COVENTRY, England, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Use of growth hormone to boost athletic performance may lead to an increased diabetes risk, according to researchers in Britain.
The study reports the case of a 36-year-old professional bodybuilder who within one year lost a great deal of weight and experienced excessive urination, thirst and appetite, according to study authors James Young and Aresh Anwar of University Hospital Coventry and Warwick.
The bodybuilder required emergency care for chest pain, and he admitted to using anabolic steroids for 15 years and artificial growth hormone for the past three.
Tests revealed that the bodybuilder's liver was inflamed, his kidneys were enlarged and that he had very high blood sugar. He was also dehydrated and diagnosed with diabetes, but after being rehydrated and given insulin over five days his symptoms completely cleared up, and he was no longer diabetic, according to the researchers.
The authors believe that this is the first reported case of diabetes associated with the use of high-dose growth hormone, and they urge anyone taking high doses to regularly check their blood-sugar levels, according to the study published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
