hGH-PH Complex Information
hGH-PH COMPLEX

This product has the ability to drastically increase growth hormone production, stimulate IGF-1 and boost testosterone levels. hGH-PH COMPLEX uses a three phase system to achieve this goal. It utilizes a Pituitary Response System, an Amino Acid Potentiation System and a Testosterone Potentiation System. This product contains powerful secretagogues, pituitary peptides,4-androdiol, 5-androdiol, Nor-4-androdiol and Nor-4-androdione. hGH-PH COMPLEX also, utilizes an effervescent delivery system to chaperone each of the three phases.

GROWTH HORMONE SUPPLEMENTS - Are They Effective?
Real Results On Real Bodybuilders

By Paige Gold, M.D.
Director Of Research and Development
Natural Physique Concepts, Inc.


These days it's tough to figure out which of the supplement companies are trying to sell you something worthwhile and which of the companies are just trying to sell you something. How the heck are you supposed to know which of the latest trends in supplements are for real and which are just hoopla. Some of these supplements are so hard to pronounce that you can't even ask about them. Not to mention, every time you think you have found the best product a new one comes along one week later. Don't get me wrong, there are some fantastic new products starting to hit the market. The question is, which ones work on bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts like you and I.

A few months ago the latest trend in supplements were the testosterone boosters (andro and norandro). Believe me, these products are still extremely popular because they seem to work very well. You may have read a research article we did entitled, Testosterone Boosters - Are They Effective? Real Results On Real Bodybuilders. The end result, surprising to most people, was that the testosterone boosters were very effective when taken properly.

Today's latest trend seems to be the growth hormone stimulators. These products make some pretty strong claims. These claims include increasing muscle mass, decreasing body fat, lowering cholesterol levels, strengthening the immune system, improving cardiac output and slowing the signs of aging. One company even claims their product is so effective that longevity institutes all over the world are using it in place of injectable synthetic Growth Hormone. The bottom line is do these products live up to the incredible claims they are making. I'm not talking about on rats, rabbits, geriatric patients or pregnant mice - I'm talking real bodybuilders. That means do these products increase muscle mass and decrease body fat?

What Are Growth Hormone Supplements?

There are two types of growth hormone products currently being marketed by supplement companies. The first type are the growth hormone sprays that claim to be sublingual versions of intact growth hormone. The second type are powdered or tablet form effervescent products that contain growth hormone releasing peptides (GHRP's) and amino acids. We have tested both of these products on real bodybuilders and you will be surprised to read the results. But first, let me explain how each of these products are supposed to work.

Growth Hormone Sprays

The first type of products, the growth hormone sprays, are marketed as having human growth hormone in them. If you are raising your eye brows right about now, so did we. These products claim to contain intact liquid human growth hormone (hGH) in a sublingual oral spray. Before we even tested these spray products we had a few understandable concerns. First, how in the world can a supplement company stabilize intact liquid hGH at room temperature, while billion dollar pharmaceutical companies have to refrigerate their real versions? Second, how can an oral spray get such a large hGH protein molecule across the inner mouth intact? Finally, how the heck would the FDA allow a company to sell real human growth hormone? Answer - they wouldn't.

Although our skepticism about the oral growth hormone spray was originally based upon how these products could possibly work, our empirical data proved us correct. We tested our subjects with three different growth hormone sprays and none of them demonstrated an ability to increase muscle or decrease body fat. In fact, we tested the subjects using the spray before we tested them using the products that contained GHRP's. At this point you may be asking how do these companies get away with selling such products. The answer is, at this there is no regulatory agency that exists to evaluate products claims before they can make the claims.

Since the goal of this study is not to slam the oral GH sprays we will not mention by name the companies we tested. The labels on the products we tested claimed to contain HGH, polymer matrix, and assorted minerals.

Products Containing Growth Hormone Releasing Peptides

Although the products containing GHRP's make some outlandish claims, there seems to be some decent scientific research behind them. The research seems to indicate that orally administering synthetic growth hormone releasing peptides stimulates a sizable amount of growth hormone secretion. In addition to GHRP, the products we tested contained secretagogues. Secretagogues are basically sequences of amino acids that influence the pituitary to release growth hormone. We tested three products with similar growth hormone stimulating ingredients and one product which contained GHRP's, amino acids and testosterone boosters. We used a product called Pro-hGH, a product called Secretogogue-One, by MHP and a product called hGH-PH Complex, that contained GHRP's and testosterone precursors, by a company called Performance Biomedical Laboratories.

I will give you a brief description of how these products are supposed to work, but remember the focus of this article is to see if these products actually work on real bodybuilders. The products we tested were either in effervescent powder or tablet form. Each of the products contained substances called secretagogues which are said to influence the pituitary to release growth hormone. The growth hormone is then carried to your liver where it is converted to insulin-like-growth factor-1 (IGF-1). When the growth hormone is increased, your body resists by releasing a chemical called somatostatin. Somatostatin literally tells your pituitary to stop releasing growth hormone. This is where the GHRP's come into play. The GHRP's quickly suppress the release of somatostatin. The GHRP's signal the hypothalamus to send a signal to the pituitary to inhibit the release of somatostatin. The effervescent form of these products has a purpose as well. The effervescence is supposed to protect the secretagogues and GHRP's from being destroyed by stomach acids.

How Effective Are These Products On Real Bodybuilders?

Enough with the scientific mumbo jumbo, lets see if these things work! Just as we did in the previous study, we used three top level competitive natural bodybuilders. We used Rich who is 5' 11, 35 years old and has won numerous amateur masters level bodybuilding competitions. Dave, who is 30 years old is 6' 1 and has won the heavyweight division in several bodybuilding competitions. And finally Paul, who is a natural pro bodybuilder and is 29 years old and 5' 9. We used these three subjects because they all keep meticulous training and nutrition records. In addition, we wanted to use three experienced bodybuilders who really know how their body's react to new supplements. If you had an opportunity to read last years study on the prohormones, you noticed that all three of our subjects made some fantastic progress. Rich ended the study weighing 200 pounds at only 5.9% body fat and put on 12 pounds of lean muscle in 3 months. Dave ended at 231 pounds at 7% body fat and put on 14 pounds of lean muscle in 3 months. Paul ended the study at 196 pounds with a body fat of 7% and put on 13.5 pounds of lean muscle in 3 months.

In addition, each of the subjects were put on a high protein, low carbohydrate, low fat diet. The nutritional profile for each athlete was carefully monitored by expert nutritionist Todd Swinney (Todd currently monitors IFBB Pro Bodybuilder Kevin Levrone's nutritional intake).

The Study

We began this study in August. The goal of the study was to find out if and how effective the new growth hormone stimulating supplements were. We measured each subjects improvement based on certain criteria: gains in lean muscle mass, decreases in body fat, and gains in muscle strength. At the beginning of the study Rich weighed 195 pounds and his body fat was 8%, Dave weighed 228 pounds and his body fat was 7.5% and Paul weighed 193 pounds and his body fat was also 7.5%. Rich squatted 320 lbs., dead lifted 365 lbs. and incline dumbbell pressed 110 lbs. Dave squatted 405 lbs., dead lifted 425 lbs., and incline dumbbell pressed 115 lbs. Paul squatted 330 lbs, dead lifted 405 lbs., and incline dumbbell pressed 115 lbs. Each exercise was based on a five rep maximum. The above numbers are very important because they are the baseline numbers for this study.

GH Spray Does Not Meet The Challenge

We began the study using the growth hormone sprays. Each subject was instructed to use the spray at bedtime and use no other supplements other than protein powder for the entire month of August. Each subject was weighed, and checked for body fat after two weeks. Also, each subject recorded strength gains in three basic lifts: the deadlift, squat and incline press. In addition, each subject was blood tested to check for elevations in IGF-1 levels at the end of each month.

At the end of August the three subjects showed similar results from the oral GH spray. Not a single one of the subjects gained any weight, lean muscle mass or decrease in body fat. In addition, none of the subjects showed any significant elevations in IGF-1 levels. As a matter of fact Dave actually gained two pounds of body weight and his body fat went up about 1% to 8.3%.

Please refer to the tables below.

Body Composition:

August Body Weight Body Fat Lean Mass Muscle
Rich 195.7 8% 179.4 lbs +0
Dave 230 8.3% 210.9 lbs +0
Paul 193 7.5% 178.5 lbs +0

As you can see from the above table, none of the athletes made any significant progress while taking the oral growth hormone spray. Remember, these measurements were taken after the subjects had used the oral spray for a full 30 days. Now, let's find out if the subjects made any strength gains (refer to table below).

Strength Statistics:

August Squat Deadlift Incline Press Total Increase
Rich 320 lbs 365 lbs 110 lbs dmbls +0
Dave 405 lbs 425 lbs 115 lbs dmbls +0
Paul 330 lbs 405 lbs 115 lbs dmbls +0

Once again, the athletes made no strength gains that could be reported after 30 days on the oral GH spray. In addition, none of the athletes reported any noticeable effects (such as a greater pump or increase in appetite) from the spray.

Effervescent GH Powders Do Surprisingly Well

In September we instructed Rich and Dave to take a product called Secretogogue-One at bedtime for the entire month. We instructed Paul to take a product called Pro-hGH at bedtime for the entire month. Each of the subjects made some surprisingly decent gains (refer to the tables below).

Body Composition:

September Body Weight Body Fat Lean Mass Muscle
Rich 198 7.5% 183.15 lbs +4.4 lbs
Dave 233 7.9% 214.6 lbs +3.6 lbs
Paul 196 7.0% 182.28 lbs +4.2 lbs

As you can see from the table above, each of the three subjects made significant gains in only one month. Rich gained 4.4 pounds of lean muscle, Dave gained 3.6 pounds of lean muscle and Paul gained 4.2 pounds of lean muscle. These results are very impressive in only one month's time. Now, lets see if the athletes size increases correspond with any gains in strength (refer to the table below).

Strength Statistics:

September Squat Deadlift Incline Press Total Increase
Rich 340 lbs 385 lbs 110 lbs dmbls +50 lbs
Dave 435 lbs 435 lbs 120 lbs dmbls +55
Paul 345 lbs 415 lbs 120 lbs dmbls +40

Once again, as you can see the subjects made significant strength gains. Each of the subjects increased their poundages on all three of the lifts. These increases are also significant for strength athletes such as power lifters who may be wondering whether these products are worthwhile.

At the end of September each of the subjects were blood tested to see if they had increases in IGF-1 levels. Once again, to our surprise each of the athletes increased their IGF-1 levels. Rich increased his IGF-1 level by 26%. Dave had an increase in IGF-1 of 29%. Finally, Paul had an increase of 31%. As you can see, each of the subjects had similar results which can only be attributed to the use of the GH products.


October

Once again, we wanted to test each of the subjects using the same products to see if the first month may have been due to a placebo effect. This time we had Paul take the Secretagogue-One and had Rich and Dave take the Pro-hGH. Since the hGH-PH Complex, by Performance Biomedical Laboratories contains 4-Androstenediol, 5-Androstenediol, Nor-4-Androstenedione and Nor-4-Androstenediol we wanted to try it by itself on all three of our subjects for one month. The athletes made gains in October which were quite consistent with September (refer to tables below).

Body Composition:

October Body Weight Body Fat Lean Mass Muscle
Rich 202 7.4% 187.06 lbs +3.91 lbs
Dave 237 7.5% 219.23 lbs +4.63 lbs
Paul 199 6.7% 185.67 lbs +3.39 lbs

Strength Statistics:

October Squat Deadlift Incline Press Total Increase
Rich 350 lbs 405 lbs 115 lbs dmbls +35 lbs
Dave 445 lbs 445 lbs 120 lbs dmbls +30
Paul 360 lbs 430 lbs 120 lbs dmbls +30

As you can see, the subjects made very nice gains in only one month's time. The athletes blood tests were very impressive as well. Rich's IGF-1 levels showed an increase of 32% above normal, Dave's was 35%, and Paul's was 38% above normal. The athletes all agreed that they felt a better pump throughout the day while taking the GH supplements. These gains are significant because each athlete showed a gain in body weight and a decrease in body fat. Remember, most natural bodybuilders consider a five to ten pound increase in lean mass in one year an awesome feat. These three natural bodybuilders have put on an average of 8 pounds since the start of our study!

November

In our final month of the study, we used a different growth hormone stimulating product. This month, each of the subjects took a product called hGH-PH Complex by Performance Biomedical Laboratories. This product contains four different pro-hormones, GHRP's and secretagogues. The theory behind this product was to combine a testosterone boosting substance with a growth hormone releasing substance to achieve better results. The product, hGH-PH Complex, contains four testosterone boosters: 4-Androstenediol, 5-Androstenediol, Nor-4-Androstenedione, and Nor-4-Androstenediol. This product was very interesting because many bodybuilders have theorized that growth hormone is not nearly as effective unless taken with an androgen. Enough said, lets put hGH-PH Complex to the test!

Each athlete was instructed to take hGH-PH Complex on an empty stomach at bedtime. As with the previous months, each subject was instructed not to take any other supplements while on the hGH-PH Complex. The results may or may not surprise you (refer to tables below).

Body Composition:

November Body Weight Body Fat Lean Mass Muscle
Rich 208 6.5% 194.4 lbs +7.34 lbs
Dave 242 7.0% 225.1 lbs +6.12 lbs
Paul 205 6.1% 192.5 lbs +6.83 lbs

Strength Statistics:

November Squat Deadlift Incline Press Total Increase
Rich 375 lbs 425 lbs 120 lbs dmbls +65 lbs
Dave 455 lbs 465 lbs 130 lbs dmbls +50
Paul 400 lbs 440 lbs 130 lbs dmbls +70

As you can see the results were even more impressive than the previous two months. We concluded that taking the growth hormone stimulators in conjunction with the prohormones made a significant difference in the subjects results. The subjects gained an average of about 7 pounds of lean muscle when they used the GH stimulators in conjunction with the hormonal precursors. The subjects gained an average of about 4 pounds of lean muscle when they used the growth hormone stimulators by themselves. In addition, the athletes made some very significant strength gains while taking the hGH-PH Complex. Perhaps the most compelling evidence that the hGH-PH Complex was working were the athletes IGF-1 levels. Rich's IGF-1 level was 42% above normal, Dave's was 44% above normal and Paul's was a staggering 46% above normal.

Conclusion

Before making any conclusions, we want to reiterate, as we did in our previous study, that this was not a scientifically controlled study done in a university lab. This was merely a study done on real bodybuilders who keep meticulous records. Also, keep in mind that the three athletes that were used are very advanced, competitive bodybuilders. Therefore, the results they achieved may not necessarily be the norm.

As evident by our study, the three subjects did make significant gains in strength and lean muscle tissue. There are three basic conclusions that can be drawn from this study. First, the three subjects made no significant gains while using the oral growth hormone spray. Second, the athletes made considerable gains while using the effervescent growth hormone stimulating powder by itself. Third, the three subjects showed even more staggering results when using the product containing the growth hormone stimulating substances along with the testosterone precursors.

When contacted, the manufacturers of the oral growth hormone spray said that our subjects were not taking the spray for a long enough period for them to see any results. Since the sprays claim to contain real growth hormone in them, why didn't the athletes IGF-1 levels move at all? When asked why the athletes IGF-1 levels did not elevate, the manufacturer refused to address this concern.

We also concluded that the effervescent growth hormone stimulators did have a positive effect on gaining lean muscle. Our primary evidence was the athletes blood samples. These numbers are significant because usually when GH is stimulated IGF-1 levels rise. Therefore, there is evidence that the athletes growth hormone levels were in fact stimulated. We further concluded that it is better to use the growth hormone stimulating products with a testosterone booster. It is either advised to take prohormones in addition to the GH supplement or use a product such as hGH-PH Complex that already contains the prohormones. Each of the athletes indicated to us that they felt that the hormonal precursors seemed to work synergistically with the growth hormone supplements.

Athletes Feedback

Finally we wanted to hear what the subjects themselves had to say about the growth hormone supplements. Rich said, I was pleasantly surprised by the numbers. To be honest with you, I thought these products would be bogus but I was wrong. I will definitely continue to use the GH products, but I will increase my calories in the future.

Dave said, I was impressed by the pump I was getting while on the effervescent products. I didn't feel anything at all while on the oral spray. I felt very strong when I was on the hGH-Ph Complex. Also, I felt like my metabolism was really kicking.

Paul said, I felt like I could eat and eat without getting fat. It seemed like everything I ate was metabolized and converted into lean muscle. I didn't feel much while on the spray stuff, but I did feel a nice pump while on the effervescent powder.

hGH-PH Complex

*These statements about hGH-PH Complex have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. hGH-PH Complex is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.