GROWTH HORMONE SUPPRESSION IN HEALTHY CHILDREN FOLLLOWING ASMINISTRATION OF AN

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The purpose of this study is to determine how much level of growth hormone ( a chemical made by the pituitary gland in the brain) comes down over a two-hour period after a drink of glucose (a kind of sugar). This test is used to determine if a person is making too much growth hormone. By studying children at each stage of puberty, we hope to set standard levels for this test in children and help us better diagnose conditions where the pituitary gland is making too much hormone. Specific Aim 1: We will determine nadir of GH suppression following oral glucose administration in healthy boys and girls in different pubertal (Tanner) stages. Specific Aim 2: We will also determine whether pubertal stage affects the nadir of GH. Specific Aim 3: We will examine the relationship between GH levels and the extent of GH suppression following oral glucose with fat mass, lean mass and bone density, in girls and boys ages 12 through 17 years, at the lumbar spine and hip. The Specific Aim will be limited to children 12-17 years old, because DXA scan for body composition and bone density will be performed only in this age group.