Nutritional Control of Growth Hormone Release by Jerry Brainum 8/24

 

 

Human Growth Hormone is a primary anabolic hormone, along with testosterone, insulin, and insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1). As the name implies. Growth Hormone, or GH, helps to regulate growth and also maintains muscle and bone mass. The effect of GH on mitochondria, the powerhouse of cells, is vital for the metabolic processing of carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Bodybuilders and athletes are interested in GH because of the notion that it's a potent anabolic hormone and also because of its effects in promoting connective tissue health. However, many of these effects are not from GH but from insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 is produced in the liver under the direction of GH and also directly in muscle, where it exerts potent anabolic effects. Although GH is often called anabolic, it is anabolic only under certain circumstances. Those who are clinically deficient in GH and are provided with supplemental GH show definite anabolic effects that include increased muscle mass, especially when combined with resistance training. However, the anabolic effects of GH in those who are not deficient in GH, such as young men and women, are less clear. Indeed, studies that have involved providing GH to young men involved in bodybuilding have shown little or no additive anabolic effects. If that is so, why is GH so popular among elite competitive bodybuilders, especially professional bodybuilders, among whom its use is nearly universal? 

The answer is that although GH taken alone is not too anabolic when taken along with high-dose anabolic steroids and insulin, GH does provide additional anabolic effects. Not only that, but GH can mobilize stored fat, which increases muscular definition. That fact has led to some wild myths about the fat-burning effects of GH. Years ago, rumors abounded that if you used substantial doses of GH, it allowed you to consume unlimited calories without getting fat. The idea was that GH somehow oxidized fat at a rapid rate. That notion was just a myth, but it has some truth. For example, GH release is increased during an extended fast. That happens when body energy stores, such as glycogen in the liver, are exhausted. Since the body always requires a source of energy, when glycogen stores are depleted, the body will promote the release of GH to allow increased use of stored fat as an energy source. This is a protective action of the body to block the catabolism of lean mass, such as muscle. Indeed, GH is more anti-catabolic than anabolic, contrary to popular belief. The release of GH under fasting conditions doesn't occur until about 48 hours after the fast begins. Shorter periods of fasting will release negligible amounts of GH. 

The fact that GH helps to preserve muscle under stringent dieting conditions explains why bodybuilders favor it when . . .