Secretagogue type, sex-steroid milieu, and abdominal visceral adiposity individually determine secretagogue-stimulated cortisol secretion.
Iranmanesh. Ali A; Bowers. Cyril Y CY; Veldhuis. Johannes D JD
Key Findings
- GHRP‑2 injection raises peak cortisol levels more than saline, GHRH, or somatostatin alone.
- After GHRP‑2, pulsatile cortisol secretion increases with age.
- Higher visceral fat and lower DHT levels are associated with greater cortisol response to a combined GHRP‑2/GHRH/arginine stimulus.
Practical Outcomes
- If you use GHRP‑2 to enhance growth hormone, expect a concurrent rise in cortisol, which could counteract some metabolic benefits, especially if you’re older or have excess belly fat. Managing visceral fat and monitoring testosterone/DHT levels may help mitigate this cortisol surge. Consider timing GHRP‑2 doses or pairing them with strategies that lower cortisol (e.g., stress reduction, adequate sleep, or anti‑cortisol supplements).
Summary
The study shows that the peptide GHRP‑2, often used by biohackers to boost growth hormone, also triggers a noticeable rise in cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. This cortisol spike is bigger in older men and is linked to higher belly fat and lower levels of the male hormone DHT. Baseline cortisol doesn’t change with different testosterone‑related treatments, but the type of secretagogue (like GHRP‑2) matters a lot for how high cortisol gets.
Abstract
While androgens and estrogens control glucocorticoid secretion in animal models, how the sex-steroid milieu determines cortisol secretion in humans is less clear. To address this issue, cortisol was measured in archival sera obtained at 10-min intervals for 5 h in 42 healthy men administered double placebo, placebo and testosterone, testosterone and dutasteride (to block 5alpha-reductases type I and type II), or testosterone and anastrozole (to block aromatase) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospectively randomized design. Subjects received i.v. injection of saline, GHRH, GH-releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2), somatostatin (SS), and GHRP-2/GHRH/l-arginine (triple stimulus) each on separate mornings fasting. Outcomes comprised cortisol concentrations, pulsatile cortisol secretion, and relationships with age or abdominal visceral fat (AVF). By ANCOVA, baseline (saline-infused) cortisol concentrations (nmol/l) did not differ among the sex-steroid milieus (overall mean 364+/-14). In contrast, stimulated peak cortisol concentrations were strongly determined by secretagogue type (P<0.001) as follows: triple stimulus (868+/-27)>GHRP-2 (616+/-42)>saline=SS=GHRH (grand mean 420+/-21). After GHRP-2 injection, pulsatile cortisol secretion increased with age (R(2)=0.16, P=0.012). After the triple stimulus, pulsatile cortisol secretion correlated i) inversely with serum 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) concentrations (R(2)=0.53, P=0.026) and ii) directly with computerized tomography-estimated AVF (R(2)=0.11, P=0.038). Age, DHT concentrations, AVF, and secretagogue type influence pulsatile cortisol secretion at least in men. Further studies should be performed to assess ACTH secretion and native ghrelin action in defined sex-steroid milieus.
Study Information
pubmed
2010
2010-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
10.1530/eje-10-0149