Some have suggested that growth hormone is a wonder drug ( 16 ) that results in ripped muscle ( 17 ) and provides stamina-increasing properties ( 18 ) .
The use of human growth hormone to improve athletic performance has recently received worldwide attention .
This practice , often called sports doping , is banned by most professional sports leagues and associations , including the International Olympic Committee , Major League Baseball , and the National Football League ( 13 ) .
However , a wide range of athletes , including those from baseball ( 46 ) , cycling ( 7 , 8) , and track and field ( 5 , 9 ) , have been implicated in or have confessed to illicit growth hormone use .
The Mitchell report ( 10 ) recently identified 89 Major League Baseball players who allegedly used performance-enhancing drugs , and some of these players have subsequently admitted to using growth hormone ( 11 , 12 ) .
Part of the attraction of using growth hormone as a performance enhancer has been that its use is difficult to detect .
The World Anti-Doping Agency , whose formation stemmed from the widely publicized doping sc and al of the 1998 Tour de France ( 13 ) , first used a blood test to detect exogenous growth hormone during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens .
Although growth hormone is reportedly used to enhance athletic performance and has been called the most anabolic substance known ( 15 ) , its efficacy for this purpose is not well established .
Exogenous growth hormone therapy in growth hormonedeficient adults ( that is , those with growth hormone deficiency due to hypothalamic or pituitary defects ) results in increased lean mass and decreased fat mass ( 19 ) , and comparable body composition changes are seen in healthy elderly adults who receive growth hormone ( 20 ) .
Some experts , however , have suggested that the strength-enhancing properties of growth hormone among healthy adults have been exaggerated ( 15 ) .
Serious side effects , including diabetes , hepatitis , and acute renal failure , may occur in athletes using high-dose growth hormone ( 21 ) .
Furthermore , the use of growth hormone for athletic enhancement is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , and the distribution of growth hormone for this purpose is illegal in the United States ( 22 ) .
We performed a systematic review of r and omized , controlled trials to determine the effects of growth hormone therapy on athletic performance in healthy , physically fit , young adults .
Our primary aim was to evaluate the effects of growth hormone on body composition , strength , basal metabolism , and exercise capacity .
In addition , we sought to synthesize the evidence on adverse events associated with growth hormone in the healthy young and assess the quality of the published literature .
Treatment of adults with growth hormone (GH) deficiency with recombinant human GH.
In a double blind , cross-over placebo-controlled trial , we studied the effects of 26 weeks of replacement therapy with recombinant human GH on body composition , metabolic parameters , and well-being in 10 patients with adult-onset GH deficiency ( GHD ) . All patients received appropriate thyroid , adrenal , and gonadal replacement therapy . The dose of recombinant human GH was 0.25 - 0.5 U/kg.week ( 0.013 - 0.026 mg/kg.day ) and was administered sc daily at bedtime . One patient was withdrawn from the study because of edema and atrial fibrillation . Body composition was estimated with three independent methods : computed tomography , bioelectric impedance , and total body potassium combined with total body water assessment s. The Comprehensive Psychological Rating Scale and the Symptom Check List-90 were used to assess any change in psychopathology . After 26 weeks of treatment , adipose tissue ( AT ) mass decreased 4.7 kg ( P < 0.001 ) . Subcutaneous AT decreased by an average of 13 % , whereas visceral AT was reduced by 30 % . Muscle volume increased by 2.5 kg ( 5 % ; P < 0.05 ) . According to the four-compartment model derived from assessment s of total body potassium and total body water , body cell mass and extracellular fluid volume increased significantly by 1.6 and 3.0 kg , whereas body fat decreased by 6.1 kg . Results obtained by the bioelectric impedance technique were similar . The mean ( + /- SD ) concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I increased from 0.26 ( 0.06 ) at baseline to 2.56 ( 1.55 ) and 2.09 ( 1.03 ) kU/L after 6 and 26 weeks of treatment . Calcium and serum phosphate , osteocalcin , and procollagen-III concentrations were significantly higher , and intact PTH concentrations were reduced after 6 and 26 weeks of treatment , respectively . Total and free T3 concentrations were significantly increased after 6 and 26 weeks of treatment , whereas free T4 concentrations were reduced at 6 weeks , but after 26 weeks , free T4 concentrations had returned to pretreatment values . Finally , after 26 weeks of treatment , there was a decrease in the Comprehensive Psychological Rating Scale score ( P < 0.05 ) . The results show that GH replacement in GHD adults results in marked alterations in body composition , fat distribution , and bone and mineral metabolism and reduces psychiatric symptoms . Finally , we conclude that the observed beneficial effects of replacement therapy with GH are of sufficient magnitude to consider treatment of GHD adults
Some have suggested that growth hormone is a wonder drug ( 16 ) that results in ripped muscle ( 17 ) and provides stamina-increasing properties ( 18 ) .
The use of human growth hormone to improve athletic performance has recently received worldwide attention .
This practice , often called sports doping , is banned by most professional sports leagues and associations , including the International Olympic Committee , Major League Baseball , and the National Football League ( 13 ) .
However , a wide range of athletes , including those from baseball ( 46 ) , cycling ( 7 , 8) , and track and field ( 5 , 9 ) , have been implicated in or have confessed to illicit growth hormone use .
The Mitchell report ( 10 ) recently identified 89 Major League Baseball players who allegedly used performance-enhancing drugs , and some of these players have subsequently admitted to using growth hormone ( 11 , 12 ) .
Part of the attraction of using growth hormone as a performance enhancer has been that its use is difficult to detect .
The World Anti-Doping Agency , whose formation stemmed from the widely publicized doping sc and al of the 1998 Tour de France ( 13 ) , first used a blood test to detect exogenous growth hormone during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens .
Although growth hormone is reportedly used to enhance athletic performance and has been called the most anabolic substance known ( 15 ) , its efficacy for this purpose is not well established .
Exogenous growth hormone therapy in growth hormonedeficient adults ( that is , those with growth hormone deficiency due to hypothalamic or pituitary defects ) results in increased lean mass and decreased fat mass ( 19 ) , and comparable body composition changes are seen in healthy elderly adults who receive growth hormone ( 20 ) .
Some experts , however , have suggested that the strength-enhancing properties of growth hormone among healthy adults have been exaggerated ( 15 ) .
Serious side effects , including diabetes , hepatitis , and acute renal failure , may occur in athletes using high-dose growth hormone ( 21 ) .
Furthermore , the use of growth hormone for athletic enhancement is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration , and the distribution of growth hormone for this purpose is illegal in the United States ( 22 ) .
We performed a systematic review of r and omized , controlled trials to determine the effects of growth hormone therapy on athletic performance in healthy , physically fit , young adults .
Our primary aim was to evaluate the effects of growth hormone on body composition , strength , basal metabolism , and exercise capacity .
In addition , we sought to synthesize the evidence on adverse events associated with growth hormone in the healthy young and assess the quality of the published literature .