Today is Monday, February 06, 2012

Human Growth Hormone Declines with Aging

The decline of growth hormone with age is directly associated with many of the symptoms of aging, including cardiovascular disease, increased body fat, osteoporosis, wrinkling, gray hair, decreased energy, reduced sexual function and interest, and other aging archetypal symptoms. Many of these symptoms have been found in younger adults who have growth hormone deficiency.

Research over the last 40 years confirms the decline of HGH as we age in our adult years and the decline of HGH production accelerates as we it is theorized we get older, therefore as we get older after the age of 30 our bodies are not stimulating the regenerating new healthy cells as fast as they are dying off, and as a net result, aging seems to be the process of our bodies slowly dying faster than it can replace itself at first and the dying process accelerates as we continue age.

HGH Levels in Life

HGH is produced at a rate that peaks during adolescence when accelerated growth occurs. Growth hormone secretion decreases with age in every animal species tested thus far. In humans, the amount of growth hormone after age of 25 to 30 declines about 14% per decade (or 1% to 2% per year), so that total daily growth hormone production is reduced dramatically with age. In numerical values, we produce on a daily basis about 500 micrograms of growth hormone at age 20, 200 micrograms at age 40, and 25 micrograms at age 80.

Age 40+

At age 40 our growth hormone production is only 40% of what we produced at age 20. The fall in IGF-1 levels with age is identical to the decline of growth hormone.

Another research has shown that by the age of 40, our HGH production is down to 50% of youthful levels. By the age of 55 it sinks to 20%, which is not much more than someone in their 80's can produce.

Growth Hormone Decreases Significantly after the age of 35 to 45. Scientists do not know the exact reason why persons over the age 35 to 45 tend to incur such a significant decrease in HGH growth hormone secretion from the pituitary gland, with the result causing symptoms of aging, andropause ie Growth Hormone deficiency.

Some medical research has revealed that the aging pituitary somatotroph cells can still secrete as much growth hormone as the young somatotrophs cells if they are properly and adequately stimulated. As a result some researchers have come up with several theories regarding aging resulting from HGH related deficiency.

HGH Blockers Increase with Age

HGH “Blockers” (called Somatostatin) increase with age
Some research scientists believe the problem lies with somatostatin (HGH “blockers”), the natural inhibitor (blocker) of HGH Growth Hormone. Somatostatin has been found to increase in population within the body with age and may act to block the pituitary’s release of HGH Growth Hormone. When researchers eliminated somatostatin production in old rats, they found growth hormone secretion as great as those of young rats. This might indicate theoretically the Pituitary Gland has a life long ability to produce any healthy level of HGH we might desire.
HGH Stimulator's Decrease with Age

Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone

A second theory is that the precursor hormone, HGH-releasing hormone (GH-RH), which stimulates hgh Growth Hormone release by the pituitary gland, becomes less sensitive to signals from the hypothalamus. Hence, insufficient GH-RH is released resulting in a decrease of growth hormone secretions over time and age.

Decreased Ability to Process HGH

The Body Requires More HGH as we Age or the Body loses its ability to utilize HGH as we age

A third theory is that, not only does the growth hormone secreted and available to receptors in our cells decrease with aging, but that the cell receptors become more resistant and less responsive to the Growth Hormone. Under this theory, aging can be viewed as a disease of growth hormone resistance within our cell receptors similar to the way in which diabetes is a disease of insulin resistance

See: HGH Deficiency Test