Thursday, May 13, 2010

HGH: For Sprinters Only! - Garvan Institute of Medical Research!

In a study conducted by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, Australia, 103 athletes got low doses of Human Growth Hormone (HGH) so as to measure the performance enhancing effects of the hormone.

Generally these were low doses of the drug so as to keep it safe. Sports dopers on the the other hand would probably demand higher doses and more sophisticated ways of masking the hormone.

I don't want to publish the heart of the article so it is a must read if you want to hear about side effects, what WADA had to say who were the sponsors of the study, and how it compares to testosterone injections

The findings? From Associated Press:

They lifted weights, jumped and rode exercise bikes to test their physical performance. Growth hormone didn't improve strength, power or endurance, the researchers said. The only improvement was for sprinting on a bicycle, a 4 percent increase in sprint capacity compared to those who didn't get the hormone. In men who also got testosterone shots, there was an 8 percent increase.

The researchers speculated that the boost from growth hormone alone is enough to shave off about half a second in a 10-second sprint over 100 meters. That little time "divides the winner from the last place finisher," said Ho.

The study volunteers who took growth hormone lost body fat and gained lean body mass, but it was mostly from water retention, not from bulking up muscle, the researchers reported in Tuesday's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

[Link]


I support studies like these especially when they reveal formerly unknown side effects to the public such as the ones listed in the article.

3 comments:

Lucas said...

Tony,

The link you left only goes to the picture in your article. I'm not sure you'll be able to link to the actual journal article (since it's probably copyright protected). Can you provide the reference (first author, jounal volume, edition, and page)?

Thanks!

Tony Austin said...

It is fixed now, I had to find another version of the article.

Unknown said...

I think the final point is also vitally important -- that athletes doping with HGH are often not using only HGH.