Myths and Facts About hGH
Myths
*) Myth - hGH improves athletic performance in terms of muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance. The athletic benefits of hGH is a myth.
*) There are many claims made on web advertisements about hGH oral preparations such as sprays and pills. hGH is only bioavailable in the injectable form. The hGH molecule is too large for absorption across the lining of the oral mucosa and the hormone is digested by the stomach before absorption can occur. Professor Rob Baxter, a biochemist and director of the Kolling Institute of Medical Research at the Royal North Shore Hospital says "you can't take hGH orally - so the claims of pills and nasal sprays achieving results are baseless because, like any other protein that is eaten, it is broken down again during digestion into all 20 amino acids." The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) charged that the sprays, marketed on dozens of web sites and through spam, do not cause weight loss, reverse the aging process, or prevent or treat diseases as advertised.
Facts
*) Human growth is a very complex process, and requires the coordinated action of several hormones. The major role of hGH in stimulating body growth is to stimulate the liver and other tissues to secrete IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1). IGF-1 stimulates proliferation of chondrocytes (cartilage cells), resulting in bone growth. IGF-1 also appears to be the key player in muscle growth. It stimulates both the differentiation and proliferation of myoblasts. It stimulates amino acid uptake and protein synthesis in muscle and other tissues. Increasing hGH triggers IGF-1, which brings about regeneration, repair and optimization within your body against the signs of aging.
*) hGH is a fast worker once it is released in the blood. Within 30 minutes or so it has done its job and is gone, just long enough to reach the liver. After reaching the liver, it is converted into IGF-1 and various metabolites that regulate and control metabolic response. IGF-1 is a hormone just like hGH, but it is easier to measure in the blood stream because it stays in the blood stream longer. hGH starts this conversion in the body, but IGF-1 is what does most of the work. In the body, these hormone like proteins and peptides promote growth, nourishment, and repair of cells, which are needed to rebuild tissues damaged by injury, illness, or the effects of old age.
*) Another area of the brain called the hypothalamus (hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst) monitors the amount of hGH in the bloodstream. When the levels of hGH in the bloodstream reach the optimum level, the hypothalamus releases another hormone called somatostatin, which tells the pituitary to cut back on the levels of hGH that it is releasing.
*) hGH is produced in greatest amounts in adolescence. As we age, the production of hGH diminishes.
*) Our body continues to produce hGH in pulses throughout a 24 hour period, but the majority is released during the beginning phases of sleep.
*) hGH is essential for bone and organ growth in our youth. Too little causes dwarfism - too much causes gigantism (in children).
*) hGH has side effects including diabetes, carpal tunnel syndrome, fluid retention, joint stiffness, muscle pain, and high blood pressure.
*) Anti-aging quackery has become a multibillion dollar industry.
*) It is illegal, by Federal law, to distribute or administer human growth hormone for anti-aging or age-related problems, body-building and athletic enhancement. hGH is listed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Olympic Committee as a performance enhancing drug barring athletes from using it.
*) FDA-approved legal uses of hGH by a prescription from a physician includes:
- For Children, hGH is approved for the treatment of poor growth due to:
- For Adults, accepted medical uses in adults include the treatment of the wasting syndrome of AIDS and hGH deficiency.
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