Growth Hormone May Boost Sprinting

Human growth hormone may help athletes sprint faster, new research suggests. But it doesn’t improve strength, endurance or fitness, the study found. Use of human growth hormone is banned in the Olympics and many other sports. But its effect on athletic performance has not been studied much. This is the largest and longest study so far. It included 96 young adult men and women. All were recreational athletes. They were randomly divided into two groups. For two months, one group received injections of human growth hormone. The other group got salt water injections. Researchers had them lift weights, jump and ride exercise bicycles to test their performance. People who got the real hormone improved only on the exercise bike. Their sprint capacity improved by 4%. Researchers said that’s enough to push an athlete from the back to the front of the pack in a 100-meter race.