Does the Steroid Furaguno Lower Cholesterol?

Q: What do you think of Furaguno? It is supposed to build muscle, improve cholesterol, and increase the potency of other steroids at the same time.

A: Furaguno (5alpha- androstano[2,3-c]furazan-17beta-tetrahydropyranol) is an interesting new designer anabolic steroid, which is structurally similar to an old and no longer available Japanese steroid called furazabol.

Furazabol (formerly sold under the trade name Miotolan) was rarely seen outside of Japan even when it was still being manufactured, and subsequently has been the subject of a great deal of speculation over the years. What is known to be true is that furazabol is a fairly potent oral anabolic steroid, with properties somewhat similar to its close cousin Winstrol (stanozolol). It is only mildly androgenic, and as a result is much less likely to produce or aggravate side effects like acne, body/facial hair growth, prostate enlargement, or male pattern hair loss (when taken in reasonable doses) compared to more androgenic agents such as testosterone, Dianabol, or Anadrol. Furaguno is a non-methylated derivative of furazabol, and as a result may share certain functional characteristics to this agent. It must be emphasized, however, that Furaguno is a new chemical entity in its own right, and no scientific evaluation of its properties has ever been made. What I can tell you about it is based entirely on careful speculation and empirical evidence

Furazabol and our new Furaguno seem to share some beneficial traits, including a high ratio of anabolic to androgenic effect. The overall mass gains noticed should be mild but “quality”, with minimal androgenic side effects. There is also no estrogenic effect to worry about with either drug, as aromatization is not possible in both cases. A comparison between the two drugs on this level seems reasonable. But Furaguno is also being widely compared to furazabol in another very important, and possibly dangerous, regard. It is being said that like furazabol, this new designer steroid lowers cholesterol and improves cardiovascular disease risk. An exact quote taken from product marketing is as follows, “FURAGUNO may be helpful in reducing cholesterol levels and could possibly play a preventive role with certain cardiovascular issues”. It is very important to make sure you know that this is actually not true. I am not necessarily going to fault the manufacturer for stating this. I can see where the information is coming from. It is based on a popular misconception about furazabol lowering cholesterol. And if furaguno is structurally similar to furazabol, it too must lower cholesterol, no?

Here is the problem. Furazabol was the subject of a series of investigations during the mid 1970’s, some reporting that the drug lowered serum cholesterol. Similar results were shown with other oral steroids around the same time, including the popular American steroid Anavar. It was soon established, however, that any lowering of total serum cholesterol with oral anabolic steroids was usually the result of suppressed HDL (good) cholesterol. It is now widely understood, of course, that ratio of good to bad cholesterol is generally more important to heart disease risk than total cholesterol. It is also firmly established that oral steroids tend to be particularly potent at increasing cardiovascular disease risk due to an altering of the hepatic management of cholesterol, shifting the HDL/LDL ratio in the wrong direction. The problem with furazabol is, it is hard to find modern studies on the drug showing its effects on HDL/LDL levels like we have with Anavar. The steroid-sleuths of modern day are left with an information gap. Upon investigation, one only finds these seemingly positive reports about lowering cholesterol. The myth of furazabol improving cholesterol was born, and unfortunately persists today.

The cholesterol-lowering myth about furazabol was much less dangerous when the drug was widely unavailable. You couldn’t find it, so it was simply a little bit of inaccurate information. But things have a way of changing, and today underground furazabol is making a comeback. Plus, we now have this “grey market” analog being sold with similar claims. I must emphasize again that they aren’t true. Furazabol use is expected to increase cardiovascular disease risk, not improve it. While Furaguno may be less potent in this regard due to the lack of c-17 methylation, it is likely to have a noticeable effect here. Expect that its use will result in a measurable suppression of HDL cholesterol levels, which may be accompanied by relatively stable or even elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol. Proceed with the same respect you would give other oral steroids, and most certainly do not take this if you have high cholesterol and are looking for an improvement.

As you mentioned, Furaguno is also said to have a unique potency toward increasing androgen receptor density, suggesting it can be used to intensify the anabolic effects of other steroids. This appears to be another strong marketing point. Such action, however, cannot be substantiated by the literature. Any effect its analog furazabol has on androgen receptor density likely mimics those of other anabolic steroids, which may include some period of upregulation. In other words, there is nothing unique. Overall, I expect this drug will perform very similar to the other commercially available heterocyclic “prosteroid”, Prostanozol. It should be a mild to moderately effective anabolic in sufficient doses, with low relative androgenicity. It should present minimal liver toxicity, but will in all probability negatively alter cholesterol levels. This may present an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, especially if used for prolonged periods. Nothing magic, but it should at the most fundamental level work, which is what most buyers are looking for anyway.

About the author

William Llewellyn

William Llewellyn is a research scientist and writer in the field of human performance enhancement. He is the author of several books including Underground Anabolics and Anabolics 10th Edition, one of the most widely read titles on the subject of performance enhancing substances.