Is it fine to eat carbohydrates immediately after a GH shot?

Question

Hi doctor,

Is it fine to eat carbohydrate and sugar within 40 minutes of growth hormone injection? Because, it is believed that after injecting growth hormone, a person should wait for at least 40 minutes to eat carbohydrate or sugar.

Please explain.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern. No, it is not advisable to eat carbohydrates and sugar for at least 60 minutes after taking a growth hormone shot. The more carbohydrates you consume, the higher your blood sugar will rise, which then sets off insulin production. Insulin and growth hormone (GH) are antagonists and reduce each other's secretion as well as their positive effects. The insulin levels rapidly climb and reach the peak in about 45 minutes to 1 hour after a sugar or carbohydrate meal.

Therefore, it is advised to avoid sugar and carbohydrates for up to 60 minutes at least for proper release and action of insulin as well as for proper action of growth hormone. GH has an anti-insulin effect; with years of exposure of growth hormone, it may cause earlier expression of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

I hope this information helps you.

Feel free to ask further queries.

Thank you.