In brief: Serum total cholesterol (TC) concentrations were measured in three groups of male power lifters who used anabolic-androgenic steroids: 19 who used steroids for eight weeks, seven of the 19 who continued steroid use for three years, and three who had been using steroids for eight years. Mean TC levels increased, and after steroid use ended, they decreased promptly to near presteroid levels. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels indicated that the TC increase occurred in the low-density lipoprotein fraction. Presteroid TC concentration is not predictive of the magnitude of steroid-induced hypercholesterolemia, nor does a low presteroid TC level necessarily protect against this abnormality.