HGH (recombinant human growth hormone)
Muscle Building · Recombinant peptide hormone
Tier C+
What this is
Rudman 1990 NEJM revived anti-aging interest — but followups show muscle gain with no functional improvement and high side effect burden. Liu 2007 Annals systematic review: in healthy older adults, HGH increases lean mass modestly but increases adverse events without improving performance. Expensive; counterfeits widespread in illicit market.
Mechanism
Exogenous somatotropin; binds GHR; raises IGF-1; lipolytic; promotes collagen, cartilage, connective tissue; muscle anabolism modest on its own but synergistic with androgens
Dose & route
Clinical: 0.005-0.03 mg/kg/day subQ; anti-aging/illicit: 2-4 IU/day
Citations
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17227932/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2355952/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4415725/
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This is an independent synthesis of published research by a non-clinician. Scores are opinions supported by citations, not prescriptions. See the full disclaimer and methodology for how this score was produced and what it does and doesn't mean.