Growth Hormone
by Jeffry S. Life, M.D., Ph.D. and Alan P. Mintz, M.D.
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Human growth hormone, also called
somatotropin, is the most abundant
hormone produced by the pituitary
gland. Growth hormone is clearly our
master hormone because of its ability to
affect all other hormones, organs and the
cells of our body. It has truly amazing
reparative and restorative powers that
can reverse cellular and tissue damage
and even help re-grow failing organs—something that no other hormone can
do. Growth hormone is responsible for
growth and healing, immune function,
increasing muscle mass and strength,
minimizing body fat, controlling cholesterol
levels and maintaining high energy
levels including sexual energy and sexual
performance. It also increases bone
strength and prevents osteoporosis.
Growth hormone is released from the
pituitary in pulses mostly at night when
we sleep and to a lesser degree during
the day. Many factors can affect growth
hormone levels including exercise,
stress, emotional excitement, diet and
aging.
Growth hormone can influence many
different types of cells in our bodies, but
its main target is the liver. Growth hormone’s
action on the liver causes it to
produce another hormone called insulinlike
growth factor-1 or IGF-1. This hormone
is very similar to the chemical
structure of insulin and actually competes
with insulin for the same sites on
all of our cells. IGF-1 is an extremely
important hormone and does most of
the work we attribute to growth hormone.
Blood tests to measure GH levels
are best performed by measuring IGF-1
concentrations since IGF-1 levels remain
steady in our circulation, whereas GH has
peaks and valleys throughout the day
and night.
After age 30 GH levels begin falling at
the rate of 15 percent per decade for reasons
that remain poorly understood. By
age 60 most of us produce only 25 percent
of the growth hormone we produced
at age 21. We now know that this
age-related decline in growth hormone
we all experience brings about many
undesirable changes, including an
increase in body fat—especially abdominal
and chest fat, a loss of muscle tissue,
a decline in cardiac function and exercise
performance, declines in mood and our
sense of well-being, loss of bone
strength and poor wound healing.
Aging, however, is not the only cause
of declining growth hormone levels.
Excess body fat also lowers growth hormone
levels, creating a vicious cycle
because low growth hormone levels
make it easier to gain even more body
fat—especially the fat in and around our
belly. This abdominal fat is called central
obesity and it has become very common
in America—nearly 40 percent of us fall
into this category. Central obesity is a
very dangerous kind of fat that is associated
with insulin resistance, type II diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, syndrome X and strokes.
The medical use of growth hormone
has been, until recently, almost exclusively
limited to pediatricians and pediatric
endocrinologists for the treatment
of growth-stunted children deficient in
growth hormone. Today, declines in
growth hormone in the adult population
and the problems that accompany these
declines no longer have to be an
inevitable part of the aging process. In
1981, a synthetic form of human growth
hormone was developed through genetic
engineering that made it possible to
grow bio-identical molecules from cell
cultures using recombinant DNA.
Subsequently, the FDA approved synthetic
growth hormone for human use in
the late 1980s. In August of 1996 growth
hormone was approved by the FDA for
use in the treatment of growth hormone
deficiency in adults. As a result, growth
hormone supplementation is now recognized
as a treatment option for people of
all ages who have de.ciencies. More and
more progressive physicians are advocating
human growth hormone supplementation
in older individuals to treat
the age-related declines of this crucial
hormone. The goal of treatment is to
restore hGH levels to those of a 30- to 40-
year-old and this can be achieved by
giving very low doses of the hormone.
The supplementation of hGH is also
greatly enhanced by following a low
glycemic diet with plenty of high-quality
protein and a good aerobic and resistance
exercise program—all essential key
ingredients to any hormonal supplementation
program.
The signs and symptoms of growth
hormone deficiency are the same as
those of aging. Body composition shifts
by increasing fat and body weight and
decreasing muscle mass and energy
levels. There is a decrease in bone mineralization,
vitality wanes and there is
increased cardiovascular disease and
mortality. There are psychosocial de.cits,
impaired physical performance, poor
sleep and a decrease in social interaction.
In middle and late adulthood all
people experience these problems. Until
now, these changes in body composition
and physiology have been considered
unavoidable results of aging. Growth
hormone supplementation can dramatically
slow, prevent or even reverse all of
this by working at the cellular level where
it instructs cells to repair, heal and
rejuvenate. Improvements in the
muscle/fat ratio are achieved by
decreasing body fat 10 to 20 percent and
increasing muscle tissue by 10 percent.
Bone strength, brain function, enzyme
production and the integrity of hair, nails
and skin are also under the control of
growth hormone and all dramatically
improve with supplementation.
Growth hormone is clearly
our master hormone
because of its ability to
affect all other hormones,
organs and the cells of our
body. It has truly amazing
reparative and restorative
powers that can reverse
cellular and tissue damage
and even help re-grow
failing organs—something
that no other hormone
can do.
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Additional benefits of hGH therapy
include a resolution of depression and
mood disorders, improvements in the
quality of sleep, improved sense of wellbeing,
improved self esteem, increased
drive and initiative, improved memory,
improved sex life and improved overall
mental and physical health. Growth hormone
also increases lipolysis or the
breakdown of body fat and this decreases
cholesterol and triglycerides levels, both
serious risk factors for heart disease and
diabetes. Exercise capacity, bone density,
strength and cardiac output also
improve. Skin rejuvenation occurs as a
result of increased collagen and elastin.
There is also a significant improvement in immunity, which is thought by many
scientists to help prevent cancer and
increase longevity.
Hormone optimization programs
offered by Age Management Medicine
physicians have rapidly moved into the forefront of preventive medical care and
have greatly contributed to the enhancement
of quality of life as men and women
age. Daniel Rudman, M.D., is the individual
who is credited with discovering
the benefits of hGH in growth hormone
deficient adults. His groundbreaking
study was published in the July 1990
issue of the New England Journal of
Medicine and it truly rocked the scienti.c
and medical communities. He, and many
others since, have shown that daily supplementation
of growth hormone can
reverse the signs and symptoms of the
aging process and restore one to a more
youthful physiology and body composition.
The benefits and safety of GH
replacement in GH-deficient adults have
now been unequivocally demonstrated in
studies lasting up to 10 years. Long-term
studies are currently underway to determine
whether these benefits will be sustained
over a lifetime.
There are some down sides to taking
hGH that everybody should know about
before they consider a supplementation
program. For one thing, much care needs
to be taken to avoid excesses of hGH. Excess hGH levels can cause a number of
problems including insulin resistance,
diabetes, high blood pressure, carpal
tunnel syndrome, fluid retention, heart
disease and joint pain. Blood levels of
IGF-1 must be monitored at regular intervals
to make sure this doesn’t
happen. A physician certi.ed in Age
Management Medicine should ideally Management Medicine should ideally
be the one to manage hormonal
augmentation programs.
Growth hormone should be
injected daily, usually six mornings
a week, just under the skin (subcutaneous)
with a very small needle,
in the same fashion that a diabetic
gives himself or herself insulin. All
oral or topical forms of growth hormone
and growth hormone secreting agents simply do not
work. Another significant down
side to hGH therapy is its cost.
Synthetic human growth hormone
is very expensive. Monthly costs
can range from $350 to $1,000 and
this doesn’t include lab costs and
physician fees. Most insurance
plans do not cover these costs even
though studies have clearly demonstrated
a 50 percent reduction in
hospitalization rates for individuals hospitalization rates for individuals
who maintain optimal hGH levels and the
fact that there is increasing evidence
which demonstrates growth hormone
deficiency in adults increases risks of
death from cardiovascular disease. One
final word of caution, before you consider
an hGH supplementation program for
yourself, you need to realize that any substance
that causes cells to grow has the
potential of causing cancer. Thus far,
however, hGH therapy has not been
linked to cancer and in fact, there are
many investigators that believe optimal
hGH levels play a significant role in actually
preventing cancer.
Growth hormone supplementation is
clearly a powerful tool in the fight against
aging, especially when it is used in combination
with a low glycemic nutrition
program and an exercise program that
includes both aerobic and resistance
training. We must remember, however,
that hGH is just one of several key hormones
that all work together synergistically
to improve quality of life, vitality,
body composition and the health of individuals
as they age. Hormonal balance is
absolutely essential in the overall health
and well-being of both men and women.
Today, age-related hormone deficiencies
and imbalances are correctable.
Optimal hormone balances that place
individuals in the upper percentiles of
their normal hormone ranges can be
safely achieved when performed by a
competent physician specifically trained
and certified in Age Management
Medicine.
Alan P. Mintz, M.D., is chief medical officer, chief executive officer, and cofounder of Cenegenics Medical Institute. He is a diplomate for the American Board of Radiology, including Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy, and is certified in Age Management Medicine. For further information contact Dr. Mintz or Dr. Life at 1.866.953.1530 or e-mail at
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.
Jeffry S. Life, M.D., Ph.D., is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Practice, the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine, a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and is certified in Age Management Medicine. He is a Cenegenics Institute physician and lives a lifestyle that promotes health and fitness. He writes a column on performance nutrition for Muscle Media Magazine and was the grand champion of the Body-for-LIFE Contest in 1998.
About Cenegenics
Cenegenics Medical Institute is the largest and most experienced Age Management Medicine Practice in the world with patients
from every state in the United States and several countries, 25 percent of whom are physicians and their families. Cenegenics
consistently receives regional, national and international media exposure and has been the featured expert in the media, including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, ABC’s “20/20,” and CBS’s “48 Hours.”
Cenegenics Physician Training Programs
Through the joint sponsorship of The Cenegenics Medical Institute and the Foundation for Care Management, Cenegenics provides American Medical Association PRA Level 4 Classification Tutorial Training in Age Management Medicine for physicians with a maximum of 50 Category 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits. Cenegenics also sponsors an Institutional Review Board (IRB) Research Protocol for Age Management Medicine with university affiliation. In addition, Cenegenics has the highest
rating for a privately held entity with Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. because of their business ethics. For further background information, including biographies of their physicians, management team and medical advisory board, please visit www.Cenegenics.com.
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