Human growth hormone has been touted as the fountain of youth... Can this hormone really retard the aging process?
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Human Growth Hormone is a 191 Amino Acid single-chain Polypeptide with
two sulfhydryl bridges. Its structure closely resembles that of
Prolactin (although the biological consequences of these two Hormones
oppose one another).
Circulating hGH molecules are not homogenous, i.e. they vary slightly
in their chemical structure and function and there is no singular
"true" hGH structure.
Human Growth Hormone is a Hormone produced in and released by the
anterior Pituitary Gland. It is stored in specific secretory granules
in cells specialized for its synthesis (known as Somatotrophs). These
secretory granules are the most abundant Cell type in the Pituitary
Gland as stored hGH represents approximately 4% - 8% of the dry weight
of the Pituitary Gland.
From the Pituitary, hGH is released in a pulsatile fashion, or
"bursts", most of which travels to the Liver, where almost all is
metabolized within one hour to form other substances such as
Insulin-like Growth Factors. This is how growth hormone exerts most
of it's effects.
HGH is the human equivalent of Auxins (Plant Growth Hormones).
It is strongly speculated that hGH replacement therapy could delay
many of the effects of the Aging Process.
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Part of the effectiveness of hGH in the reversal of the Aging Process
occurs from the ability of supplemental hGH to offset the decline in
hGH release that occurs with the progression of the Aging Process. In
addition the body's tissues become more resistant to the actions of
the reduced hGH secretion that occurs with Aging. Also Growth Hormone
Releasing Hormone production declines with Age while Somatostatin
(which inhibits the release of hGH) increases with Age.
HGH possesses significant Life Extension potential.
There are many lifestyle factors that contribute to, and stimulate,
the production of optimal levels of human growth hormone.
High intake of Dietary Proteins as well as Fasting stimulates the
production of hGH. This results in overall increases in hGH levels.
Additionally, intense exercise stimulates the production and release of hGH and
is a factor that is completely under the control of the individual. However, I
must say that the specific style and type of exercise is very important.
Many people believe, or choose to believe, that simply 'going' to the gym
which yield the results they want. This is completely untrue.
- hGH secretion is more dependent on the intensity of Exercise than on
the quantity of Exercise.
- hGH secretion is maximized during Exercise when the Exercise
involves relatively heavy weight sets performed in sets of eight to
ten repetitions with a one minute rest between sets. This strategy
produces 36% higher hGH release than exercise that involves longer
rest periods or lower weights.
- hGH secretion peaks 10 - 25 minutes after the commencement of
Exercise - after 25 minutes it begins to decline but remains above the
baseline level for up to one hour.
- Exercise performed at midday through 6 p.m. causes greater quantities of hGH to be released than Exercise performed early in the morning or
late at night.
Production of hGH declines in tandem with the Aging Process,
specifically, Human Growth Hormone production begins to decline at age
30 and by age 60 has tapered off substantially.
Excessive endurance exercise (overtraining) causes a decrease in
circulating levels of hGH.
Obesity also significantly suppresses the body's production and
secretion of hGH. Adipose tissue or body fat is biologically active
tissue that interferes with normal hormonal production.
hGH is secreted in pulses (short bursts) from the Anterior Pituitary
Gland. The number of these pulses ranges from nine to 29 per 24
hours.
The Pituitary of a normal, healthy human stores a total of 5 - 15 mg
of hGH (and each day an average of 0.4 - 1.0 mg of new hGH is
manufactured endogenously to replace the daily hGH secretion), however
this level fluctuates according to age:
Age: hGH Secretion per day/night (micrograms)
10: 2,000
20: 800
30: 380
40: 250
50: 200
60: 190
70: 180
80: 180
90: 175
Blood Levels
The average human blood level of hGH is 10 ng per ml and the total
circulating hGH for the average human body is 50,000 ng (50
micrograms).
Circulating, endogenous hGH has a half-life of 20 - 25 minutes, after
which it is cleared from the body via the Liver.
HGH has been approved as an adjunct to the treatment of Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in some countries: research
In addition to stimulating the Immune System of AIDS patients, hGH
helps to prevent and treat the Cachexia (muscle wasting) that commonly
afflicted AIDS patients - hGH improves their Lean Body Mass (increases
in Lean Body Mass have been shown to prolong patient survival time in
AIDS patients).
Some of the benefits of HGH:
- HGH increases the body's Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
- HGH increases the body's Energy production.
- HGH increases the capacity of elderly people to undertake Exercise.
- HGH helps to prevent Obesity by inhibiting the formation of Adipose
Tissue
Exogenous, supplemental hGH decreases the quantity of Adipose Tissue
(body Fat) - especially in older persons (by an average of 12%).
Human Growth Hormone (hGH) replacement therapy reduces Visceral Fat
and Subcutaneous Fat in persons afflicted with Obesity (in persons
with a clear-cut hGH deficiency).
Using exogenous hGH requires the supervision of a qualified health
professional, is costly and can be risky. It may be wiser for people seeking
to increase their endogenous hGH levels to consider using the
supplemental approaches listed in this topic that naturally increase hGH
production/release.
Many OTC hGH products are not actually hGH:
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Some products are claimed to be Human Growth Hormone secretagogues
(compounds that are similar in chemical structure to HGH Releasing
Hormone). The authenticity of the active ingredients in these
products is often doubtful.
Some products are actually homeopathic preparations of hGH and
therefore contain miniscule (or possibly zero) quantities of hGH.
Some products are actually combinations of Amino Acids and other
nutrients that stimulate the release of HGH. Specific amino acid
precursors are able to raise levels of neurotransmitters, such as
dopamine and serotonin, within the CNS.
The following neurotransmitters have been shown to affect hGH:
Dopamine stimulates the body's production/release of hGH.
Norepinephrine (NE) stimulates the body's production of hGH.
Serotonin stimulates the body's production of hGH.
Unless you exhibit clear signs of human growth hormone deficiency
synthethic hGH is not a treatment option for you.
To achieve the desired benefits of optimal circulating hGH following
specific dietary protocol, nutritional therapy and engaging in the exercise
techniques shown to increase hGH levels is the best and safest approach
for anyone age 35 and younger.
This age range is a crucial point in managing the aging process since
age 30 is where we see the most statistically significant drop in hGH
and other hormones shown to decline in tandem with the aging process.
If you meet the age related criteria and have significant signs of deficiency as
determined by one of our doctors then synthetic hGH may be a treatment
option for you.
To see if you may be a candidate for synthetic hGH therapy or any one
of the other hGH stimulating therapies and techniques contact us today
for a no obligation consultation.
To continue learning more about your health read some of our articles of interest:
Body Fat, Body Fat Percentage & Body Composition
Nutrition Supplements: Do We Get Enough Nutrition From Our Food?
Detoxification & Elimination: Full body detox
Neurotransmitter Imbalance & Associated Neurotransmitter Diseases
Statistics About Weight Loss & Obesity
Anti-Aging Statistics & Successful Age-Management
Biomarkers & Bio-Identical Hormones
