GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is secreted by the pituitary gland. It causes growth and repair
of body tissues including the muscles, the skin, the kidneys
and more. HGH levels naturally rise sharply throughout
puberty, peak at about age 20, and then slowly decrease. HGH has been used to treat children who
fail to make sufficient growth hormone and to treat adults
with HGH deficiency.
ROLE FOR ANTI-AGING:
HGH’s anti-aging benefits may include increased vitality and energy, changes in fat levels
and location, increased muscle mass, thickening of the skin,
improved sleep, enhanced bone growth and maintenance
and increased lifespan. A 1990 study
conducted by Daniel Rudman, M.D. and colleagues and
published by the New England Journal of Medicine reported
that HGH reversed aging in human subjects. An experiment conducted by Drs. David Khansari and
Thomas Gustad, of North Dakota State initially showed that
mice treated with HGH outlived untreated mice, but the
study ended before all mice died of natural causes. A two-year trial conducted by Drs. G. Johanson, B. A. Bengtsson and others reported in 1996
that treatment with HGH increased bone growth and
maintenance. A study carried out in 2000 by Van der Lely et
al found that a 6-week course of HGH treatment significantly improved the rate at which hip fractures healed in those age 75 and older.
Results of a recent study suggest that growth
hormone may be able to ward off AIDS by boosting the immune system and stimulating the
production of T cells. In 2002, researchers at the
University of California San Francisco reported that a daily
dose of growth hormone resulted in thymic stimulation
that increased circulating levels of T cells in HIV-positive men. The researchers are now
planning a larger study to compare the health of HIV
patients administered growth hormone versus those not who do
not receive it.
DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS:
In children, HGH deficiency will result in
stunted growth. In adulthood HGH deficiencies are associated with increased incidence of
cardiovascular disease, decreased lean body mass, increased
body fat with distribution around the waist area, decreased
bone density, decreased kidney function, loss of
concentration, arthritis, increased insulin resistance, adult onset diabetes, arthritis, thinning
and loss of hair, and fatigue.
THERAPEUTIC DAILY AMOUNT:
HGH injection treatments are currently very
expensive and available at clinics and through prescription for adult HGH deficiency. Therapeutic dose is determined by body weight.
MAXIMUM SAFE LEVEL:
Dependent upon body weight and method of drug delivery.
SIDE EFFECTS/CONTRAINDICATIONS:
Side effects may include bloating, carpal tunnel
syndrome, gynecomastia (increase in mammary glands in men), slight decrease in response
to insulin, slight increase in blood pressure,
hypertension accompanied by headaches and swelling of the
optic nerve and decrease in thyroid hormone
production.
