Misleading Interpretations and Public Misinformation on Human Growth Hormone in Athletes
Authors: Ken K.Y. Ho
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Letters7 September 2010Misleading Interpretations and Public Misinformation on Human Growth Hormone in AthletesKen K.Y. Ho, MD, Udo Meinhardt, MD, and David Clifford, PhDKen K.Y. Ho, MDFrom Garvan Institute of Medical Research, New South Wales 2010, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Pediatric Endocrinology, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland; and CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences, New South Wales 1670, Sydney, Australia.Search for more papers by this author, Udo Meinhardt, MDFrom Garvan Institute of Medical Research, New South Wales 2010, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Pediatric Endocrinology, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland; and CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences, New South Wales 1670, Sydney, Australia.Search for more papers by this author, and David Clifford, PhDFrom Garvan Institute of Medical Research, New South Wales 2010, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Pediatric Endocrinology, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland; and CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences, New South Wales 1670, Sydney, Australia.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-153-5-201009070-00015 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Mr. Sorensen and Dr. Tobias and colleagues voice concerns about the interpretation and media communication of our findings, focusing on a sentence in the Discussion section of our article. The issue centers on what an improvement in Wingate performance means.Wingate test performance depends on all available forms of muscle energy supply and is primarily a measure of power and anaerobic capacity (1). In the context of the broad performance categories assessed in our study, it is the form of testing that is most closely aligned to sprint events (rather than endurance running, weightlifting, or high jump). We ...References1. Green S. Measurement of anaerobic work capacities in humans. Sports Med. 1995;19:32-42. [PMID: 7740245] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Cronin JB, Hansen KT. Strength and power predictors of sports speed. J Strength Cond Res. 2005;19:349-57. [PMID: 15903374] MedlineGoogle Scholar3. Meckel Y, Machnai O, Eliakim A. Relationship among repeated sprint tests, aerobic fitness, and anaerobic fitness in elite adolescent soccer players. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23:163-9. [PMID: 19050649] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Patton JF, Duggan A. An evaluation of tests of anaerobic power. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1987;58:237-42. [PMID: 3579806] MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Liu H, Bravata DM, Olkin I, Friedlander A, Liu V, Roberts B, et al. Systematic review: the effects of growth hormone on athletic performance. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:747-58. [PMID: 18347346] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Garvan Institute of Medical Research, New South Wales 2010, Sydney, Australia; Centre for Pediatric Endocrinology, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland; and CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences, New South Wales 1670, Sydney, Australia.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSystematic Review: The Effects of Growth Hormone on Athletic Performance Hau Liu , Dena M. Bravata , Ingram Olkin , Anne Friedlander , Vincent Liu , Brian Roberts , Eran Bendavid , Olga Saynina , Shelley R. Salpeter , Alan M. Garber , and Andrew R. Hoffman The 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 Shawn C. Sorenson Misleading Interpretations and Public Misinformation on Human Growth Hormone in Athletes Tobias Ehlert , Perikles Simon , and Suzan Tug Metrics 7 September 2010Volume 153, Issue 5Page: 346-347KeywordsConflicts of interestExtrapolationGrowth hormoneMuscle functionsMusclesRunningStatistical methods ePublished: 7 September 2010 Issue Published: 7 September 2010 CopyrightCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...