aware of the compounds in Advanced Cycle Support and their ability to reduce liver stress associated with oral steroid use, but I was not prepared for the test results I was about to recieve. Here are my results after running 100 mg of orals for 6 weeks:
Liver Readings
ALT: 35 (reference range 5-40)
AST: 43 (reference range 5-40)
As you can see, my ALT is still in the normal range, while my AST is barely outside of normal--hardly anything to be concerned with. These results are SUPER impressive! I have been recommending ACS (Advanced Cycle Support) for years now, as the numerous clinical studies are proof enough, but after seeing how well this stuff works in my own body, I am even more grateful for this product. Yes, I am grateful. You see, not too long ago bodybuilders had nothing like this available to them on the supplement market. Most products were utter shit and only very rarely was a product releaed with extensive clinical support. I was taking 4 caps of ACS per day, supplying me with the following:
Milk thistle (80% silymarin): 1,000 mg/day
NAC: 800 mg/day
Hawthorne (1.8% extract): 600 mg/day
Saw palmetto (45% extract): 400 mg/day
CoQ10: 200 mg/day
Celery Seed (6.1 concentrate): 150 mg/day
Grapeseed (95% extract): 150 mg/day
Blood Pressure
Prior to recieving the results of my bloodwork, I had my blood pressure checked by my doctor.
My reading was: 121/70
Again, considering the drugs I was using at the time, this reading is excellent. In fact, it really couldn't get any better.
Kidney Readings
After seeing my blood pressure reading, I was optimistic that my kidiney function would be normal too...and it was. All health markers, such as creatinine and billirubin, were normal, leading to a glomular filtration rate (which tells us how effectively our kidneys are filtering blood) of 65, which is considered ideal.
In case you were wondering, I do NOT follow a perfect diet. In fact, it is far from perfect, as in it does not even remotely resemble the typical "clean" diet adhered to by most serious bodybuilders. Basically, I pretty much eat whatever I want, although I do try and keep trans-fats and high fructose corm syrup to a minimum. As you can see by the ingredient list above, ASC contains multipe compounds, which have been clinically proven to improve liver function, decrease blood pressure, enhance circulation, improve vascular tone, reduce inflammation, improve the lipid profile, and many, many other proven benefits, all of which are relevant to the bodybuilder/strength athlete.
Given the wide range of positive effects this product has, and knowing how important it is for a steroid user to maintain proper cardioscular, kidney, and liver function, this is a product I will be using for many years to come. Unlike the majority of other supplements on the market, which only deal with one or two areas of our health, ACS is a comprehensive, properly dosed product designed to keep multiple bodily systems functioning normally--a benefit which should never be underestimated given the potentially serious consequences of long-term steroid use.
