The influence of plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentration on the secretion of human growth hormone (HGH) was investigated. (a) FFA depression was produced by means of a nicotinic acid (NA) infusion for either 1 or 5 hr in the presence of glucose-induced hyperglycemia. Controls received only saline. (b) FFA depression was also produced by a 90 min NA infusion and then rapid FFA elevation by a lipid-plus-heparin (lipid) infusion. This procedure was compared with a similar NA infusion not followed by lipid. (c) FFA elevation was produced either by a lipid or by a norepinephrine (NE) infusion and then HGH secretion was stimulated by insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Each subject in this group received both the lipid and the NE infusion on seperate days as well as two control tests (insulin alone and NE alone). Depression of FFA resulted in an increase of HGH with a lag period of approximately 2 hr. Maximal HGH rise after 1 hr NA infusion was 7.7+/-1.9 ng/ml and with 5 hr NA infusion 14.3+/-3.6 ng/ml (both significantly higher than during saline infusion, P < 0.025 and < 0.005 respectively) and occurred despite continuous hyperglycemia. Lipid infusion just before the expected HGH increase prevented the HGH response to FFA depression. HGH rise during insulin hypoglycemia (32.2+/-6.5 ng/ml) was significantly inhibited by prior FFA elevation whether achieved by lipid infusion (maximum HGH rise 11.4+/-1.6 ng/ml) or by NE infusion (maximum HGH rise 19.0+/-6.2 ng/ml). The results are suggestive of a negative feedback loop between plasma FFA and HGH secretion, of importance for subacute rather than acute changes in the plasma FFA concentration. FFA lack itself seems to be the signal for HGH release despite the lag period between FFA decrease and HGH increase. Glucose and FFA can at least not fully replace each other in their respective influence on HGH release.