The Uncharted Territory of HGH
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) has been a topic of debate, especially when it comes to how it affects athletic performance. Long-term research on HGH is limited, mostly because of laws that make it illegal to prescribe HGH to athletes or healthy people who don't need it for medical reasons. This means that most studies focus on people who have health conditions that cause HGH deficiencies. In these cases, HGH therapy helps bring hormone levels back to normal, and research shows that this can improve the health of these patients. However, this doesn't necessarily apply to athletes who use HGH to boost their performance.
Some studies on how HGH affects healthy people or athletes have been done in Europe, but they are very limited. These studies mostly look at short-term benefits, such as how HGH can help repair tendons. However, the studies involve small groups of people and only last for a short time, so they don’t give us a clear picture of the long-term effects of HGH. The main challenge in studying HGH is getting approval for these kinds of studies and finding people willing to participate because of the legal and ethical issues involved.
Because there is not enough research, we don’t fully understand the long-term effects of HGH. This is a problem for organizations like the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which regulates what substances athletes can and cannot use. WADA bans substances based on athlete safety, but without long-term research, it's hard to say for sure whether HGH is safe or dangerous over time.
Some people argue that WADA’s strict rules on HGH might be more about controlling performance-enhancing substances than about protecting athletes. They point out that sports like cycling and football are already risky, and the dangers athletes face in these sports may be greater than any risks from using HGH. This raises questions about whether the regulations are really fair or necessary.
JOHN WELBOURN
John Welbourn is Founder/CEO of Power Athlete Inc and former NFL player. John was drafted with the 97th pick in 1999 NFL Draft and went on to be a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2003, appearing in 3 NFC Championship games, and started for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2004-2007. In 2008, he played with the New England Patriots until an injury ended his season early with him retiring in 2009. Over the course of his NFL career, John started over 100 games regular season games with 10 play-off appearances. He was a four-year letterman while playing football at the University of California at Berkeley. He graduated from the college of letters and sciences with a bachelor's degree in Rhetoric in 1998. And did his Masters work at the UC Berkeley School of Education in 1999. Since retiring from the NFL, John has worked extensively with the NFL, NHL, MLB, Olympic athletes, the US Army and Naval Special Warfare. He works as a consultant and advisor for several companies focused on improving human performance through training, nutrition and fitness-based technologies. John provides daily coaching and mentorship to over 5000 athletes around the world through his Power Athlete Coaches Network and training program delivery platform. Since in 2013, John has hosted a weekly podcast, Power Athlete Radio; a podcast dedicated to improving performance and connecting with some of the smartest people on the planet. With more than 700 episodes Power Athlete Radio has proven to be on the top podcasts in the strength and conditioning realm. John travels the world lecturing on performance and nutrition for Power Athlete and as a keynote speaker. John is a married father of three and resides in Austin, Texas. You can catch up with him at his personal blog, “Talk To Me Johnnie”, at Power Athlete or on social media @johnwelbourn.