How growth hormone helps in sports and can it be increased

What is growth hormone and why do adults need it

A growth hormoneC. P. Velloso. Regulation of muscle mass by growth hormone and IGF‑I / British Journal of Pharmacology, or somatotropin, is a peptide hormone that is produced in the anterior pituitary gland, affects protein synthesis, regulates carbohydrate metabolism and is involved in the work of many systems and organs.

Throughout life, the amount of somatotropin changes: reachesJ. M. Garcia, G. R. Merriam, A.Y. Kargi. Growth Hormone in Aging / Endotext peaks in adolescence (150 ng/kg body weight per day), and after 30 years decreases by about 15% per decade.

After the human body is fully formed, growth hormone continues to perform many important tasks. He governsJ. Devesa, C. Almenglo, P. Devesa. Multiple Effects of Growth Hormone in the Body: Is it Really the Hormone for Growth? / Clinical Medicine Insights: Endocrinology and Diabetes the work of the liver and heart, supportsR Nass 1, R M Huber, V Klauss. Effect of growth hormone (hGH) replacement therapy on physical work capacity and cardiac and pulmonary function in patients with hGH deficiency acquired in adulthood / The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism

physical endurance and cognitive function, and protects1. S. A. Beshyah, C. Freemantle, E. Thomas. Abnormal body composition and reduced bone mass in growth hormone deficient hypopituitary adults / Clinical endocrinology,
2. N. Moller, J. Oh L. Jørgensen. Effects of growth hormone on glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism in human subjects / Endocrine reviews from fat accumulation and muscle loss.

Since the decline in growth hormone connected1. A. Bian, Y. Ma, X. Zhou. Association between sarcopenia and levels of growth hormone and insulin‑like growth factor‑1 in the elderly / BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders,
2. S. A. Beshyah, C. Freemantle, E. Thomas. Abnormal body composition and reduced bone mass in growth hormone deficient hypopituitary adults / Clinical endocrinology with muscle wasting and fat gain, it can be assumed that by increasing the amount of somatotropin, you can quickly pump up and become dry. But not everything is so simple.

Does Growth Hormone Really Help Build Muscle?

Somatotropin affectsN. Moller, M. H. Vendelbo, U. Kampmann. Growth hormone and protein metabolism / Clinical nutrition on the production of hormones insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and insulin, which provide an anabolic effect - increase protein synthesis and reduce its breakdown.

However, supplemental growth hormone helps build muscle only in patients with somatotropin deficiency. Healthy people will benefit little from such a supplement, young and old alike.

In three scientific papers, somatotropin used1. K. H. Lange, J. L. Anderson, N. beyer. GH administration changes myosin heavy chain isoforms in skeletal muscle but does not augment muscle strength or hypertrophy, either alone or combined with resistance exercise training in healthy elderly men / The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism,
2. J. v. Hennessey, J. A. Chromiak, S. D. Venture. Growth hormone administration and exercise effects on muscle fiber type and diameter in moderately frail older people / Journal of the American Geriatrics Society,
3. D. R. Taaffe, L. Pruitt, J. Reim. Effect of recombinant human growth hormone on the muscle strength response to resistance exercise in elderly men / The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism both alone and in addition to strength training and did not see benefits for muscle growth.

Two other studies found that growth hormone increases1. K. E. Yarasheski, J. J. Zachwieja, J. A. Campbell. Effect of growth hormone and resistance exercise on muscle growth and strength in older men / The American journal of physiology,
2. K. E. Yarasheski, J. A. Campbell, K. Smith. Effect of growth hormone and resistance exercise on muscle growth in young men / The American journal of physiology protein synthesis in the body after strength training, both in young and old people. But in both cases, the muscles grow no more than those who simply do strength training and receive a placebo.

The fact is that after taking growth hormone, protein synthesis is accelerating1. K. E. Yarasheski, J. J. Zachweija, T. J. Angelopoulos. Short‑term growth hormone treatment does not increase muscle protein synthesis in experienced weight lifters / Journal of applied physiology,
2. K. E. Yarasheski, J. A. Campbell, K. Smith. Effect of growth hormone and resistance exercise on muscle growth in young men / The American journal of physiology[ not in muscles, but in other tissues - for example, connective. Thus, body weight without fat maybeD. Rudman, A. G. Feller, H. S. Nagraj. Effects of human growth hormone in men over 60 years old / The New England journal of medicine increase, but this will not affect the volume of muscles.

In the analysis of 27 scientific papers notedH. Liu, D. M. Bravata, I. Olkin. Systematic review: the effects of growth hormone on athletic performance / Annals of internal medicinethat taking growth hormone for 20 days increases lean body mass by 2.1 kg, but will not affect strength. What's more, it raises lactate levels during exercise and can cause soft tissue swelling and fatigue.

In a sports environment, growth hormone is often combined with other anabolics, for example testosteroneand taken in large doses. Such "cocktails" can really help in building muscle, but there are almost no scientific works on their effectiveness and safety.

Why growth hormone is important for athletes and bodybuilders

Despite the fact that growth hormone does not help build muscle, it is still useful for sports and fitness for several reasons at once.

Reduces the percentage of fat and keeps the muscles "drying"

A growth hormone stimulatesN. Moller, O. Schmitz, N. Pörksen. Dose‑response studies on the metabolic effects of a growth hormone pulse in humans / Metabolism release and oxidation of free fatty acids and provides good results in losing weight.

In one study, growth hormone helped loseD. Rudman, A. G. Feller, H. S. Nagraj. Effects of human growth hormone in men over 60 years old / The New England journal of medicine 14% fat for older men, in another - improvedC. Franco, J. Brandberg, L. Lonn. Growth Hormone Treatment Reduces Abdominal Visceral Fat in Postmenopausal Women with Abdominal Obesity: A 12‑Month Placebo‑Controlled Trial / The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism insulin sensitivity and reduced the amount of visceral fat in postmenopausal women.

According to reviewH. Liu, D. M. Bravata, I. Olkin. Systematic review: the safety and efficacy of growth hormone in the healthy elderly / Annals of internal medicine 18 studies show that half a year of taking growth hormone helps older people reduce fat mass by an average of 2 kg.

It is also useful for young people. In one experimentK. R. Kim, S. Y. Nam, Y. D. Song. Low-dose growth hormone treatment with diet restriction accelerates body fat loss, exerts anabolic effect and improves growth hormone secretory dysfunction in obese adults / European review of endocrinology in 12 weeks of taking growth hormone in addition to the diet, young people lost 1.6 times more weight and 6.8% more belly fat than participants in the control group at placebo.

Moreover, they did not lose muscle mass, while the placebo group lost about 2.6 kg of dry mass due to a calorie deficit.

It can be concluded that the ability of growth hormone to slow down the breakdown of protein and preserve muscle in case of malnutrition and severe loads can be useful for athletes during the "drying" period - when it is important to lose as much fat as possible and at the same time maintain muscles.

May help during recovery

Since somatotropin preserves muscle during dieting, the scientists assumed that it would help maintain muscle mass during the period of immobility after surgery, and they were not mistaken.

In one researchC. L. Mendias, E. R. S. Enselman A. M. Olszewski. The Use of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone to Protect Against Muscle Weakness in Patients Undergoing Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Pilot, Randomized Placebo‑Controlled Trial / The American Journal of sport medicine used growth hormone for patients who underwent surgical repair of the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee.

In people who received it for 6 weeks, the extension force knee was 29% higher than those who were injected with placebo. Moreover, the level of an enzyme indicating cartilage degradation was 36% lower than in the control group.

In another experimentS. Doessing, K. M. Heinemeier, L. Holm. Growth hormone stimulates the collagen synthesis in human tendon and skeletal muscle without affecting myofibrillar protein synthesis / The Journal of Physiology found that taking growth hormone for two weeks increases collagen synthesis in tendons by 1.3 times, and in muscles by 5.8 times.

In the future, this may speed upS. Doessing, M. Kjaer. Can growth hormone strengthen the connective tissue of muscle and tendon? / The Physiological Society recovery from muscle and tendon injuries and protect against future damage.

How to Increase Your Growth Hormone Levels Naturally

In addition to being growth hormone countsProhibited list 2022. World Anti-Doping Code doping and is prohibited for use by athletes, it will not be possible to buy it in a pharmacy without a prescription.

Moreover, taking it without a doctor's prescription can call J. M. Garcia, G. R. Merriam, A.Y. Kargi. Growth Hormone in Aging / Endotext side effects: soft tissue swelling, arthralgia (joint pain), carpal tunnel syndrome, gynecomastia, disorders in glucose metabolism and diabetes mellitus.

However, you can increase growth hormone naturally, without the use of injections and health risks.

Try intermittent fasting

According to research1. M. L. Hartman, J. D. Veldhuis, M. L. Johnson. Augmented growth hormone (GH) secretory burst frequency and amplitude mediate enhanced GH secretion during a two‑day fast in normal men / The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism,
2. N. Goldenberg, J. F. Horowitz A. Gorgey. Role of pulsatile growth hormone (GH) secretion in the regulation of lipolysis in fasting humans / Clinical diabetes and endocrinology2–5 days without food significantly increases growth hormone levels.

Of course, such a long period without food is impossible for athletes, but intermittent or intermittent fasting can be beneficial.

High insulin levels in response to food intake reducesR. Lanzi, L. Luzi, A. Caumo, A. C. Andreotti. Elevated insulin levels contribute to the reduced growth hormone (GH) response to GH‑releasing hormone in obese subjects / Metabolism the production of growth hormone, and periods of food refusal can positively affect the level of somatotropin.

There are different modes of intermittent fasting:

• 16/8 - you can eat for 8 hours and refrain from eating the rest of the time.
• 20/4 is a stricter option, in which you can only eat for 4 hours, and the rest of the time you need to do without food.
• 6/1 or 5/2 - 5-6 days a week eat as usual and then fast for 24-48 hours.

When planning your fasting intervals, prioritize earlier eating windows. For example, if you go to bed at 22 o'clock, it is better to eat from 10 to 18, and not, say, from 14 to 22.

Go to bed on time

Peak growth hormone production account for1. W. J. Kramer, N. A. Ratamess, W. C. Hymer. Growth Hormone(s), Testosterone, Insulin‑Like Growth Factors, and Cortisol: Roles and Integration for Cellular Development and Growth With Exercise / Frontiers in Endocrinology,
2. Y. Takahashi, D. M. Kipnis, and W. H. Daughaday. Growth hormone secretion during sleep / The Journal of clinical investigation in the first half of the night - from about 22 to 2 hours, and going on1. E. v. Cauter, L. Plat. Physiology of growth hormone secretion during sleep / The Journal of Pediatrics,
2. J. R. Davidson, H. Moldofsky, F. A. Lue. Growth hormone and cortisol secretion in relation to sleep and wakefulness / Journal of psychiatry and neuroscience during non-REM sleep.

In order for your body to produce a maximum of somatotropin and recover well, try to go to bed before midnight, ideally at 22-23 hours.

In addition, sleep deprivation can leadA. Bhat, A. S. Pires, V. Tan, S. b. Chidambaram, G. J. Guillemin. Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Tryptophan Metabolism / International Journal of Tryptophan Research to a decrease in the level of another hormone - melatoninwhich helps fight inflammation in the body and increases1. M. L. Forsling, M. J. Wheeler, A. J. Williams. The effect of melatonin administration on pituitary hormone secretion in man / Clinical endocrinology,
2. E. Nassar, C. Mulligan, L. Taylor. Effects of a single dose of N‑Acetyl‑5‑methoxytryptamine (Melatonin) and resistance exercise on the growth hormone/IGF‑1 axis in young males and females / Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition production of somatotropin.

So try not only to go to bed on time, but also spend at least 7-8 hours in bed.

Try Supplements

Here are a few supplements that can positively affect growth hormone levels:

• Glutamine. In one researchT. C. Welbourne. Increased plasma bicarbonate and growth hormone after an oral glutamine load / The American journal of clinical nutrition 1.5 hours after taking 2 g of the supplement, growth hormone levels in healthy men increased significantly.
• Creatine In one experimentJ. M. Schedel, H. Tanaka A. Kiyonaga. Acute creatine loading enhances human growth hormone secretion / The Journal of sports medicine and physical fitness taking 20 g of this acid increased growth hormone levels by 83% in healthy men.
• Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In two experiments1. M. E. Powers, J. F. Yarrow, S. C. McCoy. Growth hormone isoform responses to GABA ingestion at rest and after exercise / Medicine and science in sports and exercise,
  2. F. Cavagnini, C. Invitti, M. Pinto. Effect of acute and repeated administration of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) on growth hormone and prolactin secretion in man / Acta endocrinologica taking 3–5 g of GABA significantly increased growth hormone levels in young men.

Of course, there is too little research to conclude that supplements are effective, especially for all people, not just young healthy men.

But since glutamine, creatine and GABA already provide a number of benefits for athletes, the possible effect on somatotropin would be a nice bonus.

Give up sugar and alcohol

Sugar consumption dramatically reduces the amount of growth hormone, and chronic hyperglycemia - high blood glucose - violatesM. Hage, P. Kamenicky, P. Chanson. Growth Hormone Response to Oral Glucose Load: From Normal to Pathological Conditions / Neuroendocrinology its production.

By cutting out sweets, you can increase growth hormone levels as well as reduce inflammation in the body—double health and recovery benefits.

As far as alcohol is concerned, one experimentP. N. Prince, T. A. Roehrs, P. P. Vitaliano. Effect of alcohol on sleep and nighttime plasma growth hormone and cortisol concentrations / The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism found that 0.8 g of ethanol per 1 kg of body weight (about 150 g of vodka for a man weighing 75 kg) at bedtime reduced growth hormone production that night by 70–75%.

So if you can't stop drinking, drink less and do it well before you go to bed.

Do intense workouts

Physical exercise has a good effect on the level of growth hormone, although it is difficult to say which workouts will cause it to rise the most.

For example, in one experimentL. A. Consitt, R. J. Bloomer, L. Wideman. The effect of exercise type on immunofunctional and traditional growth hormone / European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology noted that strength exercises work better than long-term cardio. And in friendK. L. Gilbert, K. A. Stokes, G. M. Hall. Growth hormone responses to 3 different exercise bouts in 18- to 25- and 40- to 50‑year‑old men / Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism got the opposite results: 30 minutes of aerobic work caused a greater increase in somatotropin than intermittent sprints or strength training.

Likely to be decisive It hasC. J. Pritzlaff, L. Wideman, J. Y. Weltman. Impact of acute exercise intensity on pulsatile growth hormone release in men / Journal of applied physiology intensity. Yes, in one researchN. E. Felsing, J. A. Brasel, D. M. cooper. Effect of low and high intensity exercise on circulating growth hormone in men / The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism found that to get the effect, you need to exercise for at least 10 minutes beyond the anaerobic threshold, that is, at a pulse of about 70-80% of the maximum heart rate.

In another experimentK. Goto, N. Ishii, T. Kizuka. The impact of metabolic stress on hormonal responses and muscular adaptations / Medicine and science in sports and exercise noticed that men who rested for 30 seconds in the middle of a heavy set released far less growth hormone than those who worked non-stop.

So you can choose cardio on a pulse of 70-80% of the maximum heart rate, power loads or high-intensity interval complexes - all of these training regimens will increase the level of somatotropin well.

Just don't do everything at once. In one experimentK. Goto, M. Higashiyama, N. Ishii. Prior endurance exercise attenuates growth hormone response to subsequent resistance exercise / European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology found that if you pedal an hour on an exercise bike before power loads, at the end of the workout, the level of growth hormone will be lower than if you reduce cardio to 5 minutes.