** Versus Baseline. (Non-Dosing day vs. Dosing day) Average peak Serum GH following administration ofHGHUP? was 11.8 ng/mL ± 1.06 ng/mL, representing an average total rise of 2,379% in Serum GH values for the group."
HGHup Study
Applied Nutriceuticals® Unpublished Research, Nov. 2009,
Copyright © 2009 by Applied Nutriceuticals
The Acute Effects of a Dietary Supplement on Serum Growth Hormone Levels in Weight-Trained Male Subjects
Tanis, D., Orrell, D., McAnulty, A., and Long, Dr. W.
Lab Corp® and Applied Nutriceuticals® Research, Charlotte, North Carolina 28269
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dirk Tanis, Jr., MSci, Department of Research, Applied Nutriceuticals®, 8112 Statesville Road Suite G, Charlotte, NC 28269.
Abstract
Many weight-trained men seek to raise circulating serum growth hormone (GH) levels, both through training, and supplementation. The major source of circulating GH is the pituitary. The known anabolic effects of GH on skeletal muscle, and the current rise in supplements on the current market that purport increases in GH and related body composition, has become a huge market in the United States. Most oral growth hormone supplements have been shown to be ineffective, due to various factors, and, aside from several medically-supervised challenge tests, injectible peptides have historically been the only way to increase GH levels. However, a dietary supplement formulation that recently hit the International market, HGH-Up(TM), containing L-Dopa, a Dopa Decarboxylase Inhibitor (DDCI), specific vitamins and minerals, and Huperzine-A, a potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and somatostatin inhibitor seems to be promising in allowing for the increase of Serum GH in weight-trained men. We sought to test this hypothesis in the study. Methods: 3 men (mean age, 33 ± 3.2 yr, range 22-44) with at least 5 years of weight-training experience were studied. Parameters measured were mean body weight (230.0 lbs ± 20.2 lbs.), mean body fat (10.2 % ± 0.92%), mean muscular mass (206.54 lbs. ± 18.5 lbs.), and mean fat mass (23.46 lbs ± 2.11 lbs). Serum GH levels were measured via bloodwork (LabCorp®) on two separate days, after an overnight fast. Serum GH levels were measured with (Test) and without (Baseline) having taken the supplement, with serum GH being measured at time (t)= -15, 45, 90, and 150 min. 4 separate blood draws per analysis period were taken; 8 total per subject over two separate days, and on the test day, subjects were given a 6 capsule dosage of the supplement (t=0). Results:Each of the 3 weight-trained men (100%) had frank increases in serum GH levels after a 6 capsule dosage of HGH-Up(TM) when compared to baseline values. Average baseline Serum GH for the entire group was 0.496 ng/mL ± 0.045 ng/mL (SEM). Average peak Serum GH following administration of the supplement was 11.8 ng/mL ± 1.06 ng/mL, representing an average total rise of 2,379% in Serum GH values for the group.
Introduction
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is a known anabolic agent found in the human body. We and others have found that adding supraphysiological doses of HGH can lead to an increase in muscle mass, a decrease in body fat, and increases in recovery time from strenuous weight training (28). A multitude of products currently exist on the sports supplement market that purport to increase HGH, and many of these products are completely ineffective, due to a variety of reasons (7, 31). However, a new supplement formulation that was recently released to the public, HGH-Up(TM) , containing L-Dopa, a Dopa Decarboxylase Inhibitor (DDCI), specific vitamins and minerals, and Huperzine-A, a potent acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and somatostatin inhibitor seems to be promising in allowing for the increase of Serum GH in weight-trained men (12,20,21,29,30,32,41). We therefore sought to test the hypothesis that HGH-Up(TM) could increase serum HGH levels. To stimulate GH secretion, we chose a dosage of 6 HGH-Up(TM), taken first thing in the morning, after an overnight fast. The same group of subjects received a series of blood draws (measuring serum GH levels) on two separate days- one testing period after taking HGH-Up(TM), and one testing period without taking HGH-Up(TM). Serum HGH levels were matched on time-related variables, with normal GH values upon the first four hours after waking being factored in, and reference values for serum GH levels over a 24-hour period for the age range included in our cohort were generated and listed below in Figure 2.
Methods
Subjects
Three men between the ages of 22 and 44 yr (mean age, 33 ± 3.2 yr) were studied. There were no clinical, biochemical, or densitometric differences between those who underwent GH testing and those who did not. No patient had a history of thyroid dysfunction, glucocorticoid or anticonvulsant use, diabetes mellitus, gastrointestinal disease, gastrointestinal surgery, acromegaly, malignancy, or any other known metabolic disease. No patient had a history of alcoholism. All subjects were required to have at least 5 years of weight training experience. Parameters measured before the draw were mean body weight (230.0 lbs. ± 20.2 lbs.), mean muscular mass (206.54 lbs. ± 18.5 lbs.), mean body fat (10.2% lbs. ± 0.92%), and mean fat mass (23.46 lbs ± 2.11 lbs). There was no history of childhood GH deficiency or growth disturbance, no history of delayed puberty, and no history of pituitary disease or deficiency. All subjects gave written informed consent.
Serum GH testing
There were two separate days of testing: Testing Day 1 (1), where each subject received a dosage of HGH-UP(TM), and Testing Day 2 (2), where none of the subjects received a dosage of the product. During testing days 1 and 2, 4 separate blood draws occurred on each day (via Lab Corp). At t=0 on Testing Day 1, each subject orally ingested six (6) capsules of HGH-Up(TM), and Serum GH levels were sampled at time (t)= -15, 45, 90, and 150 min. On Testing Day 2, Serum GH levels were sampled at (t)= 0, 45, 90, and 150 min, and with no oral ingestion of HGH-Up(TM) occurring. Studies were performed in the morning after an overnight fast, and the testing periods were separated by a period of 2 days.
Assays
Routine serum biochemical measurements were made using standard techniques. GH was measured by ICMA and expressed in nanograms per milliliter. All samples from each respective testing period were batched and assayed at the same time (36-40).
Body Mass Measurements
Body mass measurements (mean body weight, mean body fat, mean lean body mass, and mean fat mass) were taken on each subject. Body weight was recorded on a NIST-Calibrated Pelouze 4040 Scale, and body fat percentages were determined by using a set of NIST-Calibrated SKF Calipers. Measurements (7 total for each subject) were taken on the chest, abdomen, triceps, subscapula, suprailiac, midaxilla, and thigh. Results of the skin fold measurements were analyzed via the 7 SKF Jackson-Pollock Equation (43).
Results
Results of average GH (in ng/mL) taken via RIA during both periods of analysis are shown in Table 1. Subjects had no clinical evidence of anterior pituitary hormone abnormalities (3,5). For the group, mean body weight was 230.0 lbs. ± 20.2 lbs., mean muscular mass was 206.54 lbs. ± 18.5 lbs., mean body fat was 10.2% lbs. ± 0.92%, and mean fat mass was 23.46 lbs ± 2.11 lbs. These values are comparable to average for experienced weight-trained males of a comparable mean age (43).
Peak GH responsiveness was defined as the highest average level achieved by each group during either analysis period (1,2,4,44). All three patients responded maximally to the supplement, with a mean peak value of 11.8 ng/mL. Average baseline Serum GH for the entire group was 0.496 ng/mL ± 0.045 ng/mL, representing a increase above baseline of 2,379%. There was a steady curve of increase in each of the Test group values post-administration of the supplement, with values increasing all the way through 150 minutes. All three subjects achieved peak GH at 150 min after dosing the supplement, and one subject responded as early as 30 min. after dosing. All three subjects reported feeling extreme hunger within 90 minutes of dosing the supplement, lasting until the end of the testing period.
During the Baseline period, all three patients had minor fluctuations in GH levels, within the 0.2-2.5 ng/mL range, with a 2.5 ng/mL reading being the outlier, with the next largest value at 1.4 ng/mL. One subject reported feeling very sleepy and hungry during the baseline period, but there were no other complaints reported.
For the entire 2.5 h after having taken the supplement, the group of men produced an average of 3.72 ± 0.33 ng/mL per min of GH compared with production in the Baseline group of 0.38 ± 0.033 ng/mL per min. Total secretory output amounted to 558 ng/mL ± 50.22 ng/mL in the Test group, with a secretory output of 57 ng/mL ± 5.13 ng/mL in the Baseline group.
Discussion
The results of this investigation demonstrate that the supplement does raise mean serum GH in normal weight training males. The study was prompted by the massive amount of ineffective growth hormone products currently circulating on the supplement market. Consumers spend millions of dollars per year, only to get products that simply do not do what they claim, and this can have a deleterious effect on the sports supplement market as a whole, both in terms of reputation and overall consumer purchasing.
The increased levels of GH observed in each of the 3 subjects, especially on the second and third respective draws, indicate that the supplement shows extreme promise in this market. Increased GH can have numerous positive effects in terms of body fat loss and increased anabolism, and an orally viable non-prescription supplement that can allow end users a plausible alternative to prescription/pharmaceutical chemical intervention (20,33,35). This alone was a compelling reason to study potential GH secretory dynamics in a group of male weight trainers to explore how the supplement could manipulate GH in a time-dependant manner.
