University Network

Injecting growth hormone (GH) and expecting enhanced physical performance is nothing but a myth, according to a new dissertation from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University in Sweden. It was also revealed that GH does not cause or facilitate muscle mass or physical performance in any manner.

Growth hormone does not bring any dramatic benefits like other anabolic steroids but may prove dangerous as it can lead to serious side effects such as damage to the blood vessels and heart.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Many of those who abuse anabolic steroids regard growth hormone as the Rolls Royce of doping agents: it is significantly more expensive to use than anabolic steroids. There is, however, no scientific evidence that it increases performance when used alone as a doping agent”, says Dr. Christer Ehrnborg.

Christer Ehrnborg has studied 30 well-trained people living in Göteborg. Twenty of these injected large doses of growth hormone each day for a month, while the other 10 believed that they also were receiving growth hormone but received injections of harmless saline solution instead. Tests of the participants’ physical performance on an exercise cycle showed that the participants receiving growth hormone did not perform better than those receiving saline solution.

“It has been a matter of controversy whether growth hormone actually causes an effect or whether it is a matter involving mass psychology. Both our study and studies carried out by others suggest that taking growth hormone will not make you a better athlete”, says Christer Ehrnborg.

It was remarked by Christer Ehrnborg that athletics using GH may experience immediate effect in the body but that does not mean that the intake was ever worth the effort. It was further revealed that there are no effects of increased muscle mass from the growth hormone as per the conducted experiments.

Category: Anabolic Steroids | Tags: doping in sports, GH, growth hormone, muscle mass, physical performance