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 .
Short-term recombinant human growth hormone administration improves respiratory function in abstinent anabolic-androgenic steroid users.
OBJECTIVES To determine whether 6 days recombinant human growth hormone ( rhGH ) administration , in an abstinent anabolic- and rogenic steroid ( AAS ) using group had any respiratory , endurance exercise and biochemical effects compared with an abstinent AAS control group . METHODS Male subjects ( n=48 ) were r and omly divided , using a single blind procedure into two groups : ( 1 )  control group ( C ) n=24 , means+/-SD , age 32+/-11 years ; height 1.8+/-0.06 m ; ( 2 ) rhGH using group ( 0.019 mg kg(-1 ) day(-1 ) ) ( GH ) n=24 , means+/-SD , age 32+/-9 years ; height 1.8+/-0.07 m.  Anthropometry , respiratory muscle function and endurance exercise were investigated . Respiratory measurements examined , were forced expiratory volume in one second , forced vital capacity , maximum inspiratory pressure and maximum expiratory pressure . Endurance exercise was assessed by measuring peak oxygen uptake ( VO(2)peak ) . Biochemical analysis included ; haemoglobin , packed cell volume , glucose , sodium , urea , creatinine , total protein , albumin , testosterone and insulin like growth factor-I ( IGF-I ) . RESULTS Forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity , maximum inspiratory pressure , maximum expiratory pressure , and IGF-I significantly increased compared with the control group ( all P<0.05 ) . Body mass index , fat free mass index , peak oxygen uptake , maximum inspiratory pressure , maximum expiratory pressure , IGF-I and serum sodium significantly increased , whilst body fat , total protein and albumin , significantly decreased within the GH group ( all P<0.017 ) . CONCLUSION The findings of this study indicated that short-term high dose rhGH increased aerobic performance and respiratory muscle strength in former AAS users
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 .