Thursday, March 19, 2009

Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) & BodyBuilding Part 2

History

GHB was developed for its calming actions but over time it was realized that the chemical had the ability to induce sleep. However the drug has no analgesic activity and the onset of sleep was often associated with seizure like activity around the face and hands.

Soon, GHB was also widely available in the health food stores as a growth hormone supplement. The body builders jumped on to this drug in the belief that the drug could increase muscles mass. GHB was banned by the FDA many years ago because of its adverse side effects in individuals who were using it as a health supplement. However, its use continues unabated and the product is still widely available.

Use by bodybuilders

The number of body builders who is GHB is not known for sure, but there are plenty. The majority of these individuals only take GHB based on the word of other athletes. In fact, there is no evidence that GHB can help one increase muscle mass or improve exercise performance.

Studies on GHB and its affects on the body are lacking. There is some evidence that GHB may increase levels of Growth hormone, but these studies are not always reproducible. And the dose of GHB required for such an effect is quite high. There are only anecdotal reports of weight gain with GHB. The problem is that body builders take so many other drugs it is difficult to know which drug is responsible for the muscle mass increase. At least in animal studies, there is no muscle mass build up. In fact all the animals become obese.

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