SOURCE-LINKED STUDY SUMMARY
The effects of growth hormone on body composition and physical performance in recreational athletes: a randomized trial.
Abstract summarizedQuality not appraised
- What was studied
- A randomized, placebo-controlled trial tested growth hormone alone or with testosterone on body composition and physical performance in recreational athletes.
- Who / model studied
- Recreational athletes were studied in a blinded controlled experiment.
- Studied dose & schedule
- Eight weeks of assigned treatment followed by a six-week washout; growth hormone was tested alone and in combination with testosterone against placebo conditions.
- What the study found
- Growth hormone reduced fat mass and increased measured lean mass, with part of the lean-mass signal attributed to extracellular water and body cell mass. Sprint capacity improved, while broad strength and endurance effects were limited.
- Limitations & context
- The short trial and washout do not establish long-term performance benefit or safety. Findings from recreational athletes should not be generalized to growth-hormone deficiency treatment.
Read summary source ↗ · Prepared 9/25/2026 · AI-assisted, source-based summary
Review record & corrections
Summary prepared: . Source scope: abstract. This is an AI-assisted source summary, not an independent clinician sign-off.
No public field-by-field revision history is available for this card yet. The date above is the summary date, not proof that every field was updated then.
Inspect the source · Correction policyResearch findings apply to the population and conditions studied. This educational summary is not a treatment recommendation or a formal assessment of study quality.
Original publication ↗ · DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-152-9-201005040-00007