While using human growth hormone (HGH) may be risky, experts affirm that low-dose injections may help reduce fatty deposits around internal organs, a common antiretroviral (ARV) medication side effect, The Associated Press (AP) reports (ap.google.com, 8/3). The study appears in the August issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and was among reports presented August 3 at the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City.

According to the article, researchers followed 55 people living with HIV who had low levels of naturally occurring HGH, which experts say is relatively common in positive people with abnormal fat distribution. Half of participants gave themselves daily hormone shots, while the other half received a placebo for 18 months. The study found that daily doses of HGH reduced fatty deposits around internal abdominal organs by about 10 percent, in addition to lowering blood pressure and triglyceride levels.

However, HGH also elevated blood sugar levels. Study co-author Steven Grinspoon, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital, advised that HGH is “not a panacea” and that the approach is purely experimental at this point. Dr. Grinspoon told the AP that ARV medications with fewer side effects are needed.