HGH or human growth hormone also called somatotropin is the naturally occurring peptide hormone that is secreted by our pituitary gland. As the name suggests, scientists actually found HGH to be there for growth and development during childhood.
HGH- what is it?
HGH, secreted by the pituitary gland, aids in growth of children and adolescents. It further regulates body fluids, bone growth, muscle growth, fat and sugar metabolism, heart function and body composition. Synthetically produced, HGH is the main ingredient in various prescription medications and other products available all across the Internet.
The pituitary gland puts out growth hormone in pulses, the levels rise after sleep, exercise and some trauma. In normal circumstances, more of growth hormone is secreted at night when you are asleep. This physiology is a little complex but it tells that sporadic tests to measure HGH are meaningless as low and high HGH levels alternate all through the day. However, the scientists who measure GH production carefully report that it increases during childhood, peaks at puberty and reduces from middle age.
What is HGH made of?
HGH is made from a single chain of 191 amino acids and is made in the anterior pituitary gland of the brain and then secreted in the blood stream. The production is further controlled by set of hormones, mainly GH releasing hormones produced in the hypothalamus, ghrelin produced in gastrointestinal tract and somatostatin produced in tissues all through the body.
Well, the pituitary gland puts of growth hormone in pulses that vary from hour to hour. Higher HGH levels are at its peak during the night.
What does HGH do?
HGH acts on various tissues all through the body. In case of children and adults, it triggers the growth of your cartilage and bones. In people of all age groups, HGH boosts protein production, interferes with insulin, increases blood sugar levels and promotes fat utilization. Growth hormone also increases IGF-1 level i.e. insulin like growth factor 1.
What is HGH good for? The benefits
Loss of body fat- HGH helps in lipolysis, the process that burns lipids constituting oils, waxes and fats. This then helps in weight loss. Also, low levels of HGH results in obesity. This may be there due to mild proportions for those who are lean but have high fat deposits around abdomen. So by increasing the hormone level, they can easily burn their unnecessary fat.
Slower aging rate- Growth hormone further helps in promoting collagen production. The same collagen helps in promoting skin elasticity and prevents your skin from sagging and looking old. Increasing GH levels won’t stop the aging process but the chances are that it may slow down the process rate. This not just applies to the skin but even to your hair.
Better immunity- Human growth hormone also plays a very important role in developing your immunity. Researchers say that it triggers your thymus gland and produces important immunity cells called T cells.
Better muscle growth- What more, HGH promotes creation of collagen, which is one of the building blocks of human body. It is in fact the most abundant protein available in the body and plays a major part in aging of inter-connective muscles and tissues. So, as you grow old, HGH and collagen levels reduce. But if you boost your HGH levels, collagen production will also increase, leading to better muscle mass and strengthened tendons.
Stronger bones- Bone health is very crucial to protect the internal body organs and to reduce the chance of fractures. Except when you grow old, your bones lose density as tissues and collagen level diminishes. But HGH can actually strengthen your bones even when you age.
Say goodbye to erectile dysfunction- Some recent studies report that HGH deficiency results in erectile dysfunction. This is also seen in aging people as well as young males with HGH deficiency. Thus, you can boost your sexual health with HGH. This can be through natural ways to boost HGH levels or by taking resort to an effective and safe HGH therapy like supplements and sprays.
What is HGH used for?
The therapeutic usage of HGH was first shown about 45 years ago. In all these years, the proposed and approved use of HGH has grown to over a dozen and even the number of people being treated has increased to thousands all across the globe. The approved uses of HGH vary from one country to another, but it is generally used for children with GH deficiency, weak growth because of renal failure, Prader Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome and children that are small for their gestational age past 2 years of their age.
Basically, HGH is involved in 2 processes- growth/development and metabolism. Growth hormone stimulates cartilage and bone growth, mainly during the time of rapid growth in children. HGH further alleviates the ability of insulin to take glucose in muscles as well as peripheral tissues. This then causes more glucose to be in the blood and also increased rate of gluconeogenesis by liver.
What is HGH prescribed for?
HGH is available in different forms- injections, pills, sprays, gels and more. Since the injections are tough to administer, supplements like pills and sprays are often preferred. Obviously the supplements do not include actual HGH like injections, but they contain essential amino acids to be absorbed by the body. On the other hand, injections contain the hormone that breaks down fast in the digestive tract.
HGH declines naturally as we age since our body stops growing after the late teenage phase. So why is it that we need higher HGH level later on in life? Actually the hype around growth hormone comes from some studies that reported HGH injections can raise lean body mass and reduce body fat, which resulted to the claims of GH being an anti aging hormone. But the effect on body weight and strength are quite low. More so, HGH can increase soft tissues in your body, leading to joint pain, breast tenderness, and swelling and carpal tunnel syndrome.
How long does HGH take to work?
Well, it depends. While some people report seeing results like some minor changes within a few weeks, for others, it may take 4 to 6 months to show any results. Also within the first 3 months of taking HGH, you will start feeling a lot different. Like for example, you may start to feel flexible, more energetic and refreshed than ever before. And then after 6 months of taking HGH on a regular basis, you can start seeing visible changes such as loss of belly fat, more energy and ability to exercise for longer time than before.
What is HGH testing? How is it done?
For children:
Several blood tests may be required to check if the child has GHD. Some involve measurement of various hormones with simple blood work. Growth hormone stimulation utilizes 1 or 2 different treatments to stimulate or increase the amount of growth hormone secreted by the body. And then the doctor can see how much the child’s body is able to make HGH on its own.
For adults:
Your doctor will ask you to take a lot of tests to determine the deficiency of growth hormone. You may need to get stimulation test and some other tests like IGF-1, IGFBP-3 tests that determine the amount of other related hormones level. Also there are tests for checking issues with some other hormones like prolactin, cortisol as well as testosterone.
Even children may get a combination of such tests done according to their health condition and deficiencies.
We hope we have covered everything you need to know about HGH. For the best HGH supplements, check out the detailed page where we have discussed what HGH supplements can do and which are the best ones out there.
