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Submitted on June 24, 2004
Accepted on March 15, 2005
Departments of Clinical Physiology, Endocrinologyand Clinical Nutrition, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg; Karolinska Institute, Stockholm; Sweden
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: kencai{at}ki.se.
Context. In spite of the fact that the use of growth hormone (GH) as a doping agent in sports is widespread, little is known about its short-term effects.
Objective. To study the effects of GH on exercise capacity.
Design. Double-blind, placebo-controlled study; treatment period 28 days.
Setting. Subjects from general community studied ambulatory at a university hospital.
Participants. 30 healthy active young normal volunteers, 15 female and 15 male, were recruited by local announcement and all completed the study.
Intervention. All the subjects were randomized to receive a low GH dose (0.033 mg, or 0.1 IU, per kg/day), a high GH dose (0.067 mg, or 0.2 IU, per kg/day) or placebo.
Main outcome measures. Power output and oxygen uptake (VO2) on bicycle exercise.
Results. We found no effect by the low or high dosages of GH on maximum oxygen uptake during exercise (mean ± SE for placebo 45.2 ± 1.6 to 45.2 ± 2.1ml/kg/min, GH low dose 42.8 ± 1.6 to 42.8 ± 1.6 ml/kg/min and GH high dose 44.8 ± 3.4 to 44.8 ± 2.2 ml/kg/min; two-way ANOVA not significant). Neither was there any effect on maximum achieved power output during exercise, nor on blood pressure, heart rate or the electrocardiographic ST-level at rest or during exercise. GH significantly increased total body weight (P = 0.028), an effect predominantly ascribed to fluid retention (increased extracellular water volume, ECW), while muscle mass (as indicated by intracellular water volume, ICW) did not change. However, changes of the latter correlated to changes in physical performance, possibly due to different training efforts.
Conclusion. Supraphysiologic rhGH during a period of 4 weeks does not improve power output or oxygen uptake.
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