|
Growth hormone (GH) is the main hormone responsible for growth in
all mammals (including humans) and is associated with the regulation
of such metabolic processes and anabolism and lipolysis. Human
growth hormone, commonly called HGH, is a polypetide mixture that is
secreted by the anterior pituitary gland in the human body. The main
form of HGH can be produced synthetically using a process called
recombinant DNA technology. This synthetically produced HGH is used
primarily in connection with children and adolescents with short
stature caused by growth hormone (GH)-deficiency. Recombinant HGH
(a.k.a Somatropin - a prescription drug) is also used in connection
with growth hormone deficiency in adults, short stature in
association with renal insufficiency, AIDS-related wasting, and
short stature associated with Turner's Syndrome.
HGH
Levels Decrease with Age
It is also known that
growth hormone levels decrease as we grow older. In fact, growth
hormone levels in individuals 60 or older are only about half of
that in young adults. It is still not clear what role HGH plays in
the body or what effect it may have on the body once full growth has
been attained but it has been suggested reduced levels of growth
hormone associated with aging may contribute to age-related
decreases in muscle mass, strength, and lipolysis.

Suggested
Benefits of HGH
The following are just a few of the
effects and benefits that are commoning associated with HGH.*
- In those who have no pituitary function, there is a shift in
body composition whereby body fat increases by 7-25% while lean
body mass decreases similarly. Muscle strength and muscle mass are
noticeably reduced. Bone density studies indicate long bone
density and spinal bone density decrease as significantly as if
the individual had aged 15 years.
- When HGH levels wane pronounced weight gain of 30-50 pounds
can occur. Furthermore, there are negative effects on cholesterol;
triglyceride levels increase while high density cholesterol (HDL),
‘good cholesterol’, decreases.
- Lower than normal levels of HGH may contribute to an increased
risk of cardiovascular disease associated vascular wall thickening
and changes associated with decreased cardiac output.
- Insufficiencies in HGH levels may contribute to people who
have reported a rapid decline in exercise capacity and impaired
sense of well-being and symptoms of fatigue, social isolation,
depression, and a lack of the ability to concentrate.
It
has also been suggested that there are number of things that may
occur when you raise the level of HGH in your system.* These
include:
- Muscle mass can increase, making you stronger.
- Body fat will be distributed differently, making you appear
leaner. It has been suggested you can even see a reduction of 14%
in weight and body fat over your first six months using HGH
without changing your diet.
- Some HGH users have found their immune system to be enhanced
and their stress level to have dropped.
- Some HGH users have reported improved vision as well as
cognitive function and memory retention.
- Reports have indicated increase in lean muscle as high as 9%
during their first six months of HGH anti aging therapy.
- Other individuals using HGH therapy have reported that their
injuries heal faster.
Among its other suggested benefits
the belief that supplementing with HGH can retard signs of aging was
spawned by a 1990 trial published in the New England Journal of
Medicine.(1) This six month study of 12 men found that use of
HGH injections (at a dose of about 2 milligrams three times a week)
increased muscle mass, decrease fat mass, and thickened
bone.
Subsequent research has shown that growth hormone
injections did infact improve muscle to fat ratio in older people.
However, studies did not indicate that HGH treatment would increase
strength or improve function.(2) In addition, in some individuals
growth hormone injections may cause problems such as carpal tunnel
syndrome (wrist and hand pain caused by swelling around the median
nerve), enlargement of bones, coarsening of facial features, joint
pain and leg swelling.
As previously indicated, we believe
that the benefits and effects of HGH therapy still are not fully
understood.
The Truth About HGH Therapies. Can They
Help You?
HGH therapy may be able to help you,
although to date there is no sound scientific evidence to
conclusively substantiate many of the claims made about HGH
treatments, especially those made about over-the-counter,
non-prescription HGH supplements.
Pure HGH should be taken by
injection, because it is a very large molecule that cannot be
absorbed intact (whether taken orally, allowed to dissolve under the
tongue, or sprayed into the nose or throat). Unfortunately, HGH
injections can be very expensive, costing on the upwards of a
thousand dollars or more per month.
Because most people
cannot afford authenitic HGH therapy, a host of products have become
available on the market that claim to raise HGH levels. These types
of "HGH" supplements fall into four main categories:
- HGH Releasing Agents
HGH Releasing Agents (also
called "HGH enhancers" or "HGH stimulators") are compounds which
primarily include the amino acids arginine, glutamine, histidine,
methionine, phenylalanine, ornithine and lysine. HGH Releasing
Agents do indeed appear to produce a temporary rise in growth
hormone.(3) For more detailed information on HGH Releasing Agents
please see the section titled "HGH Releasers and Releasing Agents"
below.
- Homeopathic HGH
Homeopathic HGH therapy is an
entirely different approach to HGH therapy that involves the use
of a homeopathic dilution of real human growth hormone. According
to homeopathic "theory", a very extreme dilution of a substance
given to a healthy person will produce the same effect as the
original substance. Thus, a highly diluted dose of HGH should
produce the same effects as normal doses. However, most
Homeopathic HGH products are so highly diluted that many experts
believe it would be almost impossible to absorb enough to produced
the desired effect (if any effect at all).
As it happens,
even a homeopathic remedy diluted "only" by a factor of 1030 (a
30X, or 15C remedy) is not realistically going to contain even a
single molecule of HGH. Notwithstanding, many homeopathic
practitioners believe that some sort of "energy" or "imprint"
remains, even if no physical substance does. In fact, some have
claimed that the higher the dilution, the stronger the effect, and
call highly dilute homeopathic preparations "high potency"
remedies. From the perspective of modern science, this doesn't
make much sense, and the overwhelming majority of scientists
believe that homeopathy (at least at dilutions above 106 or so),
will not provide any effect whatsoever.
In general, the
better the quality of the study performed on the effects of
Homeopathic HGH, the less the effects that were
seen.(4,5,6,7)
- Nanogram Strength HGH
There is a category of HGH
supplements that claim to contain a dose of HGH measured in
nanograms, such as 4000 nanograms per dose. If you don't know what
a nanogram is this may sound like a lot of HGH per dose. A
nanogram is only one-millionth of a milligram. To put this in
perspective if you to were take HGH via injection you would likely
be receiving approximately 2 milligrams which is equivalent to
2,000,000 nanograms. Additionally, most scientific evidence
indicates that because HGH is a large molecule it cannot be
absorbed by the body when taken orally, as a nasal spray or under
the tongue. Nanogram HGH supplements are almost always
administered orally, sublingually (under the tongue) or as a nasal
spray.
- IGF-1 Enhancers
IGFs (insulin-like growth factors)
are polypeptides (crucial blood protein) produced in the liver in
response to stimulation by growth hormone. IGFs are very similar
in structure to insulin.
Quite often as the level of growth
hormone in the body rises levels of IGF-1 also increase. IGF-1 is
believed to produce some of the same, though not all, of the
effects of HGH. However, even less is know about the possible
benefits and risks involved in increasing the levels of IGF-1 in
the human body than is know about HGH. Simply put, if scientific
community knows little about HGH, they know even less about
IGF-1.
In order to enhance their effect, many HGH products
(including HGH Releasing Agents) contain colostrum, which contains
IGF-1. Colostrum is the substance produced in the breast milk of
nursing mothers for the first few days after
birth.
Aside from intravenous HGH, of the four main
types of HGH products on the market today we believe HGH Releasing
Agents merit the most attention. Based on available research HGH
Releasing Agents appear to have the ability, as limited as it may
be, to actually increase HGH levels in the body. As compelling as
the arguments to the contrary may appear, in our opion, and again
based on the evidence, Homeopathic HGH, Nanogram Strength HGH and
IGF-1 Enhancers provide no measurable benefits.
HGH
Releasers and Releasing Agents
Again, the best evidence
supporting the benefit of HGH supplementation is in reference to
intravenous administration. Notwithstanding, oral ingestion can have
a similar, though less intense, effect. In one study of young
adults, administration of 1.5 grams of arginine and 1.5 grams of
lysine (both common ingredients in most HGH Releasing Agents)
increased growth hormone (GH) levels by a multiple of 2.7.(8) In a
similar study, two grams of glutamine (another HGH Releasing Agent)
were administered daily to study participants ranging in age from 32
to 64. Results of the study showed that HGH concentrations for study
participants increased by a factor of nearly 4 and
half.(9)
But again the results of these studies indicated the
benefit of supplementing with certain HGH Releasers was short lived
and probably not nearly as intense as it would have been if
participants had receive intravenous administration.
Know
that HGH supplementation is not the only way to increase HGH levels
in the body. Getting plenty of exercise, eating plenty of protein
and getting a good nights rest should also help raise growth hormone
levels.
Supporting Literature
1. Rudman
D, Feller AG, Nagraj HS, et al. Effects of human growth hormone in
men over 60 years old. N Engl J Med. 1990;323:1-6. 2. Vance ML.
Can growth hormone prevent aging? N Engl J Med.
2003;348:779-80. 3. Chromiak JA, Antonio J. Use of amino acids as
growth hormone-releasing agents by athletes. Nutrition.
2002;18:657-61. 4.Grabia S, Ernst E. Homeopathic aggravations: a
systematic review of randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trials.
Homeopathy. 2003;92:92 98. 5.Homeopathy: A Critical Appraisal.
London: Butterworth Heinemann;1998:69-97. 6.Dantas F, Fisher P. A
systematic review of homeopathic pathogenetic trials ("provings")
published in the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1995. In: Ernst E,
ed. 7.Linde K, Scholz M, Ramirez G, et al. Impact of study
quality on outcome in placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy. J
Clin Epidemiol. 1999;52:631-636. 8. Suminski RR, Robertson RJ,
Goss FL, et al. Acute effect of amino acid ingestion and resistance
exercise on plasma growth hormone concentration in young men. Int J
Sport Nutr. 1997;7:48-60. 9. Welbourne TC. Increased plasma
bicarbonate and growth hormone after an oral glutamine load. Am J
Clin Nutr.
1995;61:1058-61.
Disclaimers
*Many of
the claims and suggested benefits associated with HGH have not been
substantiated by scientific evidence. ** The statements on this
page have not been evaluated by the FDA (Food and Drug
Administration). Information on this page is provided for
informational purposes and is not an endorsement of any product nor
it is it meant to substitute for the advice provided by physicians
or other qualified healthcare professionals. The information
contained herein should not be used for diagnosing or treating a
health problem or disease.
|