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Nocturnal GH secretion increased with exercise in obese adults
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Sixteen weeks of supervised exercise training increased nocturnal growth hormone secretion in adults with metabolic syndrome. These increases were independent of exercise training intensity, according to the researchers.
The 16-week study was designed to examine the effects of endurance training on spontaneous 12-hour overnight GH secretion; previous research demonstrated that exercise increased GH secretion.
The researchers enrolled 34 adults with metabolic syndrome (mean age, 49.1 years) and randomly assigned participants to one of three exercise groups: low-intensity exercise, high-intensity exercise or no exercise.
After 16 weeks, nocturnal integrated GH area under the curve significantly increased from baseline in participants assigned to both low- and high-intensity exercise compared with control participants. The changes were greater among those in the high-intensity exercise group compared with the low-intensity exercise group (65% vs. 49%).
The researchers reported an inverse association with change in nocturnal GH AUC and change in fat mass across all three groups. However, this association was not significantly related to change in abdominal visceral fat loss.
Irving BA. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009;doi:10.1210/jc.2008-2256.