Time course of plasma growth hormone during exercise in humans at altitude

The effects of hypoxia on growth hormone release during submaximal exercise were studied 1) in eight highlanders (HL) at 3,800 m (La Paz, Bolivia); and 2) in five lowlanders (LL) at sea level, after 5 days' sojourn at 2,850 m, and while breathing a hypoxic gas mixture (FIO2 - 0.15 corresponding to PIO2 at 2,850 m) 1 mo after returning to sea level. Concentrations of immunoreactive human growth hormone ([IRHGH]), blood glucose ([G]), free fatty acids ([FFA]), and lactate ([LA]) were determined repeatedly at rest, during 1 h of exercise, and after 1 h of recovery. Compared with LL, in HL, the resting value of [IRHGH] is higher, the rate of increase at the beginning of exercise is faster and earlier, but the mean maximal value reached at the end of exercise is similar. The response pattern in LL during the early stages of exposure to hypoxia resembles that of HL. No correlation was found between peak values of [IRHGH] and maximal values of [LA] and [FFA] or minimal values of [G]. The possible causes of the different time sequence observed in growth hormone dynamics during hypoxia are suggested: an alteration of the clearance of the hormone through a more pronounced reduction of hepatic blood flow or a difference in the state of the pituitary gland before the exercise begins. The study emphasizes the importance of characterizing time sequence of [IRHGH] by parameters other than the maximal value, e.g., by mean concentration computed over exercise period.