Natty Gainz?? Deer Antler Extract.

What are you willing to do in order to be better? Late nights, early mornings, and giving it your all? Would you cheat? 

While I was in high school, one of my best friends mentioned his older brother had been taking something to help him “cultivate mass and recover faster” while training for lacrosse. His brother was a successful athlete and student at our school. Of course, I was interested in being anything like him. After talking more with my friend, I learned he had been taking Deer Antler Extract. What?! It was supposedly a powder or liquid extracted from the antlers of the animal in order to enhance cell growth. You had to order it through the black market. The idea was suddenly much less appealing to 15-year-old me. But now years have passed and my curiosity has spiked once again. Because we are learning about the structure and function of the human body, this supplement needs to be explored once again with a different lens.

Deer antler extract is taken from the velvet substrate released from deer while their antlers are growing the fuzzy coating during spring and late summer. It allows the deer to grow their antlers about 1cm per day during the warmer seasons. But in humans, it is thought to help tendon/cartilage regrowth after injuries and also thought to improve muscular endurance and strength. Numerous athletes are rumored to have used it. Ray Lewis, retired linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens NFL team, had reportedly used it (Carroll, W., 2017). Lewis also won two Superbowls and was awarded the MVP in one. Was the Deer Antler the secret? Is it even allowed? 

The extract is not approved by the FDA. It also is now banned from the NFL (hmmm). This does not mean, however, that it is not available for purchase online. Numerous companies advertise and sell the product all around the world. But how does it work? Does it?

Deer antler extract works by increasing expression of IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor). IGF-I is helpful in deer because it increases follicular differentiation and tissue remodeling so that this rapid antler growth can take place in a relatively short period of time (Yang, Z. et al., 2012). Increased IGF expression is helpful in humans as more of this hormone will promote tissue growth and development. It is mainly produced in the liver, with the highest rates of production coming during pubertal growth spurt. 

IGF works in tandem with Growth Hormone (GH). Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) is released from the hypothalamus and sent to the anterior pituitary gland. Then, the anterior pituitary is stimulated to release GH into the blood. The hormone communicates with the liver to produce IGF. This initiates the cell growth noted before. Very high levels of IGF are perceived by the hypothalamus and work thus in a negative feedback loop. The hypothalamus will produce Growth Hormone-inhibiting hormone in these circumstances. This then tells the anterior pituitary to stop releasing as much GH, decreasing growth effects. But when the expression of IGF is increased due to the deer antler extract, the same GH signal will have more profound results. It also most likely makes the regulation by negative feedback more difficult to control. 

IGF is a potent activation of the protein kinase B signaling pathway. This mechanism stimulates cell growth and proliferation, while inhibiting apoptosis (Peruzzi, F. et al., 1999). IGF binds to its insulin-like growth factor receptor with reportedly more efficient binding affinity than insulin to their receptors. This, along with their higher levels of expression, is most likely why deer antler extract seems to be beneficial in recovery of injured tissues. One study with human subjects also determined that those who took the extract had increased strength and endurance for the particular muscles tested versus placebo groups (Sleivert, G., et al., 2019). 

This extract is grounded in solid scientific evidence. That does not mean, however, that it is safe. Increasing cell proliferation and inhibiting cell apoptosis sounds familiar, too. I don’t want cancer but a skinny guy like myself could probably add a few pounds. Is it worth the risk? Should I take some? Is it aligned with the biomedical ethical principle of justice to take this and give yourself an advantage over others?

Citations:

American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Nutrition and Athletic Performance Position 

Statement. March 2009.  Dietary Supplement Health 

Carroll, W. (2017, October 3). Ray Lewis and Deer-Antler Spray: Just What Is This Stuff? 

Retrieved from  

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1508224-ray-lewis-and-deer-antler-spray-just-what-is-

this-stuff.

Peruzzi F, Prisco M, Dews M, Salomoni P, Grassilli E, Romano G, Calabretta B, Baserga R 

(October 1999). "Multiple signaling pathways of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor 

in protection from apoptosis". Molecular and Cellular Biology. 19 (10): 7203–15. 

doi:10.1128/mcb.19.10.7203.

Sleivert, G., Burke, V., Palmer, C., Walmsley, A., Gerrard, D., Haines, S., & Littlejohn, R.

            (2003). The Effects of Deer Antler Velvet Extract or Powder Supplementation on Aerobic

            Power, Erythropoiesis, and Muscular Strength and Endurance Characteristics,

            International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 13(3), 251-265.

            doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.13.3.251

Yang, Z., Gu, L., Zhang, D., Li, Z., Li, J., Lee, M., … Sung, C. (2012). Red Deer Antler Extract 

Accelerates Hair Growth by Stimulating Expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor I in 

Full-thickness Wound Healing Rat Model. Asian-Australasian journal of animal       sciences, 25(5), 708–716. doi:10.5713/ajas.2011.11246