Can Human Growth Hormone (HGH) Reverse The Aging Process?
In 1990, a clinical
study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine by doctors and
researchers at the Wisconsin Medical College suggesting a correlation between
aging and human growth hormone deficiency. The study concluded that reduced
production of the human growth hormone (HGH) in the body may be a contributing
factor in the acceleration of the aging process. The study was performed
on 21 healthy elderly men who exhibited lower than average amounts of
insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).
As part of the research, twelve of the 21 men were injected with a synthetic
form of the human growth hormone (HGH) while the remaining 9 men were not
treated with HGH. Measured data on skin thickness, muscle mass, body fat, and
bone density were collected and analyzed for a period of 6 months. The results
of the research showed that the 12 men treated with HGH had significant
improvement in body composition with respect to increased bone density,
increased skin tone, increased lean muscle mass and decreased body fat. At the
same time, no measurable changes to body composition were observed from the 9
men who were not treated with HGH.
Synthetic Growth Hormone
Since the publication of the research, growth hormone has been thrown into
the spotlight and promoted as the untapped source for the fountain-of-youth.
Consequently, prominent individuals including athletes and celebrities have
touted the use of growth hormone augmentation as means in achieving greater
physical performance, more pronounced muscle boosting capacity, improved
physique and in slowing-down (and even reversing) the aging process. While
growth hormone injection and supplementation have been banned in most
professional sports, HGH is still widely used in celebrity circles as an
anti-aging agent.
Follow-on clinical studies have been performed on men and women of various
age groups to analyze the effects of the human growth hormone. It is interesting
to note that subsequent medical studies confirmed the initial findings that
growth hormone has positive impact on body composition in terms of
increased muscle mass and decreased body fat. However, these studies also
point out that no evidence of increased muscle strength nor increased exercise
endurance were detected despite the increase in muscle composition (reference
articles by the
American College of Physicians and
Brown University School of Medicine).
Early HGH treatments involved the use of human growth hormones that were
extracted from the pituitary glands of cadavers. However, this collection method
was discontinued in the 1980's after mad cow disease was observed in receiving
patients, despite cautionary measures with pasteurization. Currently, synthetic
growth hormone that mimic the natural 191-amino acid growth hormone is produced
by pharmaceutical companies. Both the human-source HGH and the synthetic
HGH are administered subcutaneously. It has been found that injection still
remains the most effective way to deliver growth hormone to the body. On the
other hand, methods of treatment involving use of synthetic growth hormone
tablets or sprays have been found to be ineffective in delivering any
significant amount of desired dosage to the body. Synthetic hormone
injection therapies are expensive and must be prescribed by a physician. It may
cost as much as $10,000 or more per year and thus, can be cost prohibitive for
the general population. Also, unless there is a justifiable medical need, it
would be difficult for Joe Public to obtain access to it. Thus, access to
hormone therapies remain confined to a very small population: those with a
prescribed medical need and those who can buy their way into a prescribed
treatment.
Treatments involving synthetic hormone injection are classified as a form of
hormone replacement therapy (HRT) since the source of the hormone does not
originate from the patient's own body.
Growth Hormone Releasers
An alternative to HRT involves the use of growth hormone releasers which
stimulate the body's own pituitary gland to manufacture more growth hormone. The
Growth Hormone Releaser has shown to be a viable solution in helping the body to
naturally increase its own growth hormone concentration. These formulations can
be obtained without a prescription and are offered under brand names like as
GENFX, GENF20PLUS,
and
Magna-RX HGH+. Hormone releasers are more appealing to the general public
because of their effectiveness in naturally increasing the body's own growth
hormone levels as well as their relatively low cost (see
genf20plus review).
There is a major difference between growth hormone releasers and human growth
hormone. In the simplest explanation, growth hormone releasers are a type of
dietary supplement and not growth hormones at all. Although the supplement
contains natural ingredients, its composition is different from the peptide
chain of amino acids that make up the human growth hormone. Growth hormone
releasers, according to their manufacturers, are not intended to perform hormone
replacement nor to act as a source of hormone reservoir. Instead, they are
designed to behave as activators to help stimulate the body's own production of
growth hormone. Thereby increasing the body's concentration of HGH through
natural bodily functions and activities.
Despite the growing popularity of HRT as an anti-aging treatment, there are
potential side-effects from long-term use. Therefore, administration of HRT must
be supervised by a physician to help minimize harmful side-effects. On the other
hand, hormone releasers can be taken on a long-term basis without any documented
harmful side-effects.
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