The anabolic effect of GH is associated with a marked rise in energy expenditure. In one study, basal metabolic rate (BMR) increased twenty-two per cent after one month of GH replacement therapy and was still sixteen per cent higher than baseline after six months of treatment. The action of GH to increase the peripheral conversion of T4 to T3 may also contribute to the early increase in BMR, while part of the increase in BMR is accounted for by the increase in lean body mass.
