Does HGH slow aging?

Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland — a pea-sized structure at the base of the brain — to fuel childhood growth and help maintain tissues and organs throughout life. Beginning in middle age, however, the pituitary gland slowly reduces the amount of growth hormone it produces.

This natural slowdown has prompted an interest in the use of synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) to stave off some of the changes that occur with age, such as decreased muscle and bone mass.

If you're skeptical, good for you. There's little evidence to suggest human growth hormone can help otherwise healthy adults regain youth and vitality. In fact, experts recommend against using HGH to treat aging or age-related conditions.
Do some adults need human growth hormone?

Yes. Adults who have true growth hormone deficiency — not the expected decline in growth hormone due to aging — may be prescribed synthetic human growth hormone by their doctors.

Growth hormone deficiency in adults is rare and may be caused by pituitary adenoma — a tumor on the pituitary gland — or treatment of the adenoma with surgery or radiotherapy. For adults who have a growth hormone deficiency, injections of human growth hormone can:

    Increase exercise capacity
    Increase bone density
    Increase muscle mass
    Decrease body fat

Human growth hormone is also approved to treat adults with short bowel syndrome or AIDS- or HIV-related muscle wasting.
What can human growth hormone do for healthy adults?

Studies of healthy adults taking human growth hormone are limited. Although it appears that human growth hormone can increase muscle mass and reduce the amount of body fat in healthy older adults, the increase in muscle doesn't translate into increased strength. It isn't clear if human growth hormone may provide other benefits to healthy adults.

What are the risks of taking human growth hormone if you don't need it?

Human growth hormone may cause a number of side effects for healthy adults, including:

    Carpal tunnel syndrome
    Swelling in the arms and legs
    Joint and muscle pain
    For men, enlargement of breast tissue (gynecomastia)

Human growth hormone may also contribute to conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.

Some research suggests that side effects of human growth hormone treatments may be more likely in older adults than in younger people. Because the studies of healthy adults taking human growth hormone have been short term, it isn't clear whether the side effects could eventually dissipate or become worse.
Does human growth hormone come in pill form?

Human growth hormone is typically administered as an injection under the skin. Some websites sell a pill form of human growth hormone and claim that it produces results similar to the injected form of the drug. Sometimes these dietary supplements are called human growth hormone releasers. However, there's no proof that these claims are true. Likewise, there's no proof that homeopathic remedies claiming to contain human growth hormone work.
What's the bottom line?

If you have specific concerns about aging, ask your doctor about proven ways to improve your health. Remember, healthy lifestyle choices — such as eating a healthy diet and including physical activity in your daily routine — can help you feel your best as you get older.

Human growth hormone (HGH) Does it slow aging?

Human growth hormone is described by some as the key to slowing the aging process. Before you sign up, get the facts.


Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland — a pea-sized structure at the base of the brain — to fuel childhood growth and help maintain tissues and organs throughout life. Beginning in middle age, however, the pituitary gland slowly reduces the amount of growth hormone it produces.

This natural slowdown has prompted an interest in the use of synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) to stave off some of the changes that occur with age, such as decreased muscle and bone mass.

If you're skeptical, good for you. There's little evidence to suggest human growth hormone can help otherwise healthy adults regain youth and vitality. In fact, experts recommend against using HGH to treat aging or age-related conditions.
Do some adults need human growth hormone?

Yes. Adults who have true growth hormone deficiency — not the expected decline in growth hormone due to aging — may be prescribed synthetic human growth hormone by their doctors.

Growth hormone deficiency in adults is rare and may be caused by pituitary adenoma — a tumor on the pituitary gland — or treatment of the adenoma with surgery or radiotherapy. For adults who have a growth hormone deficiency, injections of human growth hormone can:

    Increase exercise capacity
    Increase bone density
    Increase muscle mass
    Decrease body fat

Human growth hormone is also approved to treat adults with short bowel syndrome or AIDS- or HIV-related muscle wasting.
What can human growth hormone do for healthy adults?

Studies of healthy adults taking human growth hormone are limited. Although it appears that human growth hormone can increase muscle mass and reduce the amount of body fat in healthy older adults, the increase in muscle doesn't translate into increased strength. It isn't clear if human growth hormone may provide other benefits to healthy adults.

What are the risks of taking human growth hormone if you don't need it?

Human growth hormone may cause a number of side effects for healthy adults, including:

    Carpal tunnel syndrome
    Swelling in the arms and legs
    Joint and muscle pain
    For men, enlargement of breast tissue (gynecomastia)

Human growth hormone may also contribute to conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease.

Some research suggests that side effects of human growth hormone treatments may be more likely in older adults than in younger people. Because the studies of healthy adults taking human growth hormone have been short term, it isn't clear whether the side effects could eventually dissipate or become worse.
Does human growth hormone come in pill form?

Human growth hormone is typically administered as an injection under the skin. Some websites sell a pill form of human growth hormone and claim that it produces results similar to the injected form of the drug. Sometimes these dietary supplements are called human growth hormone releasers. However, there's no proof that these claims are true. Likewise, there's no proof that homeopathic remedies claiming to contain human growth hormone work.
What's the bottom line?

If you have specific concerns about aging, ask your doctor about proven ways to improve your health. Remember, healthy lifestyle choices — such as eating a healthy diet and including physical activity in your daily routine — can help you feel your best as you get older.

Growth hormone linked to signs of aging

The decreased production of growth hormone is caused by a physiological process known as somatopause, which practically affects the entire body, since it's involved in body composition, metabolism, bone mineral density and cardiovascular function.

It is from the fourth decade of life that levels of growth hormone secreted naturally by the body begin to decline, which may manifest in signs of aging, such as narrowing of the spine and lack of dynamism.

While growth hormone determines the height of children, it also intervenes when growth is complete. It has been documented that, for example, in the case of the heart (which is structurally a muscle), those who have a deficit in growth hormone may have reduced life expectancy by the accelerated loss of muscle mass.

It even has an effect on the morale and intellectual status. Because of all these symptoms the quality of life decreases and adults who are deficient in growth hormone complain about discouragement, tiredness and lack of dynamism. In particular cases, some may experience depression and social isolation.

On the metabolic function of the body, the specialist said that studies show that in the first years of life growth hormone is very active; however, when their natural levels drop, the assimilation of proteins, lipids and carbohydrates is affected, and therefore, the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides.

By administering recombinant human growth hormone to adults (between 40 and 80 years of age) with GH deficiency, protein synthesis increases in almost all the cells of the body, coupled with the favored mobilization of fatty acids in Adipose tissue, which increases the amount of free fatty acids in blood and its use as an energy source. It also decreases the amount of glucose used throughout the body resulting in an increase of lean body mass.Administration of such therapy has been shown to improve overall physical strength and sense of wellbeing, which translates in improved quality of life but the specialists are the ones who must evaluate each case personally.

The use of recombinant human growth hormone should be measured and monitored by specialists in endocrinology, who must perform a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether the clinical characteristics of the person correspond to the clinical data for growth hormone deficiency and then consider if the adult has a healthy diet, physical activity habits and appropriate life style.

Bodybuilding for Men at 60 Years

Loss of muscle mass, known as sarcopenia, accelerated by lack of weight-bearing exercise, begins in your forties and quickens after you hit 75. This is accompanied by diminished levels of testosterone and growth hormones (HGH). Bodybuilding can slow the process and help you gain significant muscle mass. But at 60, health factors and your body's reduced ability to handle heavy weights plays a significant role in designing a suitable bodybuilding program.
Taking Precautions

The American College of Sports Medicine notes that older adults have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and joint problems, and emphasizes the importance of seeking the advice of your doctor before starting your bodybuilding program. The questions should query various aspects of your health. For example, whether you have any history of heart problems or high blood pressure or whether you feel chest pain when doing physical activities - and if you ever feel faint or dizzy, have an orthopedic condition, or if you are diabetic.

Start your bodybuilding routine with a warm-up comprising a 15- to 20-minute cardiovascular routine to exercise your heart and lungs, and dynamic stretches to loosen up your joints and muscles in preparation for the strenuous activity of building muscle. Cardio also helps to keep your body fat levels low, making your muscles more visible. For your cardio routine, walk briskly on an inclined treadmill or use the stationary bike or elliptical machine. For dynamic stretches, do side bends and hip circles to loosen up your lower back, and shoulder circles to loosen up your shoulders.

Choosing Free Weights or Machines

Writing for Critical Bench, personal trainer Shawn Lebrun notes that free weights stimulate more muscle growth. This is because you engage more muscle fibers to stabilize the weights as you move them through the required range of motion. This is in contrast to resistance machines that balance the weight for you. Progress to free weights as you get stronger.
Building Muscle

To build muscle, focus your efforts primarily on compound multi-joint exercises that work the major muscle groups of your chest, shoulders, back, legs and glutes. Exercises that target these muscles also have a secondary effect on your minor muscles. For example, you engage your triceps when performing pushing exercises for your chest and shoulders, and your biceps kick in when you perform pulling exercises for your upper back.
Weights, Sets and Reps

Building muscle involves progressively overloading your muscles with heavy weights. However, older adults may experience joint and muscle discomfort after a heavy workout. Use a comfortable weight that allows you to do two sets of eight to 12 repetitions. As you get stronger and your exercise tolerance increases, do three sets per exercise, and gradually increase your weight. Rest about two minutes between sets.
Short, Sharp Workouts

Work out two or three days a week on non-consecutive days. This allows you adequate rest days, when muscle growth actually occurs. Use a full-body program. Do the seated chest press for your chest, the shoulder press for your shoulders, seated rows or lat pulldowns for your upper back, barbell curls for your biceps, the leg press for your quadriceps and the seated calf raise for your calves. Gradually introduce more free weights and isolation exercises into your routine. For example, the barbell bench press or dumbbell press for your chest, supplemented with the isolation movement of pec dec flys. Do dumbbell shoulder presses for your shoulders, supplemented by bent-over laterals for your rear deltoids. Introduce single arm dumbbell rows for your upper back, skull crushers for your triceps, and the isolation movement of leg curls for your hamstrings. Do two sets of isolation exercises. Your entire workout, including your warm-up should last 45 minutes to one hour.

Hormonal Therapies in Elderly

The levels of many hormones go down with age. Some of the oldest and still most popular anti-aging treatments are thus based on the notion that hormonal changes contribute to aging and reversing age-related hormonal changes will be beneficial. The most famous of these treatments involves human growth hormone (hGH) injections. Growth hormone has a long history as an anti-aging treatment and some evidence suggests hGH has beneficial effects in elderly people: hGH supplements might increase muscle mass, strengthen the immune system and increase libido. There are studies in elderly patients in which they claim to feel younger after hGH treatment. While hGH was once hailed as a major breakthrough, like many other anti-aging products it failed to live up to expectations, in part because of its negative side-effects. These might include weight gain, high blood pressure and diabetes. Because, as the name implies, hGH stimulates growth, concerns have also been raised as to whether hGH could stimulate cancer growth and whether it will contribute to cancer development in patients with existing malignant or pre-malignant tumors.

Studies in mice do not by and large suggest a beneficial role for GH. If any, they suggest a harmful role. Though one study found that a low-dose GH therapy increases lifespan in aged mice, mice genetically modified to produce lots of GH live less than controls while mice producing less GH live longer. Of course, as mentioned above, studies in animals are not always relevant to human biology. Nonetheless, the results in mice suggest that higher GH levels will not make you live longer. Studies in humans with a deficiency in GH signalling due to a defect in the GH receptor also suggest a strong cancer protection due to decreased GH signalling. The human studies also hint at a sort of supernova effect: hGH makes patients feel better but might actually diminish their lifespan. In conclusion, hGH might be useful in certain aged patients, for example its use has been suggested in cases of depression, but by and large it should be seen as cocaine for granddad. Lastly, I should point out that there are (young) patients with GH deficiency that if untreated have a reduced longevity, so hGH does have clinical applications.

Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is another hormone that may play a role in aging and can be purchased as a supplement. IGF-1's production is induced by GH and, like GH, IGF-1's levels decline with age and, in mice, low levels of IGF-1 appear to correlate with longevity; mutations in mice that lower IGF-1 seem to extend lifespan, as detailed elsewhere. So, just like for hGH, IGF-1 injections could be counter-productive. In fact, there is some evidence that little people with low levels of IGF-1 live longer. Interestingly, anti-aging therapies based on lowering IGF-1 may be possible. As mentioned elsewhere, IGF-1 does appear to play a role in aging, but whether it can be used in anti-aging is pure speculation at this stage. Clearly, however, IGF-1 injections are unlikely to extend lifespan and, like hGH, may even be harmful.

Other hormones whose production decreases with age include DHEA and melatonin. DHEA has been reported to improve the wellbeing of the elderly by a variety of ways: improved memory, immune system, muscle mass, sexual appetite, and benefits to the skin. Protection against cancer has also been argued but there is really no strong scientific evidence for this. Minor side effects such as acne have also been reported. One clinical study in elderly women found no evidence of benefits from DHEA .

Melatonin is a hormone mostly involved in sleep and circadian rhythms, the latter hypothesized by some to be associated with aging and life-extension. It appears to have antioxidant functions--more about antioxidants below--in the brain and may have some beneficial effects in elderly patients in particular in terms of sleep. Some of its proponents claim it delays the aging process and many age-related diseases, though this is far from proven. In mice, melatonin can increase lifespan but also appears to increase cancer incidence. In humans there is no data to determine whether melatonin extends longevity, though it might have benefits in some patients. Although it can be used for jet lag and some sleep disorders, it may also cause sleep disorders such as nightmares and vivid dreams. One study claimed that melatonin levels do not decrease with age, except maybe at night, although due to diseases or drugs elderly persons can have low levels of melatonin. Melatonin may also aggravate asthma.

Finally, for women, estrogen is a popular anti-aging therapy. This hormone is generally used in conjunction with others in hormone replacement therapy. It does appear to reduce some of the effects of menopause by protecting against heart disease and osteoporosis. On the other hand, it could increase risk of breast cancer and may lead to weight gain and thrombosis as side effects. There is a vast literature on the advantages and disadvantages of hormone replacement therapy, though this is outside the scope of senescence.info. In the context of aging, there is no evidence that estrogen is a viable anti-aging therapy. For men, testosterone has also been touted as anti-aging but, again, there is no evidence it has anti-aging benefits even if it might have some benefits like, say, increased sexual function and muscle mass.