Glossary
Secretagogue
Also written growth hormone secretagogue, GHS
A substance that makes the body release something it already produces, rather than supplying that thing from outside.
The distinction matters more than it sounds. Injecting growth hormone raises the level directly and overrides the body's own control; a secretagogue prompts the pituitary to release its own, which means the release is still shaped by the feedback that normally limits it.
That is the usual argument for preferring secretagogues: a pulse resembling a natural one, not a sustained elevation. It is a mechanistic argument, and the outcome evidence for it in healthy adults is thin.
Ipamorelin, GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin and MK-677 are secretagogues. Somatropin is not. It is the hormone itself.
Relevant compounds
Related terms