Although some may describe human growth hormone as the key to slowing the aging process it’s primary role is to stimulate the growth in kids to grow taller and to help adults maintain their tissues and organs. It is produced by the pituitary gland, a pea-sized gland at the base of the brain. However, from adulthood, the pituitary gland slowly reduces the amount of growth hormone it produces. This natural slowdown has awakened interest in the use of synthetic human growth hormone as a means of avoiding some of the changes associated with aging, such as decreased muscle and bone mass.
If you are skeptical, you are doing the right thing. There is little evidence that human growth hormone can help healthy adults regain youthfulness and vitality. In fact, experts do not recommend using human growth hormone to treat aging or age-related conditions.
Do some adults need human growth hormone?
Yes, doctors can prescribe a synthetic human growth hormone to adults who have a real growth hormone deficiency but not for just the drop that can be expected in growth hormones from aging.
A growth hormone deficiency may be due to a benign pituitary tumor. It may also be due to the treatment of an adenoma by surgery or radiotherapy.
In the case of adults with growth hormone deficiency, injections of human growth hormone may be given for these benefits:
- Increase energy levels
- Increase of bone density
- Increase muscle mass
- Reduce body fat
- Human growth hormone is also approved for the treatment of adults with AIDS or HIV-induced muscle wasting.
What can human growth hormone do for healthy adults?
Studies with healthy adults taking HGH are limited. Although human growth hormone appears to increase muscle mass and reduce body fat in healthy seniors, muscle growth does not increase strength. It is not clear whether human growth hormone could bring other benefits to healthy adults.
What are the risks of taking human growth hormone when you don’t need it?
Growth hormone can cause a variety of side effects for healthy adults, including:
- Joint and muscle pain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Swelling of arms and legs
- Increased insulin resistance
- In men, increase in breast tissue size (gynecomastia)
Growth hormone can also contribute to disorders such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease and possibly to an increased risk of certain cancers.
Some studies suggest that the side effects of growth hormone treatments are more likely to occur in older people than in younger people. Since studies in healthy adults taking growth hormone were short-term, it is not clear whether the side effects will eventually disappear or worsen.
Is the human growth hormone in the form of a pill?
Prescription, human growth hormone is administered as an injection under the skin. There is no human growth hormone prescription pill. Some websites do sell a human growth hormone pills and claim that they delivers results similar to those of injected medications. Still there are HGH releasers like Growth Factor Plus that do have clinical studies to back them up. To name few Genf20 Plus, Serovital, Sytropin, Hypergh 14x and HGH X2 are some the most popular.
If you have particular concerns about aging, ask your doctor about best practices to improve your health. Remember that healthy lifestyle habits — such as eating well and incorporating physical activity into your daily life — can help you feel comfortable as you get older.
