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IGF-1 DES

IGF-1 DES, or des(1-3)IGF-1, is a shortened form of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) that is missing its first three amino acids. Small amounts occur naturally and have been found in cow colostrum, human brain and pig uterus. Without those three amino acids it binds poorly to the proteins that normally hold IGF-1, so it is about ten times more potent than IGF-1 on cells in the lab. It has not been tested in people.

Not approved · research onlyWADA Prohibited at all times (S2.3, IGF-1 and its analogues)Checked October 2026
Open the IGF-1 DES calculatorSources

Approval status

Not approved as a medicine anywhere. A 1996 review by its developers said its clinical uses had not been evaluated, and no published human trials were found when this page was checked. Its approved relative is mecasermin (Increlex), full-length IGF-1, which is FDA-approved only for growth failure in children with severe primary IGF-1 deficiency, or with a growth hormone gene deletion and antibodies to growth hormone.183

What it’s used or studied for

  • Animal & lab only

    In rats given a muscle-wasting steroid, it improved body weight and nitrogen balance more potently than natural IGF-1.5

  • Animal & lab only

    Helped rats gain weight and retain nitrogen after most of their small intestine was removed.6

  • Animal & lab only

    Lowered blood sugar more strongly and for longer than IGF-1 in pigs and marmoset monkeys; researchers suggested it as a possible add-on to insulin.7

  • Animal & lab only

    Used in lab studies on cells, where it is more potent than IGF-1 at stimulating growth.14

  • No studies

    Promoted online for muscle growth; this has not been studied in people.

Each label shows how strong the evidence is: an approved use, human studies, animal or lab studies only, or a popular claim with no published studies. Being studied is not the same as being proven safe or effective.

Side effects

There are no published human safety studies. In pigs and marmoset monkeys, it lowered blood sugar more than any other IGF-1 form tested.17

Cautions

  • The label of mecasermin, the approved relative (not IGF-1 DES itself), warns of low blood sugar, severe allergic reactions, raised pressure inside the skull, enlarged tonsils and a risk of tumors.8
  • Mecasermin's label rules out its use in children with active or past cancer. This comes from the approved relative, not from studies of IGF-1 DES.8

Sources

  1. Ballard FJ et al. Des(1-3)IGF-I: a truncated form of insulin-like growth factor-I (Int J Biochem Cell Biol, 1996)
  2. UniProt P05019: Insulin-like growth factor 1 (human)
  3. WADA 2026 Prohibited List
  4. Francis GL et al. Novel recombinant fusion protein analogues of IGF-I (J Mol Endocrinol, 1992)
  5. Tomas FM et al. IGF-I and especially IGF-I variants are anabolic in dexamethasone-treated rats (Biochem J, 1992)
  6. Lemmey AB et al. IGF-I and the truncated analogue des-(1-3)IGF-I enhance growth in rats after gut resection (Am J Physiol, 1991)
  7. Tomas FM et al. IGF-I variants show more potent and prolonged hypoglycaemic action in pigs and marmoset monkeys (J Endocrinol, 1997)
  8. FDA label: Increlex (mecasermin) injection, revised 07/2025

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