Many people have heard that human growth hormone, hGH can slow the aging process and make them healthier in many different ways. This hormone is naturally produced by the pea-sized pituitary gland at the base of the brain, and its function is to promote growth during childhood, and maintain the organs and tissues throughout a lifetime. There's not much evidence that taking it synthetically can help a healthy adult become more youthful or full of vitality, says non-profit informational website MayoClinic.com, but it can have several related benefits.
Increased Bone Density
Synthetic hGH is available by prescription, and administered through injection into the body.The Food and Drug Administration has approved hGH for adults with a hormone deficiency. It can increase bone density. For example, a 1998 study by the Department of Internal Medicine I-Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University Medical Clinic in Heidelberg, Germany, showed that hGH could prove beneficial for treating osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. hGH injections are not available to those who simply experience a natural decline of the growth hormone due to aging, but there are lower-dose oral supplements called human growth hormone releasers available over the counter, which may provide similar benefits.
Increased Muscle Mass
hGH shots have been approved for treating the muscle wasting associated with AIDS and HIV. In these cases, and in hormone-deficient adults, According to MayoClinic.com studies have shown that hGH can increase muscle mass and the capacity to exercise in hormone-deficient adults. Despite this, hGH doesn't appear to actually impact muscle function or strength, cautions the National Institute on Aging.
Decreased Body Fat
Another health benefit of hGH includes the decrease of body fat. A study by Nicholas A. Tritos, M.D., D.Sc., of the Lahey Clinic Medical Center, Department of Endocrinology, in Massachusetts and his team, which was published in the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism" in 2009, showed "significant changes in body composition," including loss of fat mass, in obese patients receiving growth hormone injections. However, since lean body mass increased, no overall weight loss occurred among the subjects.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Human Growth Hormone (HGH): Does it Slow Aging?
- National Institutes of Health: Can We Prevent Aging?
- National Institutes of Health: Benefits of Growth Hormone Treatment
- Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Effects of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone Therapy in Obesity in Adults: A Metaanalysis
- i-Care: HGH -- Antiaging Breakthrough or Hype?
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