Mechanism
GHRP-2 vs GHRP-6: Mechanism Comparison
First generation GHRPs sharing the ghrelin receptor but diverging on appetite stimulation and cortisol profile. The pick is usually about whether hunger is a feature or a bug.
Side-by-side comparison
| Attribute | GHRP-2 | GHRP-6 |
|---|---|---|
| Appetite stimulation | Mild | Strong |
| GH pulse magnitude | Higher | Moderate |
| Cortisol or prolactin | Mild rise | Mild rise |
| Best for | GH support without hunger | GH plus deliberate appetite increase |
Key differences
- ·GHRP-6 strongly stimulates appetite, GHRP-2 only mildly
- ·GHRP-2 yields a slightly stronger GH pulse
- ·Both raise cortisol and prolactin modestly, more than ipamorelin
- ·GHRP-6 is favoured when appetite gain is desired, GHRP-2 when it is not
Research summary
Bowers (1996) established both compounds as ghrelin mimetic GH secretagogues. The appetite divergence comes from differential central ghrelin receptor activation patterns. Neither is as clean as ipamorelin on observed effects in study models.