A Growth Hormone-Releasing Supplement That Works? by Jerry Brainum 12/21

 

Growth hormone is one of the key anabolic hormones produced in the body. As the name implies, growth hormone (GH) is involved with growth processes that occur in both bone and muscle. But it does far more than that. In bodybuilding and athletics, GH has earned an almost mystical reputation because of its reputed potent anabolic properties. This has led to a plethora of misconceptions about how GH works and what it really does. I recall that when GH first became popular in bodybuilding in the early 1980s, rumors circulated that when you injected GH you could consume as much as 15,000 calories a day and still lose excess body fat at a steady rate. That turned out to be both false and ridiculous, although it does contain some truth in that GH is involved in the mobilization of fat from fat cells. GH itself is just a long string of 191 amino acids in a particular configuration with a double bond. Although the singular term "growth hormone" is often used, the truth is that the body produces over 100 varients or isoforms of GH, although only one or two of them produces the most familiar effects of GH related to fat loss and muscle building.

The advent of GH into bodybuilding resulted in a gradual change in the appearance of typical bodybuilding competitors. But it wasn't GH alone that was responsible for the 250-pound plus bodybuilders that began to appear in contests, especially on the professional level. What really accounted for these massive physiques was a combination of three anabolic hormones: anabolic steroids, growth hormone, and insulin. Bodybuilders were the first to discover that combining these drugs considerably boosted the anabolic effects of all three. Indeed, although it still engenders a magical reputation, GH alone is not that anabolic with one exception. In those who are clinically deficient in GH, definite anabolic effects are readily apparent. But when provided to those who aren't deficient in GH, the anabolic effects are slim to none. If this is so, how to account for all the reports of how bodybuilders used GH and developed massive physiques? What isn't often realized about GH is that it has potent water and sodium retaining abilities. GH retains so much extracellular water that it can produce a false picture of increased muscle size. This isn't hard to understand when you realize that muscle itself is 72% water. When it comes to increased muscular strength, GH is also a dud. But it does increase the strength of connective tissue, such as ligaments and tendons, and offers a degree of both healing and protection in those tissues. It does so by increasing the turnover and synthesis of collagen, the primary structural protein in connective tissue. Indeed, this is the primary reason why GH is used by athletes, who believe it will help to prevent injuries.

As with many things in science, bodybuilders are often . . .