Steroids Blog

The provision of growth hormone (GH) or its off-label use is termed as illegal in the United States when it comes to treating aging and forms of age-associated illness as per a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study authors were Dr. Thomas Perls, Director of the New England Centenarian Study at Boston Medical Center and associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine; Dr. Neal Reisman, clinical professor of plastic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine and associate chief of plastic surgery at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital, who is also an attorney; and S. Jay Olshansky, professor of epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Prescribing and administering HGH has become a routine intervention in an industry that is variably called anti-aging, regenerative, longevity or age management medicine,” said Perls. “Hundreds of thousands of patients who have received HGH in recent years as a purported treatment for aging are unaware that they are receiving the drug illegally.

“Although there is no evidence that HGH administration stops or reverses aging, many people spend a great deal of money on these products,” Perls said. “On the contrary, responsibly conducted and peer-reviewed science indicates that HGH could in fact accelerate aging and shorten lifespan. It is associated with very high rates of serious adverse effects, and long-term use could increase one’s risk of cancer.”

According to Olshansky, “off-label use for many drugs is a normal and accepted practice in medicine, but that is not true for growth hormone. According to laws instituted by Congress more than 10 years ago, HGH can only be distributed for indications specifically authorized by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and aging and its related disorders are not among them. The use of HGH as an alleged anti-aging intervention is a major public health concern not just because it is illegal, but also because its provision for anti-aging is not supported by science and it is potentially harmful.”

Reisman suggested that the study paper is creating necessary awareness among members of the public about the legal concerns around the unauthorized distribution, marketing, and discouraging criminal practices in respect to growth hormone.

The effect of growth hormones in increasing muscle mass is a controversial topic. Growth hormones became a popular doping agent way back in the 80s. However, steroids users consider this agent as an expensive one. Most growth hormones users were elite athletes. It does not cause episodes of male aggression unlike anabolic steroids. Growth hormones, however, can cause heart and blood vessel damage.

In a recent study conducted by Christer Ehrnborg and colleagues from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Goterborg University in Sweden, growth hormones were found to have no effect on muscle mass and physical performance.

Thirty well-trained people were observed. Twenty had growth hormone injections while ten only had placebo injections containing saline solution. They were injected every day for a month. Participants were then subjected to an exercise cycle to assess their performance. Results showed that those who received growth hormone injections did not actually have an advantage over those who only received saline solution.

Furthermore, body compositions of the participants were measured. Body fats were found to be significantly lower in those who received steroid injections but they were also observed to have increased water retention.

Doping with growth hormone is difficult to detect since natural growth hormones in the body vary for each person. A new test, however, is being developed based on this study conducted. This is to determine accurately growth hormone doping in athletes.

From The Medical News:

Anyone who injects growth hormone with the intention of gaining muscle mass and improving performance should think again.

The hormone improves neither muscle mass nor physical performance. This is shown in a new dissertation from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University in Sweden.

Roger Clemens had decided to speak out in public to once again deny the issue on steroid use. He claimed that his former trainer Brian McNamee never administered HGH or steroids on him. Clemens also told the media that he never considered using steroids since their family has a history of heart problems.

In the midst of the steroid controversy, Clemens filed a defamation case against former trainer Brian McNamee who told baseball investigator George Mitchell he had injected Clemens with steroids.

From RGJ.com:

Roger Clemens broke his silence Tuesday, again denying that former personal trainer Brian McNamee injected him with performance-enhancing drugs in his first public comments in more than a year.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner was interviewed by phone on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike in the Morning.” He said he chose to speak out Tuesday because it was the official release date of a book about his alleged drug use.

“He’s never injected me with HGH or steroids,” Clemens said of McNamee, who told baseball investigator George Mitchell he had injected Clemens with drugs.

“American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America’s Pastime,” by four New York Daily News reporters, recaps previous reports in the newspaper.

Clemens said he had given a DNA sample to federal investigators but that syringes provided by McNamee would not link him to performance-enhancing drug use.

Clemens is under investigation by a federal grand jury in Washington that is trying to determine whether he lied when he told a congressional committee last year that he had not used illegal performance-enhancing drugs.

The seven-time Cy Young Award winner, Roger Clemens said that he chose to comment publicly on Tuesday because it is the release date of a book that talks about his alleged steroids history.