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NEW YORK — Researchers are reporting the first scientific evidence that a hormone banned in sports can boost athletic performance. The improvement from human growth hormone was modest, and

only in sprinting. It didn’t increase strength or fitness. Athletes likely to benefit are those in sprint events like running or swimming that require a burst of energy, and where a split

second can decide the winner, the Australian researchers said. Human growth hormone, or HGH, is one of many substances banned by the Olympics and other sports even though there hasn’t been

any good proof that it can enhance performance. Previous studies in athletes have been small and brief. The new research tested it in about 100 recreational athletes for two months. “This is

the first demonstration that growth hormone improves performance and justifies its ban in sport,” said Dr. Ken Ho, who led the study at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney.

Growth hormone has been used by athletes in the belief that it builds muscle and improves performance. It’s also harder to detect than other substances because it doesn’t show up in urine

tests. There’s been a blood test for growth hormone since 2004, but it hasn’t been used much outside competition. The researchers speculated that the boost from growth hormone alone is

enough to shave off about half a second in a 10-second sprint over 100 meters.