HGH & WATER RETENTION SODIUM:POTASSIUM BALANCE

[MR. BMJ]

There seems to be a lot of discussion lately on how to prevent water retention, and when to drop HGH out from a show. While electrolyte balance is a complicated matter, the following study does shed some light in what may be causing it through HGH administration. A VET at the board I moderate at posted the link to the following study, and i've quoted his original post of that thread, below the abstract. Keep in mind, that I know this was done in rats :

Endocrinology. 2008 Jul;149(7):3294-305. Epub 2008 Apr 3.
Epithelial sodium channel is a key mediator of gro... [Endocrinology. 2008] - PubMed result

Epithelial sodium channel is a key mediator of growth hormone-induced sodium retention in acromegaly.
Kamenicky P, Viengchareun S, Blanchard A, Meduri G, Zizzari P, Imbert-Teboul M, Doucet A, Chanson P, Lombès M.

Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 693, Faculté de Médecine Paris-Sud, 63 rue Gabriel Péri, Le Kremlin Bicêtre Cedex, France.

Abstract
Acromegalic patients present with volume expansion and arterial hypertension, but the renal sites and molecular mechanisms of direct antinatriuretic action of GH remain unclear. Here, we show that acromegalic GC rats, which are chronically exposed to very high levels of GH, exhibited a decrease of furosemide-induced natriuresis and an increase of amiloride-stimulated natriuresis compared with controls. Enhanced Na(+),K(+)-ATPase activity and altered proteolytic maturation of epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) subunits in the cortical collecting ducts (CCDs) of GC rats provided additional evidence for an increased sodium reabsorption in the late distal nephron under chronic GH excess. In vitro experiments on KC3AC1 cells, a murine CCD cell model, revealed the expression of functional GH receptors and IGF-I receptors coupled to activation of Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5, ERK, and AKT signaling pathways. That GH directly controls sodium reabsorption in CCD cells is supported by: 1) stimulation of transepithelial sodium transport inhibited by GH receptor antagonist pegvisomant; 2) induction of alpha-ENaC mRNA expression; and 3) identification of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 binding to a response element located in the alpha-ENaC promoter, indicative of the transcriptional regulation of alpha-ENaC by GH. Our findings provide the first evidence that GH, in concert with IGF-I, stimulates ENaC-mediated sodium transport in the late distal nephron, accounting for the pathogenesis of sodium retention in acromegaly.

Not sure if anything like this has been posted before, but I always wondered why I got so bloated on GH. I always knew it caused water retention, but I always racked it up to decreased insulin sensitivity with carbs in the diet. Well, according to this article, GH (and IGF-1) acts to increase sodium reabsorption in the distal nephron. In English, using lots of HGH will cause salt retention. The easiest way to combat this is with reduced carb intake (for the insulin sensitivity issue as that does play a role) but also with potassium supplements. Potassium is found naturally in foods like spinach and celery, but you can buy pure potassium tabs cheap at a health food store. As soon as I started taking one to 2 pills with every meal (and using 7-10 iu/day of GH) I noticed a drastic decrease in abdominal distention and overall puffiness.

I highly recommend oral potassium supplements to those having trouble fighting the bloat associated with HGH use. It's a very simple solution and doesn't seem to be addressed very often. It's also good for your health seeing as how that sodium/water retention will cause high blood pressure.

I'd just note that this isn't for recommendation purposes, but mainly just to shed light on what might be a factor in HGH retention, in addition to the insulin sensitivity issues. There are a few ways to skin a cat here, so i'll just leave it at that.

BMJ

 

[plang]

Partly because my doc has me on lasix (to combat water ret. And keep BP low from GH) I almost always use "no salt" on most of my meals. It's potassim chloride (much better in absorbtion than potassium gluconate u find in most OTC pills) and no only tastes salty but helps balance out high sodium meals in regards to water retention.