Question

Are there any benefits to taking human growth hormone supplements for a person age 65+ in good health? Does it slow down the aging process as claimed?

Answer

Human growth hormone is a prescription drug that is approved for use in children with retarded growth, to replace a lack of their own growth hormone. However, some physicians who believe the drug to have anti-aging properties have established special clinics for this form of therapy.

We cannot recommend that you take HGH to slow aging, as adequate clinical studies of the safety and effectiveness of the hormone in older people have not been completed.

The following information gives some background to the idea of using HGH to stave off old age.

HGH is a protein-like hormone produced in the anterior portion of the pituitary gland. Virtually every organ and system in the body is dependent on HGH for proper growth, development and function. HGH is considered by many experts in the field of anti-aging medicine to be the 'master hormone', and believe that HGH replacement therapy is one of the most promising of all the anti-aging treatments.

Preliminary research, including clinical studies, indicates that 6 months of HGH replacement therapy can reverse several bio-markers of aging by 10 to 20 years. Reported effects include: decreased body fat, increased lean mass, increased bone density, increased energy levels, improved skin tone and texture, improved immune system function, and a greater sense of well-being.

In spite of many reports in the medical literature, the jury is still out. While older people with a reduced level of pituitary hormones appear to benefit from HGH replacement (particularly with respect to degenerative arterial changes), benfits are less clearcut in healthy older persons.

Side effects of HGH in adults include fluid retention, joint pains and carpal tunnel syndrome; the latter is due to growth of soft tissues around the median nerve in the wrist. There is also concern for an increased frequency of cancer (colon, prostate) with prolonged treatment. At the presnt time, there is no evidence that HGH replacement therapy is any more effective than regular exercise in improving cardiac capacity, bone mineral density, cognitive function, or subjective well-being. Results of long-term studies are awaitied with interest.