Does HGH affect athletic performance?

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I frequently hear people say Human Growth Hormone doesn’t affect athletic performance. Inevitably their source is… some other guy who said Human Growth Hormone doesn’t affect athletic performance.

Wrong:

Growth hormone increased the athletes’ ability to sprint on a bicycle but had no effects on fitness or their ability to pull a weight or jump. The effect on sprint capacity was nearly doubled in men who also received testosterone injections. Performance returned to normal 6 weeks after participants stopped receiving growth hormone and testosterone injections. Athletes who received growth hormone did not increase muscle mass but retained body fluid and had swelling and joint pain more often than those who received salt water injections.

Source: “Effects of Growth Hormone Doping on Athletic Performance” from Annals of Internal Medicine, May 4, 2010 vol. 152 no. 9 I-44

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