What is HGH?
Human growth hormone (HGH) is the key ingredient behind body growth and development. Produced naturally by our bodies and today available as a synthetic supplement, it stimulates the growth of muscle, cartilage and bone.
HGH also plays an important role in helping our bodies to maintain a healthy metabolism and shape.
The body produces HGH throughout our lives, though levels decline significantly as we grow older. By the age of 60, most people have around 80 per cent less growth hormone in their system than at 20.
HGH is also known as somatotropin (sometimes spelt as somatropin), with the synthetic product available under brand names such as Saizen and Genotropin.
How does HGH work?
HGH is a microscopic protein secreted by the pituitary glad, a pea sized structure found at the base of the brain, which governs our hormone production and is sometimes called the ‘master gland’.
Released in short bursts – typically during the early hours of sleep and after we exercise – HGH is the most influential of all the pituitary gland hormones and ultimately affects every cell of our body.
Key to this is its ability to stimulate the liver and other tissues to secrete a chemical known as insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). IGF-I encourages the growth of cartilage cells, which in turn create bone growth, while it appears to be an important component in muscle growth, too. HGH acts to encourage new muscle cells (myoblasts) and stimulate amino acid uptake and protein synthesis – the genetic building blocks behind muscle and tissue growth.
Working in conjunction with IGF-I, human growth hormone also helps to regulate metabolism and how efficiently our bodies convert food into energy, muscle and fat.
There are many factors that influence the body’s natural production of HGH, with stress levels, exercise, diet and sleep all playing a part.
What is HGH used to treat?
Prior to the development of synthetic HGH in the 1980s, it was only used to treat children affected by growth hormone deficiency and stunted growth, or adults with severe pituitary gland problems.
Without a synthetic alternative, HGH had to be sourced from the pituitary glands of dead people. This method was later found to carry the risk of infecting patients with a potentially fatal brain condition known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, or CJD.
The race was on to create a safe, synthetic alternative, which was first produced by pioneering DNA technology company Genetech in 1985. The synthetic version carries no risk of CJD and has since revolutionized the use of HGH across a variety of conditions.
Studies into the use of synthetic HGH by elderly people have reported benefits such as enhanced feelings of well being and lower levels of depression, reductions in fat coupled with increased muscle mass and bone density, greater skin thickness and elasticity, and an expansion of livers and spleens by almost 20 per cent.
HGH has also been found to strengthen the immune system, reducing the threat of infection and aiding recovery from illness, whilst also counteracting allergies and immune related diseases such as arthritis.
Is HGH beneficial for anything else?
HGH has also been used to counteract the effects of muscle wasting in AIDs patients, and suggested as a possible treatment for cancer.
The rationale for its use in cancer treatment is based on the immune system’s important role as a defense against cancer and HGH’s action to strengthen the immune system.
Although it has been suggested that growth hormone may, in fact, speed the acceleration of cancer, this has not been seen in clinical practice. A counter argument is that improved immunity may reduce the risk of malignancy and speed healing after cancer treatment.
The dawn of HGH as an antiaging treatment followed the publication of a ground breaking study in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in 1990.
Written by Daniel Rudman, MD, it reported the astonishing results of a six month trial of synthetic human growth hormone use by a group of elderly men aged from 61 to 81. Rudman’s study found that every one of the 12 strong group gained muscle and bone density, lost fat, thickened their skin and expanded their livers and spleens after taking HGH.
Perhaps even more remarkable was the fact that these results were achieved without any change in diet, lifestyle or smoking habits amongst the trial group. With this, it was claimed that HGH had reversed their biological age by 10 to 20 years.
Further research carried out by doctors Edmund Chein and L Cass Terry, involving more than 800 patients treated with HGH at Dr Chein’s clinic from 1994 to 1996, have helped to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of HGH.
Chein and Terry’s research did not reveal any major side effects amongst their 800 patients, beyond minor joint aches and pains, and slight fluid retention. It also found that these minor side effects tended to disappear in the first month or two of treatment.
Randomly selected questionnaires from more than 200 of their patients – aged 39 to 74 - reported a host of benefits amongst users. A total of 72 per cent reported significant fat loss, while 60 to 70 per cent noted improved skin texture, thickness, elasticity and wrinkle disappearance.
Further findings from the questionnaires showed that 71 per cent experienced improved healing capacity and curing of injuries, while 62 to 84 per cent of patients reported increased energy levels, emotional stability, a positive attitude and memory.
What is the dosage?
Your physician’s guidance and blood monitoring is essential on a program of HGH.
Physicians administering HGH for preventative/antiaging purposes use in the region of 0.01 to 0.02 of HGH per kg (2.2lbs) of body weight per week. This is injected subcutaneously (just under the skin) three to five times a week.
It is important to ensure that blood levels of HGH are monitored before and during the program and that a full check up by an antiaging physician is performed before the course of HGH injections begin. If you wish to find an antiaging physician in your area, we will be pleased to help.
Human growth hormone supplements decline in frequency and are sometimes stopped for a while, once a patient has reached an IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor) blood plasma test equivalent to that of a 21 to 31 year old. Physicians tend to differ slightly on the measure within these age group boundaries.
Are there any side effects?
Reported side effects from the use of HGH include Hypoglycaemia – which is an abnormally low blood sugar/glucose level in the body - and inadequate thyroid function.
source: www.antiaging-systems.com
