Rich Piana Autopsy Report

Today we are going to cover something a bit more serious, and I know I already covered the death of Rich Piana, but the autopsy report just came out and there are just some things that I need to say about it.

First and foremost, DO NOT take this article out of context, as it is not meant to be disrespectful to Rich or his family, or insult them in any way. The reason I want to talk about this is because I don’t think it’s right that we continue to mask the REAL REASON why Rich died because clearly, his death was a direct result of years of taking large amounts of anabolic steroids. But let’s look at the report.

From a medical/nutritional standpoint, when I look into Rich Piana’s autopsy I see two things clearly.

• I see way too much cholesterol
• I see the toll steroids and steroid-like substances have taken on his organs

But let’s start with cholesterol. Many people still firmly believe that cholesterol and heart disease are not linked. However, if you dig into the vast majority of medical literature and if you take into account the opinion of expert doctors and scientists, you will soon realize that dietary saturated fat and cholesterol are directly associated with atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of fatty tissues in the arteries, which inevitably leads to heart disease.

What His Autopsy Report Tells Us

Now, we know that Rich was obsessed with getting as big as humanly or inhumanly as possible. In fact, even towards the end he still believed he was not big enough. He probably even still considered himself “small” and this is why he was consuming insane amounts of protein which includes foods that are very high in cholesterol and saturated fats, and you can see that clearly in his autopsy report:

1. Coronary Atherosclerosis – This means his heart, arteries and vessels were congested with fat streaks.
   
   
2. Significant Heart Disease – The direct result of atherosclerosis.
   
   
3. Fatty Liver – I believe this speaks for itself.
   
   
4. Accumulation Of Protein-Containing Fluid In The Abdomen

To take it one step further, while all this is bad and we know that nutrition played a huge role in his deteriorating health, let’s go ahead and add insane amounts and basically a lifetime of steroid usage on top of all this. We know that excessive and long-term steroid consumption can turn the human body into a ticking time bomb. But there are still those who will say that “if you do it right, there are no side effects.”  WRONG!  You might experience SOME side effects or could experience MANY of them. That depends on your genetics and that is the risk you need to be willing to take.  

You won’t know what’s going to happen to you, until it happens.  But the point is that you WILL experience SIDE EFFECTS and Rich experienced quite a bit and now he’s deceased.  And again guys, I do not mean that in a disrespectful way, I’m just going through the report to try to prove a point and this is the main reason why…

For those of you reading this, your interactions with other people around the subject of whether or not steroids can be harmful is probably limited to a small group of people with not too many varying opinions.  So you might not see the level of ignorance that I see, but if you want a taste of the kind of comments I deal with, check out the comments on my video: 7 Things You Need To Know Before Taking Steroids.

Why Is An Undetermined Death Result A Problem?

It’s because there are STILL people out there who will believe that because the cause of death was labeled as “undetermined”, that steroids are still SAFE! I have read the comments on other videos talking about the autopsy.IT IS INSANE.  These people will fight you tooth and nail in a debate TELLING YOU steroids were not to blame.

I don’t know if you all remember Zyzz, but he died at the age of 22 and the cause of death was an “undiagnosed heart condition”.  Again, I’m not talking about this to be disrespectful, I am just listing FACTS so hopefully you guys get it. For those of you watched Zyzz, he was insanely aesthetic and lived a party lifestyle. So of course drinking mixed with drugs will eventually lead to an early death if you have a heart condition.  I discuss this in the ‘7 Things You Need To Know’ video above.  Steroids will AMPLIFY any condition you have.  So the cause of death may have been an undiagnosed heart condition, but the REAL REASON he died at 22 is most likely because he had the condition and was mixing drugs and alcohol. It sucks to say, but it’s the truth and people do not want to believe it because these “official autopsy reports” don’t just come out and say the facts.

We all think we’re invincible until we are not. I’ve talked before about a friend of mine who recently died of cancer. He was literally recovering, jumped back on the juice, and now he’s gone. Steroids amplify any condition, so that mixed with the mutated cells in his body sped things up and he died. It sucks.

The Truth About Steroids

This is the message I’m trying to drive home and this is the message I think that if we could talk to Rich, Zyzz, my friend or the thousands of people that you don’t even know about that have died from steroid use, and that is that the risks are REAL and I bet they would all rather be alive with their friends and family instead of leaving behind a tragic trail of sadness.

But what makes me upset is that people like to say things like, “Arnold took steroids and he’s OK!”  Well guys, of course you‘re going to know the names of the people who DIDN’T DIE…That should be obvious!  There will ALWAYS be people who have the genetics to make INSANE GAINS, and for the most part have little side effects to deal with. This is why people say stupid things like “if you do it right, you’ll be OK”.  No, it’s just that those people’s genetics were more receptive than those who ended paying the ultimate price. But even if Arnold’s dick didn’t work anymore, do you REALLY think he is going to call TMZ with breaking news? I highly doubt it.

Even a short cycle of steroids can create PERMANENT side effects, and I’ll repeat this…EVEN A SHORT CYCLE OF STEROIDS CAN CREATE PERMANENT SIDE EFFECTS.  So I don’t want you guys to think ‘well, I’ll do just one cycle and be OK’. In fact, I would be more than willing to give steroids a try myself just to SHOW you how much bigger and leaner I could get in 30 days, but too be honest, I’m just too afraid of the consequences and I don’t think jeopardizing my life is worth the risk. Also, what’s the point of running 1 cycle if as soon as your cycle is complete, the majority of those gains are going to go away and then you have to deal with side effects which you never had before? It just sounds insane to me.

It’s like if Neo had to choose between a red pill and blue pill, except that this time if he took the blue pill the story ends and he would continue living his normal natty life.  But if he took the red pill, it would give him insane gains for 30 days…but a small flaccid penis once those 30 days are over. Which pill would you take?

Rich’s Steroid-Induced Health Problems

But let’s get back on topic. If we take a look again at Rich’s autopsy report, you can clearly see the direct results of his extensive steroid use. Enlarged heart, congested thyroid and kidneys, ischemic brain tissue…and the list goes on. If you don’t know what all that means, it basically says that his organs were pretty much shutting down. His hormone production was far from regulated and he even displayed dead brain cells and brain edema, which means he probably had zero blood and oxygen flow to some areas of his brain.

So why is Steroid Abuse NOT being listed as THE cause of death?

In my honest opinion, I feel like we don’t list steroids as the cause of death for the simple reason that most people REALLY still don’t understand what they are and how they work. For the general public, if they know you take steroids, they automatically think you’re a bad person or a “cheater” when it comes to the physique you’ve built.  Personally, I think that is super ignorant and I don’t think steroids make you a bad person. It still takes YEARS and HOURS a day of dedication to training to build an amazing physique and if that’s what you want to do, then that’s your choice.  I have friends who juice and I don’t judge them and they don’t judge me.  The only people I have a problem with are the ones who claim natural when they’re not because I think they’re cowards and that lying to the people you “inspire” makes you worse than the shit on the bottom of my shoes.

Steroids are part of the industry and they always will be a part of the industry.  I just wish more of these guys could talk about it and not get in trouble for it because then maybe more of you younger guys would understand the risks versus rewards much better and would make more informed decisions about it.

What We Can Learn From Rich’s Death

To wrap things up, the last thing on the report says that “No toxicology tests were administered because the hospital discarded the specimens, despite an explicit request that they be retained.” This would have been the PERFECT opportunity for someone who was ACTUALLY OPEN & HONEST about his steroid usage to be a positive example, and I’ll say it again, a POSITIVE EXAMPLE of how steroids can take everything away from you and the people you care about.

I met Rich last year and my impression of him was really positive and from the many videos I’ve watched on YouTube, he certainly helped inspire A LOT of you to change your lives and workout hard to reach your goals, whether you’re juicing or stayed 100% natural. The lines at his booths at every fitness show we PACKED because he inspired so many to be the best they can be.

I personally will remember him in a positive light, and I think you should to, but if we’re ever going to really help educate the public, especially these young and impressionable kids, we as a fitness community need to be able to talk about the risks of steroid usage and if someone who happens to be in the spotlight dies and it’s clear steroids were a root cause, that should be noted. I guarantee that because his “official autopsy” says “undetermined” as cause of death, people will still fight and say steroids had nothing to do with it, and that is very troubling to me.

Conclusion

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and I hope you understand that I’m coming from a good place with this article, and I’m sure if Rich could say anything right now, he would agree that you need to make your own decisions when it comes to your life, but you better fully understand the consequences of your actions.  

Original Autopsy Report Source: https://www.muckrock.com/foi/pinellas-county-10455/fl-medical-examiner-rich-pianas-autopsy-44032/#comm-460854