Human growth hormone

From BR Bullpen

Human growth hormone (aka HGH, somatotropin, somatotrophin, rHGH, rhGH) is a performance enhancing drug banned by Major League Baseball. The exact effects, both positive and negative, of HGH use in normal adults are not known in detail because of a lack of reliable scientific study. Nonetheless, there is a common belief that HGH use is likely to lead to muscle growth and reduced fat levels similar to those produced by steroid use.

Although HGH is banned by MLB, it can't be detected by baseball's current testing regime. MLB uses only urine tests, and the only existing test for HGH is a blood test whose effectiveness is questionable. Detecting HGH is difficult for two reasons. One is that HGH is a peptide hormone, which is a completely different class of chemical from most drugs and consequently impossible to find using conventional approaches to drug testing. The other is that HGH exists in the body naturally, so any test must be able to tell the difference between natural and unnatural levels.

HGH has been a popular topic for speculation about performance enhancing drug use. Untestable drugs such as HGH leave a large loophole in baseball's drug testing regime, giving fans a reason to wonder which players may be using. These speculations received confirmation when the San Francisco Chronicle reported the Jason Giambi had admitted to HGH use to the Grand Jury in the BALCO case. More recently, Jason Grimsley admitted to HGH use after an FBI raid on his house, and David Segui confirmed that he had also used it, albeit with a prescription and under medical supervision.