Tuesday, December 1, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Human growth hormone (HGH): Does it slow aging?
Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland — a pea-sized structure at the base of the brain — to fuel childhood growth and help maintain tissues and organs throughout life. Beginning in middle age, however, the pituitary gland slowly reduces the amount of growth hormone it produces.
This natural slowdown has prompted an interest in the use of synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) to stave off some of the changes that occur with age, such as decreased muscle and bone mass.
If you're skeptical, good for you. There's little evidence to suggest human growth hormone can help otherwise healthy adults regain youth and vitality. In fact, experts recommend against using HGH to treat aging or age-related conditions.
Do some adults need human growth hormone?
Yes. Adults who have true growth hormone deficiency — not the expected decline in growth hormone due to aging — may be prescribed synthetic human growth hormone by their doctors.
Growth hormone deficiency in adults is rare and may be caused by pituitary adenoma — a tumor on the pituitary gland — or treatment of the adenoma with surgery or radiotherapy. For adults who have a growth hormone deficiency, injections of human growth hormone can:
What can human growth hormone do for healthy adults?
Studies of healthy adults taking human growth hormone are limited. Although it appears that human growth hormone can increase muscle mass and reduce the amount of body fat in healthy older adults, the increase in muscle doesn't translate into increased strength. It isn't clear if human growth hormone may provide other benefits to healthy adults.
This natural slowdown has prompted an interest in the use of synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) to stave off some of the changes that occur with age, such as decreased muscle and bone mass.
If you're skeptical, good for you. There's little evidence to suggest human growth hormone can help otherwise healthy adults regain youth and vitality. In fact, experts recommend against using HGH to treat aging or age-related conditions.
Do some adults need human growth hormone?
Yes. Adults who have true growth hormone deficiency — not the expected decline in growth hormone due to aging — may be prescribed synthetic human growth hormone by their doctors.
Growth hormone deficiency in adults is rare and may be caused by pituitary adenoma — a tumor on the pituitary gland — or treatment of the adenoma with surgery or radiotherapy. For adults who have a growth hormone deficiency, injections of human growth hormone can:
- Increase exercise capacity
- Increase bone density
- Increase muscle mass
- Decrease body fat
What can human growth hormone do for healthy adults?
Studies of healthy adults taking human growth hormone are limited. Although it appears that human growth hormone can increase muscle mass and reduce the amount of body fat in healthy older adults, the increase in muscle doesn't translate into increased strength. It isn't clear if human growth hormone may provide other benefits to healthy adults.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HGH
Human growth hormone can turn back your body’s internal clock, helping you rapidly build muscle, slash fat, and increase libido, all while sending energy levels through the roof. but when it comes to discussions on hGh, there are often more questions than answers. to help you decide whether you need hGh, check out our straightforward Q&a, which answers some of the more commonly asked questions and learn how you can boost your own natural levels of this powerful anabolic hormone.
What is human growth hormone?
The body naturally produces growth hormone (HGH or simply GH) in the pituitary gland, and, as its name implies, it is responsible for cell growth and regeneration. Increasing muscle mass and bone density are impossible without GH, but it also plays a major role in maintaining the health of all human tissue, including that of the brain and other vital organs. When secreted, GH remains active in the bloodstream for only a few minutes, but this is enough time for the liver to convert it into growth factors, the most crucial of which is insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1, which boasts a host of anabolic properties. Scientists began to harvest GH from the pituitary glands of cadavers in the 1950s, but didn’t synthesize the first HGH in laboratories until 1981, with its use as a performance-enhancing drug becoming popular shortly thereafter.
How much GH do I produce naturally?
Find the right supplements for your diet and fitness goals at GNC Live Well.
Healthy adult men typically have just less than 5 nanograms per milliliter circulating in the blood. Healthy females can produce about twice that amount for child-bearing purposes. Levels for both sexes peak during puberty and drop sharply starting in the early 20s.
How can I learn if I have a GH deficiency?
Ask your doctor to perform a GH test. You’ll need to fast for a simple blood test that is not unlike the one administered during an annual physical.
Can’t HGH be dangerous? What about reports of enlarged bones and vital organs?
Remember when creatine was billed by the mainstream media as potentially dangerous? Now it’s the most heavily researched supplement in the world, and studies bear out the fact that it’s one of the safest and most effective supplements you can take. Medical professionals say that the dangers surrounding HGH are similarly overblown. “Complications [with HGH use] are very minimal,” says Eric Braverman, M.D., who specializes in anti-aging at Path Medical Center in New York City. “Some people experience fluid retention, and a blood sugar rise, but even these are very rare un- less you take a lot. Only a few people ever come in with big feet or big livers—from mega-doses—and they weren’t my patients. It’s very rare.”
What is human growth hormone?
The body naturally produces growth hormone (HGH or simply GH) in the pituitary gland, and, as its name implies, it is responsible for cell growth and regeneration. Increasing muscle mass and bone density are impossible without GH, but it also plays a major role in maintaining the health of all human tissue, including that of the brain and other vital organs. When secreted, GH remains active in the bloodstream for only a few minutes, but this is enough time for the liver to convert it into growth factors, the most crucial of which is insulin-like growth factor-1, or IGF-1, which boasts a host of anabolic properties. Scientists began to harvest GH from the pituitary glands of cadavers in the 1950s, but didn’t synthesize the first HGH in laboratories until 1981, with its use as a performance-enhancing drug becoming popular shortly thereafter.
How much GH do I produce naturally?
Find the right supplements for your diet and fitness goals at GNC Live Well.
Healthy adult men typically have just less than 5 nanograms per milliliter circulating in the blood. Healthy females can produce about twice that amount for child-bearing purposes. Levels for both sexes peak during puberty and drop sharply starting in the early 20s.
How can I learn if I have a GH deficiency?
Ask your doctor to perform a GH test. You’ll need to fast for a simple blood test that is not unlike the one administered during an annual physical.
Can’t HGH be dangerous? What about reports of enlarged bones and vital organs?
Remember when creatine was billed by the mainstream media as potentially dangerous? Now it’s the most heavily researched supplement in the world, and studies bear out the fact that it’s one of the safest and most effective supplements you can take. Medical professionals say that the dangers surrounding HGH are similarly overblown. “Complications [with HGH use] are very minimal,” says Eric Braverman, M.D., who specializes in anti-aging at Path Medical Center in New York City. “Some people experience fluid retention, and a blood sugar rise, but even these are very rare un- less you take a lot. Only a few people ever come in with big feet or big livers—from mega-doses—and they weren’t my patients. It’s very rare.”
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Human Growth Hormone (HGH)
Some people turn to a substance called human growth hormone (HGH) in hopes that it will keep them feeling and looking youthful. But experts say that hope is unfounded. And worse, these products can be harmful.
HGH, produced by the pituitary gland, spurs growth in children and adolescents. It also helps to regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and possibly heart function. Produced synthetically, HGH is the active ingredient in a number of prescription drugs and in other products available widely over the Internet.
HGH Uses and Abuses
Synthetic human growth hormone was developed in 1985 and approved by the FDA for specific uses in children and adults. In children, HGH injections are approved for treating short stature of unknown cause as well as poor growth due to a number of medical causes, including:
In adults, approved uses of HGH include:
But the most common uses for HGH are not FDA-approved. Some people use the hormone, along with other performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids in an attempt to build muscle and improve athletic performance. Yet HGH's effect on athletic performance is unknown.
Because the body's HGH levels naturally decrease with age, some so-called anti-aging experts have speculated and claimed that HGH products could reverse age-related bodily deterioration. But these claims, too, are unproven. The use of HGH for anti-aging is not FDA-approved.
Nevertheless, some people obtain injectable HGH from doctors who prescribe it for off-label purposes (uses for which it was not approved by the FDA) and through Internet pharmacies, anti-aging clinics, and web sites.
Others purchase HGH products -- or products that claim to increase your body's own production of HGH -- in the form of pills and sprays. Companies that market these products on TV infomercials or online claim they turn back your body's biological clock, reducing fat, building muscle, restoring hair growth and color, strengthening the immune system, normalizing blood sugar, increasing energy and improving sex life, sleep quality, vision, and memory. However, the Federal Trade Commission has seen no reliable evidence to support the claim that these products have the same effects as prescription HGH, which is always given by injection. Taken orally, HGH is digested by the stomach before it can be absorbed into the body.
HGH, produced by the pituitary gland, spurs growth in children and adolescents. It also helps to regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and possibly heart function. Produced synthetically, HGH is the active ingredient in a number of prescription drugs and in other products available widely over the Internet.
HGH Uses and Abuses
Synthetic human growth hormone was developed in 1985 and approved by the FDA for specific uses in children and adults. In children, HGH injections are approved for treating short stature of unknown cause as well as poor growth due to a number of medical causes, including:
- Turner's syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects a girl's development
- Prader-Willi syndrome, an uncommon genetic disorder causing poor muscle tone, low levels of sex hormones, and a constant feeling of hunger
- Chronic kidney insufficiency
- HGH deficiency or insufficiency
- Children born small for gestational age
In adults, approved uses of HGH include:
- Short bowel syndrome, a condition in which nutrients are not properly absorbed due to severe intestinal disease or the surgical removal of a large portion of the small intestine
- HGH deficiency due to rare pituitary tumors or their treatment
- Muscle-wasting disease associated with HIV/AIDS
But the most common uses for HGH are not FDA-approved. Some people use the hormone, along with other performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids in an attempt to build muscle and improve athletic performance. Yet HGH's effect on athletic performance is unknown.
Because the body's HGH levels naturally decrease with age, some so-called anti-aging experts have speculated and claimed that HGH products could reverse age-related bodily deterioration. But these claims, too, are unproven. The use of HGH for anti-aging is not FDA-approved.
Nevertheless, some people obtain injectable HGH from doctors who prescribe it for off-label purposes (uses for which it was not approved by the FDA) and through Internet pharmacies, anti-aging clinics, and web sites.
Others purchase HGH products -- or products that claim to increase your body's own production of HGH -- in the form of pills and sprays. Companies that market these products on TV infomercials or online claim they turn back your body's biological clock, reducing fat, building muscle, restoring hair growth and color, strengthening the immune system, normalizing blood sugar, increasing energy and improving sex life, sleep quality, vision, and memory. However, the Federal Trade Commission has seen no reliable evidence to support the claim that these products have the same effects as prescription HGH, which is always given by injection. Taken orally, HGH is digested by the stomach before it can be absorbed into the body.
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