As discussions around performance enhancing drug scandals, doping and potential multi-game suspensions continue to plague Major League Baseball and some of its top talent; Health Talk recently talked with U of M experts about how human growth hormone (HGH) and testosterone actually affect performance.Lorcaserin powder
We sought out University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy
pharmacology and drugs of abuse expert David Ferguson, Ph.D., and
Bradley S. Miller, M.D., Ph.D., a pediatric endocrinologist with the
University of Minnesota Medical School who has studied growth and
development associated with HGH.
Ferguson: Definitely. Testosterone is listed in the textbooks for
performance enhancement and HGH, while newer to the game, is also
listed. Football, baseball, the Olympics and many other sports list both
as performance enhancers, although football still isn’t testing for
HGH.
Health Talk: So both HGH and testosterone can enhance performance. Do they work in similar ways?
Ferguson: The two function differently. Testosterone is a steroidal hormone that causes fairly rapid increases in lean muscle mass and strength. It’s a small molecule that’s primarily responsible for growth, and it influences and enhances male characteristics such as muscle and bone mass, aggression, and facial hair among other things. Testosterone is very potent when taken orally as a pill, applied topically as a gel, or injected with a syringe. The consequences of abuse are well documented to produce long-term effects in users. HGH, on the other hand, is a protein. HGH activates a receptor that tells cells that cause growth to turn on. It’s a large protein, as opposed to a small molecule. Additional HGH is introduced to the body via an injection… not pills or gels.
Miller: HGH introduces a slower onset of strength than testosterone
might. HGH tells the body to use calories to build muscle and bone. If
you were deficient, you would store them as fat. Studies have shown you
recover from injury associated with athletics more quickly.
Ferguson: Testosterone use is very well documented. There are really good tests out there to detect it’s abuse.
Miller: You can measure levels and ratios of growth hormones in the body to detect HGH. But you’d have to catch somebody the day they take HGH, because it has a pretty quick half-life. Levels come down pretty quickly once you stop taking it. Mayo Clinic researchers are currently looking into better ways to detect it.
Health Talk: Both HGH and testosterone are available with a prescription. What are their appropriate uses?
Ferguson: Testosterone can help restore libido in older men, which can help with erectile dysfunction. It is commonly used in replacement therapy to alleviate metabolic disorders or deficiencies in people young or old.
Miller: HGH, on the other hand, is responsible for growth. It has a lot of uses in pediatrics and in people with growth-related disorders. For example, it can help cancer patients—especially children—regain growth after chemotherapy
