Human Growth Hormone (HGH)
Symptoms Of Deficiency In Growth Hormone
- Lack of positive well being.
- Increased anxiety.
- Reduced energy.
- Increased need for sweets.
- Impaired psychological well-being.
- Poor general health.
- Impaired self control.
- Depressed mood.
- Reduced vitality.
- Increased social isolation.
- Slower mentation (slower mind).
- Memory Loss.
Signs of Deficiency
- Reduced lean body mass.
- Reduced mineral bone density.
- Increased body fat.
- Decreased HDL.
- Increased LDL.
- Reduced renal plasma flow.
- Reduced muscle bulk.
- Decreased exercise performance.
- Reduced extra cellular fluids.
- Increased waist to hip ratio.
- Reduced basil metobolic rate.
- Decreased muscle strength.
- Reduced Anaerobic threshold.
Measuring Growth Hormone In The Body
The aging process can be measured by levels of DHEA, Growth Hormone, and Somatomedin C in the blood. Another way is to look at the genetic timeclock which is a series of amino acids or telomeres. Growth hormone, formed by the pituitary gland has a profound effect on all the cells of the body, more than any other hormone. It may be stimulated in young adults by weight training and resistance exercise. Aerobic exercise can also have a profound effect in stimulating growth hormone production in people over 40.
In people over 70, growth hormone can increase muscle mass and lower body fat without any changes in diet or exercise. However, a low fat diet and weight lifting can help to accelerate an increase in muscle mass and decrease body fat in elderly adults.
Growth hormone is safe with no known side effects when it is taken in the proper amounts. Too much or too little will have no effect at all, therefore, it is very important that the dosage be the correct amount for each individual.
Amino Acids Can Also Stimulate Growth Hormone
There are also many forms of growth hormone stimulants that are available to the body, including amino acids such as Arginine, Lysine, Ornithine, and Glutamine that can also stimulate growth hormone production naturally. It is interesting that recent studies have found that in addition to exercise, sleep and also sleeplessness can influence the production of growth hormone at times.
Hormones That Enhance The Effects Of Growth Hormone
There are many hormones which work with growth hormone and can help it work more effectively in the body. They are Estrogen, Progesterone, Melatonin, DHEA, and Thyroid Hormone.
Estrogen: Slows the loss of minerals from bones and increases blood clotting, however, it decreases oxygen metabolism to the cells and is known to be a factor in breast and uterine cancer.
Progesterone: Essential for the metabolism of glucose and the proper formation of bones, progesterone stimulates the production of new heart cells in the body and supresses cancer growth.
Melatonin: Produced naturally in the brain by the pineal gland, it stimulates the production of growth hormone and reduces free-radical damage. Melatonin has the ability to stabilize the body's biological rhythms and stimulate the immune system.
DHEA: One of the most powerful hormones for improving brain function, DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) is the most abundant hormone found in the bloodstream. The function of DHEA is to serve as a precursor for all other hormones in the body by supplying the body with what it needs to maintain an optimum balance of all hormones that regulate metabolic functions. As we age, the level of DHEA declines dramatically. Low levels of DHEA are linked to such conditions as diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, arthritis, and many other symptoms associated with aging.
Thyroid Hormone: Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism in every cell. Without these hormones the body's altered metabolism can result in chronic fatigue, or depression. Thyroid hormones can also be extremely useful in overcomming decreased metabolism often associated with prolonged obesity. However, there is concern for portential side effects, therefore they should only be prescribed by a physician.
When growth hormone is taken in the proper dosage, the following changes occur:
- A more youthful appearance.
- Increased mental alertness.
- Increased strength.
- Increased feeling of well-being.
- Decreased wrinkling.
- Increased sexual potency.
- Increased stamina.
- Decreased body fat.
- Decreased wrinkling.
- Improved neurological function.
IGF-1 and Prostate Cancer: An Insubstantial Link
Dr. Dorman and James Jamieson
A study headed by June Chan at Harvard University links the growth protein insulin-like growth factor type-1 (IGF-1) with prostate cancer, but many health professionals caution against drawing quick conclusions. Methods used by Chan to assess this risk, including adjustment for other prostate cancer risk factors like smoking and the cancer-protective protein IGFBP-3, lead to questions regarding the accuracy of the conclusions drawn from this study. According to growth hormone clinical researcher Dr. L.E. Dorman, "In my experience, PSA [a widely accepted marker for prostate cancer] levels consistently drop 50% over a period of a month or two of growth hormone secretagogue therapy." Growth hormone--popularized for its anti-aging effects--works by stimulating IGF-1 production.
Dorman, the co-author of Growth Hormone: Reversing Human Aging Naturally, also points out that IGF-1 is produced by cells of the immune system, which may be stimulated in the presence of cancer. "To conclude that IGF-1 stimulates the initiation of prostate cancer goes against everything that we know about its positive effects on the immune system, which protects against cancer. To make any substantial conclusions about the effects of these hormones on prostate cancer, a study should include the use of growth hormone therapy with prostate cancer patients."
Dr. L. Cass Terry, a long-time researcher of growth hormone notes the complete lack of cancer incidence in any of his growth hormone treated patients, "With 800 people over the age of about 40, you would think that given the normal incidence rate of cancer, some of these people would get cancer. It could be that there is some sort of protective effect from growth hormone replacement". Terry and his associate Dr. Edmund Chein report the results of growth hormone treatment on a man who came to them with prostate cancer, indicating that without any usual forms of treatment like surgery, the patients' levels dropped from the 50 to 60 range down to 5 to 7 (men with prostate cancer usually show levels of PSA in the 10 to 20 range). It has been hypothesized that these effects come from stimulatory effects on the immune system that result from growth hormone therapy.
Pharmacologist James Jamieson, who headed the development of a growth hormone secretagogue, notes the importance of using growth hormone therapy in a way that keeps IGF-1 within a healthy range. "When stimulated to release growth hormone, the body has mechanisms that typically keep IGF-1 within a normal range."