AOD-9604
aka HGH 176-191 modified
A modified slice of growth hormone, marketed as a fat-burner.
Technically · Modified GH fragment
In one sentence
A stabilized growth-hormone fragment sold as a fat-burner — popular in clinics, weak in the actual trials.
— Like the tail end of HGH that supposedly only does the fat-loss part. Phase 2 said: no better than placebo.
Half-life
~30 minutes
Burns off in about 30 minutes — daily dosing.
Dosing
Daily, AM fasted
How often you take a dose
Route
SubQ
How it goes into the body
Status
Research
Sold for lab research — not approved for humans
What it is
Take a small piece of growth hormone, tweak it so it lasts longer, and you get AOD-9604. It's heavily marketed at weight-loss clinics as a fat-burner with none of the downsides of full HGH. The actual trial result? Same weight loss as placebo.
The full technical answer
Synthetic fragment of growth hormone (residues 176–191) modified for stability. Marketed as a fat-loss peptide; no proven body composition effect in human trials.
How it works
The idea is that this little piece of HGH tells your body to burn fat without raising IGF-1 or messing with blood sugar. Sounds clean in theory. In a placebo-controlled trial, it didn't actually move the scale.
The full technical answer
Theorized to stimulate lipolysis without affecting IGF-1 or blood glucose. Mechanism studies primarily in animal/in-vitro models.
What the research says
Phase 2b trial (Heffernan 2001) showed no significant weight loss vs placebo over 12 weeks. Marketing claims exceed clinical evidence.
Sources: AOD-9604 Phase 2b
Common dosing ranges
- Range
- 300 mcg/day common
- Frequency
- Daily, AM fasted
- Duration
- No defined cycle
Sources: PubMed
How to take it
Practical guidance synthesized from clinical protocols, FDA labels, and clinician interviews. Always cross-check with a prescribing physician.
Best time of day
AM, fasted. Most protocols schedule it 30+ minutes before breakfast.
With food or fasted
Fasted is preferred — like other GH-fragment claims, insulin/carbs may blunt the effect.
How long to cycle
8–12 week cycles. No defined "best" cycle protocol since clinical evidence is so thin.
When to get off
No measurable fat loss after 8 weeks → stop, since trials don't support it either.
Administration
Side effects
Further reading & listening
Where the experts go deeper.
Curated from the PeptideFacts expert directory — vetted YouTube channels, podcasts, books, and communities. No anecdote-only or supplier-affiliated picks.