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Growth Hormone vs. Testosterone |
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Written by Dan Gwartney, MD
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Monday, 09 April 2007 |
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Page 2 of 2
Further, failing to implement dietary and exercise recommendations may have limited some of the benefits of drug therapy.11-13 Many readers will wonder why the researchers designed the study with such obvious limitations. There are reasons. Federally funded research must be approved by a process called IRB approval.14 IRB boards are notoriously conservative and would not allow hormonal dosing at levels that may be harmful in the least to study participants. Also, since the subjects would be self-injecting the hGH, the schedule was made to be convenient to ensure that the subjects would follow the directions, even though there was a less convenient, but more effective, injection schedule. It is frustrating to see a high quality study suffer from these limitations, but they are understandable.
It's interesting that hGH therapy for quality of life issues is being investigated as it suggests that clinical medicine is considering the ergogenic benefits of hormonal therapy, at least for the elderly. What would be of greater value for the athlete is investigating the benefits and safety of controlled clinical applications of anabolic regimens in the setting of catabolic conditions or ergogenic applications. Unquestionably, drug use is common among athletes and bodybuilders and for the most part, it is taking place without any supervision or consideration of the true risk-to-benefit ratio. Though it will likely trickle down through the anti-aging movement and military applications, perhaps the day will come when dedicated athletes will be able to openly discuss hormonal support for athletic or cosmetic purposes.
While this, like most hGH studies, appears to be of limited value to the athlete/bodybuilder, as they are generally directed toward treating the deterioration that comes with age, they are actually promising. First, these studies confirm the effectiveness of hGH in reducing body fat, even at low doses. Second, they document the known, short-term side effects of hGH treatment and show that they can be managed with medical supervision and laboratory monitoring. Third, they demonstrate the positive effects of hGH in catabolic conditions, such as aging. Bodybuilders and athletes frequently suffer from similar catabolic challenges, from dieting, overtraining and injury. This would suggest that one day hGH may be used to hormonally support competitive athletes, allowing them to continue training at maximal intensity or under harsh conditions.
Fourth, it demonstrates an interest in the use of hGH in promoting quality of life, rather than restricting it solely to the treatment of disease or deficiency. It will be a long time before hGH is prescribed for bodybuilders or athletes. Until that time, it's worthwhile to pay attention to the hGH research and learn from its use in other areas.
hGH is a powerful and promising therapy, but due to the risks of side effects, even with low doses, it should only be used under the supervision and monitoring of a qualified health care professional. hGH is a controlled substance and sale or possession is a felony offense.
References
1. Asada N, Takahashi Y, et al. GH induced stimulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes stably expressing hGHR: analysis on signaling pathway and activity of 20KhGH. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2000 Apr 25;162(1-2):121-9.
2. Carrel AL, Allen DB. Effects of growth hormone on adipose tissue. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab 2000 Sep;13 Suppl 2:1003-9.
3. Blackman MR, Sorkin JD, et al. Growth hormone and sex steroid administration in healthy aged women and men. JAMA 2002 Nov 13;288(18):2282-92.
4. Brill KT, Weltman AL, et al. Single and combined effects of growth hormone and testosterone administration on measures of body composition, physical performance, mood, sexual function, bone turnover, and muscle gene expression in healthy older men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002;87(12):5649-57.
5. Carroll PV, Christ ER, et al. Growth hormone deficiency in adulthood and the effects of growth hormone replacement: a review. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998;83:387-95.
6. Rudman D, Feller AG, et al. Effect of human growth hormone in men over 60 years old. N Engl J Med 1990;323:1-6.
7. Urhausen A, Gabriel H, et al. Blood hormones as markers of training stress and overtraining. Sports Med 1995 Oct;20(4):251-76.
8. Urhausen A, Kindermann W. Diagnosis of overtraining: what tools do we have? Sports Med 2002;32(2):95-102.
9. Bahrke MS, Yesalis CE, ed. Performance Enhancing Substances in Sport and Exercise. Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL, 2002;vii-ix.
10. Llewellyn W. Anabolics 2002. Molecular Nutrition Press, Patchogue, NY, 2002;158-61.
11. Hennessey JV, Chromiak JA, et al. Growth hormone administration and exercise effects on muscle fiber type and diameter in moderately frail older people. J Am Geriatr Soc 2001 Jul;49(7):852-8.
12. Zachweija JJ, Yarasheski KE. Does growth hormone therapy in conjunction with resistance exercise increase muscle force production and muscle mass in men and women aged 60 years or older? Phys Ther 1999 Jan;79(1):76-82.
13. Liu Z, Jahn LA, et al. Amino Acids stimulate translation initiation and protein synthesis through an Akt-independent pathway in human skeletal muscle. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002;87(12):5553-8.
14. Anonymous for the National Institutes of Health. Institutional Review Board - Human Subject Protection. Available through http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/deca/irb.htm accessed December 11, 2002.
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Performance Nutrition 