HGH Frag 176-191

Key points

• HGH Frag 176-191 is a synthetic copy of the last part of growth hormone, sold online for fat loss.
• AOD-9604 is a close relative with a small change; the human trials used AOD-9604, not this fragment.
• The largest human trial of AOD-9604 found no significant weight loss over placebo, and its development was dropped.
• It has no UK marketing authorisation, and growth hormone fragments are prohibited in sport.

Quick facts

What it is

Growth hormone fragment peptide (176-191)

Marketed for

Fat loss

UK status

Not a licensed medicine; sold for research use

Human evidence

None for this fragment; related AOD-9604 showed no clear benefit

In sport

On the WADA Prohibited List

How it works

The fragment is meant to copy the fat breakdown part of growth hormone without the rest of its actions. The idea comes from early animal work, and its effect on the growth hormone receptor has not been tested directly. In short, the proposed mechanism is unconfirmed.

What the evidence shows

The evidence is weak. The fragment itself has not been tested in human trials; the animal studies used related fragments, and the human trials used AOD-9604, which did not show meaningful weight loss. One rat study of this fragment found a brief rise in blood sugar.

What it does not settle

• There are no human trials of this fragment.
• There is no tested dose or long term safety data.
• Products are often mislabelled and of uncertain identity.

Side effects

Common

• There is no human safety data for this fragment. In the AOD-9604 trials, headache, stomach upset and back pain were reported.

Less common but serious

• The rat finding of raised blood sugar is a concern for people with diabetes or prediabetes.
• Because there is no licensed product, the dose, purity and contents of material bought online cannot be verified.

Report any suspected side effect through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.

UK legal status and access

HGH Frag 176-191 has no UK marketing authorisation, so it is not a licensed medicine and is not offered by registered clinics or pharmacies. It is sold online as a research chemical, often mislabelled.

Common questions