Growth hormone, exercise, and athletic performance: A continued evolution of complexity

William J. Kraemer, Courtenay Dunn-Lewis, Brett A. Comstock, Gwendolyn A. Thomas, James E. Clark, Bradley C. Nindl

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

39 Scopus citations

Abstract

KRAEMER, W.J., C. DUNN-LEWIS, B.A. COMSTOCK, G.A. THOMAS, J.E. CLARK, and B.C. NINDL. Growth hormone, exercise, and athletic performance: a continued evolution of complexity. Curr. Sports Med. Rep., Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 242Y252, 2010. Growth hormone (hGH) presents pleiotropic effects in many tissues encompassing a diverse range of physiological actions. Its complexity as a family of hormones with different isoforms and different somatotroph molecular functions continues to challenge the status quo of our understanding of its release, function, and signaling. Owing to the fact that the majority of the literature has viewed hGH from the perspective of the primary 22 kD monomer, further investigation is needed as to the influence and biological activity of other aggregate and splice variant isoforms that are released into circulation. Its role over the life span and with supplementation yields equivocal results with more study needed. Testing for the use of hGH has progressed, and the first positive test was recently documented. Understanding of pituitary function and physiology will remain complex until the use of a broader range of analytical techniques, including assays, becomes mainstream.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)242-252
Number of pages11
JournalCurrent Sports Medicine Reports
Volume9
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2010
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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