The relationship between plasma GH profiles and circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) at three different planes of nutrition, chosen to represent a high, medium and low level of nutrition (3%, 1.8% and 1% dry matter of liveweight per day) was studied in 15 young Angus steers. All steers were maintained on 3% dry matter for 5 weeks, then on one of the three nutritional planes for 4 weeks and then all were returned to 3% dry matter for 3 weeks. Blood was sampled through jugular catheters at 15-min intervals for 25 h at the end of each phase of the study and additional samples were taken on 2 days each week. Pulsatile release of GH occurred episodically with a diurnal increase during night and morning hours only in steers on high nutritional intakes. Reduced feeding at both the medium and the low plane abolished the diurnal rhythm and significantly increased mean plasma GH concentrations, the amplitude of GH pulses and the area under the GH profiles. Baseline concentrations of GH and pulse frequency did not change through nutritional manipulation. Upon realimentation, plasma GH concentrations decreased in both previously undernourished groups, with those fed 1% dry matter still having increased levels 10 days after refeeding. Plasma IGF-1 concentrations showed no periodicity. With nutritional deprivation, a decrease in IGF-1 concentration was observed only at negative energy balance (1% group). In this group plasma IGF-1 concentrations were progressively restored within 1 week of realimentation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)