Impact of GH administration on athletic performance in healthy young adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials

TY - JOUR

T1 - Impact of GH administration on athletic performance in healthy young adults

T2 - A systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials

AU - Hermansen, Kasper

AU - Bengtsen, Mads

AU - Kjær, Michael

AU - Vestergaard, Peter

AU - Jørgensen, Jens Otto Lunde

N1 - Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

PY - 2017/6/1

Y1 - 2017/6/1

N2 - Objective Illicit use of growth hormone (GH) as a performance-enhancing drug among athletes is prevalent, although the evidence of such effects in healthy, young subjects is sparse. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of published studies on the effect of GH administration on body composition, substrate metabolism, and athletic performance in healthy, young subjects. Design The English-language based databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched, and eligible articles were reviewed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Fifty-four potentially relevant articles were retrieved of which 11 were included in this analysis comprising 254 subjects. Results Administration of GH significantly increased lean body mass (p < 0.01) and decreased fat mass (p < 0.01). In addition, GH increased the exercising levels of glycerol (p = 0.01) and free fatty acids (p < 0.01), but did not alter the respiratory quotient during exercise (p = 0.30). GH significantly increased anaerobic exercise capacity (p < 0.01) in the only study which investigated this, but did not over weeks to months improve muscle strength (p = 0.36) or maximum oxygen uptake (p = 0.89). Conclusion GH administration elicits significant changes in body composition, but does not increase either muscle strength or aerobic exercise capacity in healthy, young subjects.

AB - Objective Illicit use of growth hormone (GH) as a performance-enhancing drug among athletes is prevalent, although the evidence of such effects in healthy, young subjects is sparse. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of published studies on the effect of GH administration on body composition, substrate metabolism, and athletic performance in healthy, young subjects. Design The English-language based databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched, and eligible articles were reviewed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Fifty-four potentially relevant articles were retrieved of which 11 were included in this analysis comprising 254 subjects. Results Administration of GH significantly increased lean body mass (p < 0.01) and decreased fat mass (p < 0.01). In addition, GH increased the exercising levels of glycerol (p = 0.01) and free fatty acids (p < 0.01), but did not alter the respiratory quotient during exercise (p = 0.30). GH significantly increased anaerobic exercise capacity (p < 0.01) in the only study which investigated this, but did not over weeks to months improve muscle strength (p = 0.36) or maximum oxygen uptake (p = 0.89). Conclusion GH administration elicits significant changes in body composition, but does not increase either muscle strength or aerobic exercise capacity in healthy, young subjects.

KW - Adult

KW - Athletic Performance

KW - Body Composition/drug effects

KW - Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic/statistics & numerical data

KW - Doping in Sports/methods

KW - Energy Metabolism/drug effects

KW - Exercise/physiology

KW - Health

KW - Human Growth Hormone/pharmacology

KW - Humans

KW - Muscle Strength/drug effects

KW - Placebos

KW - Young Adult

U2 - 10.1016/j.ghir.2017.05.005

DO - 10.1016/j.ghir.2017.05.005

M3 - Review

C2 - 28514721

SN - 1096-6374

VL - 34

SP - 38

EP - 44

JO - Growth Hormone & I G F Research

JF - Growth Hormone & I G F Research

ER -