A lot of information about Anamorelin has been floating around lately, but how much do we really know about this growth hormone secretagogue (GHS)?
It doesn’t take a moment online to find the next big thing promising to cut fat mass, up your body weight and increase muscle growth, but how does a GHS such as Anamorelin work? And is it as effective as we’re led to believe?
In this article, we’ll be covering everything from Anamorelin benefits, side effects, results, dosage and even a comparison of Anamorelin vs Ibutamoren.
Let’s dive in.
What is Anamorelin?
Often referred to as a “buffed” up alternative to MK-677, a popular SARM, Anamorelin (or Anamorelin hydrochloride) is a synthetic ghrelin receptor agonist well-known in bodybuilding circles for its power to increase lean body mass.
By activating ghrelin receptors, Anamorelin stimulates growth hormone secretion and appetite – therefore increasing lean body mass and body weight.
Of course, an Anamorelin supplement wasn’t originally developed for bodybuilders, and even clinical use of Anamorelin is limited due to its short half life.
This novel oral ghrelin mimetic and growth hormone secretagogue may be linked to lean body mass, but there’s plenty more to discover, too.
What was the original intention of Anamorelin?
Much like anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, Anamorelin benefits weren’t designed to be experienced by bodybuilders.
Instead, Anamorelin was originally developed to treat cachectic cancer patients and anorexia cachexia.
Cancer cachexia is a wasting syndrome characterized by weight loss, anorexia (often referred to as anorexia cachexia) asthenia and anemia.
Cancer cachexia occurs in many cancers, usually at an advanced stage of the disease. During clinical trials, Anamorelin showed to improve cancer cachexia by improving appetite and increasing serum insulin like growth factor-1.
Anamorelin and non small cell lung cancer
During clinical trials, which included placebo controlled studies, Anamorelin showed significant improvement in increasing lean body mass and strength in patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer.
Anamorelin has shown that it increases lean body mass in non small cell lung cancer patients, as well as improving strength, but not handgrip.
While in a clinical trial. Anamorelin has been shown to typically treat advanced cancer, such as non small cell lung cancer, its powers to increase body weight muscle mass have made it popular with bodybuilders.
How does Anamorelin work?
Although not approved by the FDA for general use outside of a medical setting, Anamorelin is an orally active, ghrelin receptor agonist, which stimulates growth hormone production.
Since clinical trials have shown it to have a positive impact on growth hormone, Anamorelin can lead to the building of muscle proteins, therefore muscle mass, as well as increased strength and endurance.
Patients with advanced cancer have benefitted from its approved use in a medical scenario treating cancer anorexia cachexia syndrome.
Anamorelin benefits
So, what can you expect while using Anamorelin for bodybuilding?
Despite the original intention of Anamorelin hydrochloride being to treat cancer cachexia – which is a catabolic disorder – it comes as no surprise that Anamorelin has found its way into bodybuilding circles.
Also Read: Should you eat protein before bed to build muscle?
In the treatment of cancer cachexia, cancer patients would experience extreme weakness, triggering other symptoms such as anorexia cachexia (often referred to as ‘cancer anorexia cachexia syndrome’), with a reduced food intake.
Since Anamorelin encourages growth hormone release, appetite is also increased. Through clinical trials, Anamorelin showed to increase lean body mass, with a higher appetite increasing calorie intake in cancer patients, resulting in better metabolism and conversion process.
By inhibiting the process of muscle breakdown, cancer patients could also experience increased strength and stamina overall, when using Anamorelin. This boost of growth hormone has made this GHS an incredibly popular alternative to steroids.
Here’s a list of Anamorelin benefits in relation to bodybuilding:
- Increased growth hormone levels
- Significant improvement of lean body mass
- Regulates metabolism
- Inhibits the process of muscle breakdown
- Helps build muscle proteins
- Enhanced strength
The importance of IGF-1
Insulin like growth factor (IGF-1) plays a crucial role in the development of bones and tissues, by triggering the proliferation of stem cells. By enhancing the musculoskeletal system, IGF-1, alongside Anamorelin can improve athleticism.
Furthermore, elevated plasma levels of IGF-1 and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) can also help in glucose metabolism and regulating blood glucose levels.
What about Anamorelin vs Ibutamoren?
If you’re keen on achieving Anamorelin bodybuilding results, the chances are, you’ve come across Ibutamoren before now. You may have heard it referred to as ‘MK-677’ as well.
The truth is, Anamorelin works in the same way as MK-677, mimicking the action of ghrelin, therefore encouraging the release of growth hormone (GH). However, while Ibutamoren has remained an experimental drug, Anamorelin has been approved…
For medical use.
Which means that Anamorelin has been approved for treating cases such as anorexia cachexia, helping cancer patients avoid muscle wasting and instead, build lean muscle mass. Ibutamoren (AKA, MK-677) is a selective androgen receptor modulator, otherwise known as a SARM.
Meanwhile, Anamorelin is a non-peptidic growth hormone secretagogue (GHS).
Anamorelin is often put head to head in an Anamorelin vs Ipamorelin comparison as well. Ipamorelin is a growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), comprised of five amino acids. It works by minding to growth hormone secretagogue receptors (GHS-R1a), stimulating growth hormone release.
If we take a look at Anamorelin vs Ipamorelin, we can see that when compared, Anamorelin offers limited benefits. While Ipamorelin benefits include quick healing, enhanced recovery, healthier musculoskeletal system and more.
Anamorelin dosage bodybuilding
So far, only oral forms of Anamorelin are available. These seem to have better bioavailability, triggering growth hormone release pretty efficiently.
Unlike many other growth hormone secretagogues (GHS), Anamorelin is one of few that appears to be effective in oral form.
But what’s the right Anamorelin dosage bodybuilding wise?
Also Read: 8 bodybuilding tips for faster results
Research and user anecdotal evidence suggests adults to have as high as 100mg of daily intake of Anamorelin. If you prefer, you can split this dose in half and consume two tablets per day.
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Anamorelin cycle
After reading clinical trials of Anamorelin and placebo groups, if you do decide to use this growth hormone secretagogue, it’s important to start off at a low dosage.
Users recommend starting with 25 to 40mg at first, allowing your body to get used to it, before increasing to 50mg. After using Anamorelin for a little while, you could go up to 100mg as mentioned above.
Typically, an Anamorelin bodybuilding cycle would last up to 12 weeks.
Anamorelin bodybuilding results
So, what can you expect in terms of Anamorelin results?
Studies have shown that Anamorelin can significantly increase growth hormone levels at all doses. Alongside this, significant improvement in body weight was recorded, with these changes correlating with changes in IGF-1 levels.
The (small amount of) research showed that Anamorelin increases:
- Growth hormone
- IGF-1
- IGFBP-3
- Body weight
- Food intake
In cancer cachexia patient research, Anamorelin showed significant metabolic effects.
Anamorelin side effects
Working in the same way as MK-677, Anamorelin’s side effects are certainly worth noting. By mimicking the action of the hunger hormone ghrelin, it stimulates the ghrelin receptor, stimulating the release of growth hormone.
Of course, like MK-677, which has side effects such as:
- Exhaustion
- Resistance to insulin
- Increase in prolactin levels
- Painful joints
- Water retention
- Tingling in the hands and fingers
Here are a few Anamorelin side effects mentioned by users:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
With the most severe Anamorelin side effects relating to hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels) and specific gastrointestinal disorders.
Is Anamorelin legal?
Anamorelin – when used as drug therapies for cancer cachexia patients has allowed it to be approved for human-based clinical trials. However, the FDA are yet to approve it for legal purchase.
Also Read: Can you speed up muscle growth?
Yep, you’re only getting your hands on Anamorelin (legally) for research purposes. And no, your need for muscle mass doesn’t quite count as research.
If you’re looking to compete in bodybuilding comps, getting your hands on Anamorelin hydrochloride is certainly a way to get yourself disqualified.
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Sure, an Anamorelin supplement may well increase your body weight and boost growth hormone (GH), but are the potential side effects worth it?
There’s a reason why Anamorelin has only been approved for use in a medical setting, treating patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer.
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