Growth hormone in bodybuilding: anabolic or not?

Growth hormone first came to bodybuilding over 30 years ago. It was a very expensive drug at the time. Since 1985, a new technology for producing growth hormone has appeared, and its cost has become somewhat lower

At the same time, Dan DuShane announced that Growth hormone is a powerful anabolic. True, after a while he retracted his words and took the opposite position, arguing that Somatotropin is not of interest for bodybuilders. Today this topic is still very much discussed.

In medicine, there is the concept of acromegaly. This is a pathological condition when a large amount of growth hormone is synthesized in the human body. If you do not take timely measures to treat it, then the active growth of adipose tissue begins and a large amount of water is retained in the body

A person with acromegaly may have a large muscle mass, but his physical parameters remain unchanged. For this reason, some experts doubt the anabolic properties of growth hormone. We will try to answer the question of whether growth hormone in bodybuilding is an anabolic or not.

What is growth hormone?

Growth hormone is a peptide hormone, the molecule of which includes more than 190 amino acid compounds. Its main task in the body is to stimulate cell growth and body regeneration. About ten years ago, the results of one study were published in which growth hormone was used by older men. As a result, their fat mass has decreased and their bone strength has increased.

This was the reason for the appointment of growth hormone as a means of rejuvenation, and a ban was introduced in the United States on its storage and distribution for non-medical purposes. More information here: https://anabolicmenu.ws/global-anabolic-glotropin-40iu/

Acromegaly leads to disfiguring consequences. People with this disorder are overweight and overweight. For this reason, it has been suggested that the drug can also increase muscle mass if used in certain dosages

In the course of numerous experiments, data appeared on the high effectiveness of the drug in the fight against excess weight. Scientists have found that growth hormone is actively involved in the regulation of fat levels in the body. However, there are still reasons to doubt the anabolic properties of growth hormone.

In one experiment, a group of young people was injected with Somatotropin five times during the week. Before that, they did not attend the gym and did not lead an active lifestyle. The study lasted three months, and throughout this period the subjects trained in the style of bodybuilders. As a result, no differences were seen between the HGH and placebo users. It should also be noted that scientists not only did not record an increase in the rate of synthesis of protein compounds, but the catabolic background remained the same, although the secretion of insulin-like growth factor increased significantly.

Scientists believe IGF-1 has powerful anabolic effects. Recall that IGF-1 is a peptide and its synthesis depends on Growth hormone. It is not only able to prevent growth deficits in childhood, but also maintains a normal ratio of muscle to fat mass.

However, its anabolic properties have so far been found only in people with various hormonal disorders. It is possible that the substance cannot have a powerful anabolic effect on a healthy person. Probably, somatotropin has similar properties.

Today it is too early to give an exact answer to the question – is growth hormone in bodybuilding an anabolic or not. Some scientists put forward the theory that Growth hormone is more conducive to the growth of connective tissue, rather than muscle. This is what can explain the absence of changes in strength indicators.

For a long time, the cost of growth hormone was very high, and this was the reason for the counterfeiting of the drug. For this reason, you can find not a very large number of reviews of professional athletes who have used Growth hormone . After all, steroids cost significantly less, and their effectiveness has been proven by several decades of use in sports.

So far, no one can say for sure whether growth hormone in bodybuilding is anabolic or not. But, despite this, the drug is increasingly used by athletes.