Effect of oral urea ingestion on growth hormone levels in healthy adults - a secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial

Riehle, F; Lustenberger, S; Christ, E; Monnerat, S; Atila, C; Christ-Crain, M

doi:10.1007/s11102-025-01577-2

Pituitary & hypothalamus

Effect of oral urea ingestion on growth hormone levels in healthy adults - a secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial

PituitaryPublished 10 Oct 2025Secondary analysis of a randomised controlled cross-over trial

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Authors' conclusion

Oral urea does not significantly stimulate GH secretion and cannot be used as a stimulation test for GH deficiency.

Study context

Population: Healthy adults; 55% female, median age 27 years, BMI 23.3 kg/m²cross-over
Participants: 22 adults

Comparison: Single weight-adapted dose of oral urea vs placebo
Primary endpoint: Difference in absolute GH levels after placebo and urea intake

Methodological detailsdouble-blind, placebo-controlled

Double-blind
Placebo-controlled

Primary result

As reported in the abstract

Serum GH · 120 min

Urea1.00median · IQR 0.71–2.34 · µg/l

Placebo0.73median · IQR 0.18–1.59 · µg/l

P = 0.08

Further findings

Plasma urea

Urea16.8 mmol/LIQR 14.5–18.0

Placebo4.3 mmol/LIQR 3.7–5.6

Baseline Urea 4.4 mmol/L [3.5, 5.0]

Outcome	Urea	Placebo
Serum GH at baseline	median 0.83 (IQR 0.28–5.75) µg/l	0.93 (IQR 0.38–5.34) µg/l

Plasma urea

Urea: peak at 60 min; placebo: baseline urea remained stable

Original publication

Effect of oral urea ingestion on growth hormone levels in healthy adults - a secondary analysis of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial. Pituitary. Published 10 October 2025. doi:10.1007/s11102-025-01577-2

Read the original article ↗

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