Misleading Interpretations and Public Misinformation on Human Growth Hormone in Athletes
Authors: Shawn C. Sorenson
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Letters7 September 2010Misleading Interpretations and Public Misinformation on Human Growth Hormone in AthletesShawn C. Sorenson, MSShawn C. Sorenson, MSFrom University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-5-201009070-00013 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The article by Meinhardt and colleagues (1) is important and informative. This randomized, controlled trial evaluating the independent and synergistic effects of exogenous growth hormone and testosterone on selected physiologic and athletic performance measures is a valuable contribution to the scientific literature. It also provides critical evidence to the ongoing social and scientific debate surrounding sports doping.The study shows significant increases in anaerobic work capacity, as measured by the Wingate cycle test, after 8 weeks of treatment with growth hormone, with and without concurrent testosterone administration. Although effect sizes were modest (0.22 to 0.38 for growth ...References1. Meinhardt U, Nelson AE, Hansen JL, Birzniece V, Clifford D, Leung KC, et al. The effects of growth hormone on body composition and physical performance in recreational athletes: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:568-77. [PMID: 20439575] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Meckel Y, Atterbom H, Grodjinovsky A, Ben-Sira D, Rotstein A. Physiological characteristics of female 100 metre sprinters of different performance levels. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1995;35:169-75. [PMID: 8775642] MedlineGoogle Scholar3. Zagatto AM, Beck WR, Gobatto CA. Validity of the running anaerobic sprint test for assessing anaerobic power and predicting short-distance performances. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23:1820-7. [PMID: 19675478] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Cronin JB, Hansen KT. Strength and power predictors of sports speed. J Strength Cond Res. 2005;19:349-57. [PMID: 15903374] MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Smirniotou A, Katsikas C, Paradisis G, Argeitaki P, Zacharogiannis E, Tziortzis S. Strength-power parameters as predictors of sprinting performance. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2008;48:447-54. [PMID: 18997647] MedlineGoogle Scholar6. Roan S. Study shows growth hormone boosts sprint speed. Los Angeles Times. 3 May 2010. Accessed at articles.latimes.com/2010/may/03/science/la-sci-growth-hormone-20100504 on 27 July 2010. Google Scholar7. Hutchison P. Human growth hormone ‘makes worst athlete the best’. Daily Telegraph. 4 May 2010. Accessed at www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7672390/Human-growth-hormone-makes-worst-athlete-the-best.html on 27 July 2010. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Shawn C. Sorenson, MSAffiliations: From University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Effects of Growth Hormone on Body Composition and Physical Performance in Recreational Athletes Udo Meinhardt , Anne E. Nelson , Jennifer L. Hansen , Vita Birzniece , David Clifford , Kin-Chuen Leung , Kenneth Graham , and Ken K.Y. Ho Misleading Interpretations and Public Misinformation on Human Growth Hormone in Athletes Tobias Ehlert , Perikles Simon , and Suzan Tug Misleading Interpretations and Public Misinformation on Human Growth Hormone in Athletes Ken K.Y. Ho , Udo Meinhardt , and David Clifford Metrics 7 September 2010Volume 153, Issue 5Page: 345KeywordsConflicts of interestGrowth hormoneHuman growth hormonePerformance measuresRunningScientistsSportsSwimmingTestosterone ePublished: 7 September 2010 Issue Published: 7 September 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...