You may have seen a bunch of websites on the internet promoting a category of supplements called “SARMs” that profess to help you build muscle and lose fat rapidly. In the gym, it is commonplace to hear about people using these performance enhancers in place of the traditional substances such as anabolic steroids and growth hormone. They do work when used properly but can still pose a risk if not monitored or dosed safely.
Before we discuss these new compounds, let’s talk about Growth Hormone – which has been used ubiquitously in bodybuilding and anti aging medicine circles up until 5 years ago. Chronic use of growth hormone eventually leads to tolerance and unwanted side effects due the prolonged stimulation of the cells of the body. Likely prolonged overuse – could cause your own growth hormone production to down regulate the receptors in the body to become irreversibly less sensitive. So there are problems….
So what about these new compounds?
One of these supplements is called MK-677. It is a peptide that are known as Growth Hormone Releasing Peptides (GHRP). GHRPs stimulate specific receptors of the cell of the pituitary gland to cause the cell to release Growth Hormone. Research has shown that this increases fat loss and muscle gain. Generally, the use of GHRPs are much safer than using Growth Hormone. But MK-677 still carries some risks – it is quite effective in increasing your own growth hormone release. But prolonged use can permanently down regulate the receptor on the cell making them less sensitive to your body’s endogenous Ghrelin (your body’s version of GHRP) production.
So if you are taking MK-677 – it is best to only take it for a few months at a time before cycling off it. The other issue to be aware of is that many of these compounds available on the internet may have contaminants or may not actually contain what’s advertised. Buyer Beware. Consult with a trained doctor in the use of peptides before you use these types of compounds.
If you are using Growth Hormone and want to come off it – you have options to do this and move onto a safer method while still getting benefits.
