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 .
Body fluids, circadian blood pressure and plasma renin during growth hormone administration: a placebo-controlled study with two growth hormone doses in healthy adults.
Side effects that can be related to fluid retention are common during the initial phases of growth hormone ( GH ) administration . The aim of this study was to examine the changes in body fluid compartments , diurnal blood pressure and plasma renin concentration during GH administration with two different dosages in healthy adults . Eight healthy male subjects aged 24 - 32 years were examined during three 2-week study periods in a double-blind placebo controlled study . They received , in r and om order , GH ( 3 or 6 IU m-2 daily ) or placebo during 2 weeks . Bio-impedance was measured every 2nd day , and extracellular volume ( ECV ) and plasma volume ( PV ) were isotopically determined at day 6 . Blood sample s were obtained regularly . Diurnal blood pressure was recorded and 24-h urinary sample s were collected at days 0 , 6 and 14 . ECV ( l ) was increased by GH ( placebo , 19.58 + /- 0.82 ; 3 IU m-2 , 20.77 + /- 1.22 ; 6 IU m-2 , 20.65 + /- 0.94 ; p<0.01 ) , whereas PV ( l ) was unaffected ( placebo , 3.91+/- 0.20 ; 3 IU m-2 , 4.04 + /- 0.22 ; 6 IU m-2 , 3.90 + /- 0.27 ) . Total body water ( l ) increased significantly during GH administration ( placebo , 50.8 + /- 2.6 ; 3 IU m-2 , 52.6 + /- 2.3 ; 6 IU m-2 , 53.9 + /- 1.8 , p<0.05 ) . After 6 days of treatment a significant increase in renin ( p = 0.03 ) was observed . Mean diurnal blood pressure levels remained unchanged , whereas mean diurnal heart rate ( min-1 ) increased significantly ( placebo , 75 + /- 3.6 ; 3 IU m-2 , 79 + /- 3.2 ; 6 IU m-2 , 79 + /- 3.7 ; p<0.01 ) . In conclusion , GH administration induces an elevation in total body water which may involve a stimulation of plasma renin and an increased ECV without any changes in PV or diurnal blood pressure
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 .