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Human growth hormones
Human Growth Hormones in the body are made naturally during childhood to maintain our tissues and organs throughout our lives. As we grow older, our pituitary gland, where growth hormone is made, reduces hormone production gradually. Growth hormone levels peak between the ages 21 and 30 and then decline at the rate of 14 percent per decade in the following years.
Being the cell generator, the effect that the human growth hormone has on the cells of the body is unmatched by any other hormone. It promotes growth in children and plays an important role in adult metabolism. The hormone secretion decreases progressively throughout our lives. The amount of hormone in the body can be measured by levels of IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor).
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Why should I be aware of this?
Human growth hormones have for years been medically administered to children to increase height and for muscle-building and fat-reducing effects. They have also have been used to treat the condition Prader-Willi syndrome. It has also been used as a treatment for Multiple Sclerosis, as an aid to adult weight loss and for body-building .
Following several reported cases of children contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (a condition similar to Mad Cow Disease) while undergoing growth hormone treatment, synthetic hGH is produced in laboratories to eliminate the possibility of disease transmission. It is called recombinant human Growth Hormone or rhGH.
It is also used to combat the effects of advancing age. Growing old is accompanied by decline in strength, youthful appearance, health, sexual desire, and self-confidence. For ages people have been looking for methods to slow the process or turn it around entirely. Human growth hormone is one such “method” that’s gaining popularity.
How does this affect me?
Though there are few studies on the side effects of taking human growth hormone, it has been found that those people who naturally produce too much of the hormone or have received medical treatment for growth failure often develop abnormal hearts, bones, and nerves, and are likely to be affected by osteoporosis, heart failure, and other diseases. Sports medicine researchers at the University of Massachusetts, among other experts, suspect that long-term use of supplemental HGH could have similar consequences.
Human growth hormones are available in injectable spray and pill forms. The injectable form can be legally purchased with a prescription. The dangers of using HGH are far greater in injectable form than in spray or pill form because of the dosage. While injectable HGH is pure hgh entering your system, sprays and pills contain minimal amounts of hormones which stimulate your body to increase hormone production.
Injectable human growth hormones are known to have caused headaches, stiff joints, and even diabetes. Human growth hormone risks range from minor joint pain to abnormal bone and cartilage growth. Additional risks from human growth hormone include fluid retention, serious high blood pressure and reversible insulin resistance in diabetics.
Most spray and pill forms have been found to have no side effects at all
All about human growth hormones
When scientists found a way to synthetically produce human growth hormones, many human tests saw increased bone density, increased muscle mass, a disappearance of wrinkles, improved sexual performance and, of course, weight loss. There was a clear reversal in the aging process.
Over the last one decade several studies have reported that injections in the elderly can reduce body fat and increase lean tissue. But essentially it has not been demonstrated that these changes in body composition have any beneficial effect on muscle strength, cardiovascular endurance, or quality of life. Many feel that you can get the same benefits by just exercising.
Researchers hope the drug may also help patients who are wasting away because of surgery, burns, or AIDS.
New research
Now researchers, however, are of the opinion that synthetic-HGH injections may not be safe for long-term use, especially for people who are not already deficient in the hormone. Young athletes, for example, often use synthetic-HGH injections to boost athletic performance even when they are not deficient enough in HGH to warrant synthetic-HGH injections without the risk of overdose.
Furthermore, it is felt that instead of relying on expensive and potentially dangerous injections, our body can naturally produce human growth hormones at any age through high anaerobic exercise, enabling you to safely and inexpensively lose body fat and gain muscle mass. This way the body produce its own high levels of natural human growth hormones as it has the natural ability to combat aging-associated weight gain by producing HGH.
Its effect on healthy adults
Though there is no doubt that human growth hormones have helped children who are deficient in hormone, its value for healthy adults is dubious. A six-week University of Vienna study carried out on 22 athletes in 1993 found no effect on body weight, body fat, or the strength of the biceps or quadriceps. The American Journal of Physiology carried out a similar study which showed similar results. Subjects who took HGH and started lifting weights didn't get any stronger or bigger than those who simply lifted weights.
The effectiveness of the hormone to restore youth is also controversial. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) however, has not approved the use of the hormone as an anti-aging therapy.
The Hormone Research journal published a similar study of 19 older women that showed no such benefits. What's more, the apparent side effects -- including carpal tunnel syndrome and joint pain -- were so severe that only four women finished the study. A more recent review of clinical studies finds that use of HGH may lead to small changes in body composition, but that this potential benefit is far outweighed by its risks.
Human growth hormone supplement
There is tremendous influx of information on human growth hormone supplements. As a result there is a false impression that these supplements are legal and safe. Human growth hormone supplements are available only by prescription and administered via injection by a qualified healthcare practitioner.
Human growth hormones are helpful to certain people. Children whose bodies don’t produce human growth hormones can benefit from these supplements. HGH supplements are also given to people whose pituitary gland is destroyed due to surgery or radiation and to individuals who suffer from Turner's syndrome, chronic renal insufficiency, intrauterine growth retardation and Prader-Willi syndrome.
CopperBytes?
- Human growth hormone was first extracted from the pituitary gland of dead bodies. However, this form of growth hormone was found to sometimes carry a brain disease.
- Scientists first began to learn the secrets of growth hormone by studying and treating children who did not grow normally.
- The first successful human treatment of growth hormone deficiency was in 1958.
- HGH is extremely expensive -- from several thousand dollars per year for limited supplemental use, to about $35,000 per year for a child who completely lacks the protein.
References
- Human growth hormone (HGH): Does it slow aging process?
- HGH Safety
- The Dangers of Human Growth Hormone
See also
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