Human growth hormone (HGH) has been used to treat the AIDS-related condition lipodystrophy because it encourages the body to increase its levels of lean tissue and helps reduce the build up of abdominal fat, which often occurs with the condition. While the hormone’s abdominal fat-reducing properties are obviously beneficial as such fat is associated with increased risk of heart attack, there has been some concern that HGH may also encourage fat loss from the arms and legs.
However, results of a recent study conducted at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, suggest that the effect HGH has on limb fat loss may not be as bad as was previously thought – in fact, there results suggests that HGH may even help to stabilize fat loss from these areas. For the study Dr G Moyle and his colleagues treated 12 HIV patients with a daily dose of 4mg of recombinant HGH for 12-weeks.The patients were then given a dose of HGH or a placebo, on alternate days, or just twice a week for another 12- weeks.
After the first 12-weeks of treatment tests revealed that abdominal fat levels had fallen significantly, however leg and arm fat levels remained stable. Furthermore, all patients reported improvements in facial and leg appearance. When the patients moved into the second, partial dose phase of the trial results showed that the benefits of the treatment quickly begin to wear off. Those who received a placebo saw their abdominal fat return, while lean muscle mass returned to baseline levels in both the placebo groups and those given HGH just twice weekly.
As well as suggesting that HGH does not promote limb fat loss but instead actually helps to stabilize it, the results also suggest that in order to sustain the muscle-building effects of the hormone it has to be taken at least once every other day.
SOURCE/REFERNCE: Moyle G et al. Growth hormone improves appearance and lean mass in lipoatrophic patients and these benefits are maintained with alternate day dosing. 42nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, San Diego, abstract H-1935, 2002
