Growth hormone rises steeply during fasting: production rate up five-fold by day two of a fast, and integrated concentration up 3.1-fold across five days. A review argues GH spares protein indirectly, and a figure travels with that claim — without GH, protein loss during fasting rises by about half — which is widely repeated rather than measured. What this does not mean is that fasting beats dieting for muscle: the one trial this corpus holds found no significant difference between them.
This companion covers what growth hormone does, the fasting effect on GH secretion, why this matters for muscle preservation, and practical implications for intermittent fasting and exercise. (4 min read)
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