Two Plus Two Newer Archives - Using modern medicine to create a super human giant

I'm thinking something along the lines of:

http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Co...vmed.widec.jpg
(German boy who was born with a mutation that blocks the production of a protein called myostatin that limits muscle growth. At the age of 4, he could hold seven-pound weights with arms extended, something many adults cannot do. He had muscles twice the size of other kids his age and half their body fat.)

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http://www.mymultiplesclerosis.co.uk/images/sandrak.jpg
(This is Richard Sandrak, also known as little Hercules. He benched pressed 210 pounds at the age of 8 and a bodyweight of 70 pounds. He is an example of what a strenuous diet and exercise routine is capable of producing at a young age.)

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http://www.maniacworld.com/robert-wadlow.jpg
(This is Robert Wadlow, the tallest man ever. He grew to a height of 8'11" and was still growing when he died at the age of 22. His great height is the result of an overactive pituitary gland caused by a brain tumor)

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http://www.hirepgym.com/images/ronni...eman-large.GIF
(This is Ronnie Coleman, 8 time Mr. Olympia)

For the sake of argument, let's ignore the obvious ethical problems with this.

But how cool would it be to take a child from a young age and turn them into a super human giant? As far as I can tell, I think this would be possible with today's medical technology. I think that a combination of growth hormones, anabolic steroids, myostatin blockers, rigourous exercise routine, good diet, and close medical supervision could make this possible. Imagine somebody who is 9 feet tall and looks like a bodybuilder.

It is my understanding that Robert Wadlow, the aforementioned tallest man ever, attained his great height because his pituitary gland produced abnormally high amounts of growth hormone and never stopped producing them. I think it would be possible for doctors to continuously inject somebody with synthetically produced hormones in order to produce the same effect. It would probably take some experimentation to figure out what the right doses ar eand how early to start them, but that is just a matter of details. The key to this part of the project is that the doses start early enough so that the subject could grow as much as possible before his growth plates close. It's my understanding that once a person's growth plates close, their bones cannot grow anymore. However, I am not exactly clear on what causes growth plates to close or if this can be prevented indefinitely.

In addition, I think there will eventually be myostatin blockers that could be used to replicate the mutation of the German boy shown in the first picture. According to wikipedia: "As of 2005, no myostatin inhibiting drugs for humans are on the market, but an antibody genetically engineered to neutralize myostatin was developed by New Jersey pharmaceutical company Wyeth. The inhibitor is called MYO-029 and is currently undergoing human testing." Such drugs have already worked on animals and I think it's only a matter of time before they will be ready for human use.

And then of course there are good old fashioned anabolic steroids. Now I'm not sure what the best time to start steroid use would be. I think it would take some experimentation, but the idea is that as teh subject is growing very large at a young age, you will want him to have strong muscles that can support his large frame. The myostatin blockers will help accomplish this, but why not throw some steroids in there too? I think the main reason not to do this is that steroids allegedly cause growth plates to close. I'm not sure if this is true or if the continued high levels of growth hormone could prevent that. I'll have to look into that.

In addition to all the hormones and steroids, you would want to put the subject through a smart exercise and weightlifting program that promotes full muscle development but promotes good heart health and protects his joints from getting injured. Richard Sandrak is a good example of what a rigourous exercise program can do for someone even at a very young age.

So what do you think? How possible is this. Now obviously such an intense program would probably cause a drastic decrease in life expectancy, most likely because the human heart is not designed to support a 9 foot, 700 pound body. But I'm guessing that with good supervision and the right drugs the subject could be kept alive long enough to reach a pretty monstrous size. There are some pretty morbidly obese people that manage to live into their 40s and 50s.

Another problem is that such intense growth might cause the person's bones and joints to be weak. But even that I think there are ways around. I think the right combination of supplements, exercise, homrones, etc. could keep those problems in check. There are already people like Shaq who are pretty damn tall but also strong and athletic. If 7 feet, 300 lbs is already possible through purely natural means, why shouldn't 9 feet, 500 pounds of pure muscle be possible with a little help from science?