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What is a hormone? A hormone is one
of the many chemical messengers of the body. Hormones are comprised
of proteins that form peptide chains and direct the functions of
our body. One of the most vital of these chemical messengers is
Human Growth Hormone.
We here at Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy MD, the
Conscious Evolution Medical Institute, want to do everything
we can to help you
make an informed decision about Hormone Replacement Therapy.
Therefore, we have compiled this information about the history,
benefits, pros, and cons of growth hormone imbalance
treatment.
GH (Growth Hormone), also known as
STH (somatotropin) is a hormonal protein that stirs growth and also
the reproduction of cells in people and many animals. It's a lone
chain of one hundred ninety one amino type acids that makes up a
hormone of the polypeptide variety. It is manufactured, secreted,
and stored by somatotrophic cells inside the lateral wings of the
anterior of the pituitary gland.
The following information about the
physiology of Growth Hormone also reviews briefly diseases caused
by a deficiency of Human Growth Hormone as well as excessive Growth
Hormone(gigantism and pituitary acromegaly). It also discusses
treatment that features Human Growth Hormone. To learn more about a
commonly used growth hormone that is often given to cattle, look up
bovine somatotropin.
Terms
Recombinant HGH Human Growth Hormone
is called somatotropin as well (In Britain:
Somatotrophin)
HGH is an acronym for Human Growth
Hormone. This hormone, HGH, is released from or extracted in a
measured fashion from the pituitary gland of human
beings.
In the 1980s, Human Growth Hormone
of biosynthetic form replaced Human Growth Hormone that was derived
from the pituitary in bio hormone replacement therapy used in the
United States and other locations. Previously, Human Growth Hormone
was gathered from processed pituitary glands. derived Biosynthetic
HGH, also referred to as Recombinant Human Growth Hormone, is known
as Somatropin and the abbreviation rhGH is used.
From the middle of the 1980s, the
HGH abbreviation started to carry connotations that were
paradoxical. It now quite rarely is used in reference to Human
Growth Hormone for the purposes that are indicated.
Gene and Structure of an HGH
molecule
The HGH genes are located at region
q22-24 of the 17thchromosome (GH1). They happen to be related
closely to hCS (human chorionic somatomammotropin, known also as
lactogen of the placenta) genes. Human Growth Hormone, PRL
(prolactin) and hCS (chorionix somatomammotropin) make of a group
of similar hormones that promote growth and activity that is
lactogenic.
The predominant isoform that
comprises Human Growth Hormone is a one hundred ninety one amino
acid protein chain that has a molecular weight that is twenty two
thousand daltons. The configuration has four helixes that are
needed for interaction that is functional with the Growth Hormone
Receptor. Growth Hormone is believed to be evolutionarily and is
structurally similar to chorionic somatomammotropin and prolactin.
Even though there are real similarities within the structure that
correlate Human Growth Hormone with that of other species, only the
HGH from primates and humans has a significant effect on
people.
Secretion of Growth
Hormone
Many molecular configurations of
growth hormone move through the body. A large portion of the HGH
circulating through the body is attached to a particular protein
called growth hormone binding protein, or GHBP. The protein is
manufactured by theGrowth
Hormone receptor.
Hormone Regulation
The hypothalamus releases peptides
from the neurosecretory nuclei and those peptides enter the veins
around the pituitary gland. These peptides are significant in that
they stimulate the secretion of Growth Hormone by the body's
somatotropes. But, even though a balance of the inhibiting and
stimulating peptides controls the release of growth hormone, the
balance is also affected by numerous physiological inhibitors and
stimulators of Growth Hormone Secretion.
Stimulators of Growth Hormone
Secretion include:
GHRH (Growth Hormone Releasing
Hormone) that originates from the arcuate nucleus.
Sleep
Ghrelin (hunger-stimulating
hormone)
Exercise
Dietary protein estradiol
Low levels of blood sugar
(hypoglycemia)
Arginine[2] (decreases blood
pressure and enhances injury recovery)
Growth Hormone secretion
inhibitors include:
Somatostatin that originates in the
periventricular nucleus
glucocorticoids (carbohydrates of a
dietary variety)
Levels of Insulin-Like Growth
Factor-1 and Growth Hormone circulation concentration (the body
reacts negatively to this feedback)
Secretion of Growth Hormones are
stimulated in non-endogenous therapies as well. There are a
significant number of exogenic compounds known as xenobiotics that
have been proven to stimulate and inhibit the function and
secretion of Growth Hormones. This highlights the theory that the
axis of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 and Growth Hormone is proving
to be a vital target for particular chemicals that disrupt the
endocrine system (referred to as endocrine disruptors).
Patterns of
Secretion
The majority of physiologically
vital secretion happens during a number of large peaks or pulses of
growth hormone release every day. The concentration of growth
hormone in blood plasma during one of these peaks can range from
five to thirty five ng/mL or even more. These peaks usually last a
duration of ten to thirty minutes before they return to normal
levels. The most predictable and largest of the growth hormone
peaks happens around an hour after one goes to sleep. Besides this
particular time, there is a wide variety ofGrowth Hormonerelease
patterns from person to person and even from day to day within a
particular person. Between peaks, base levels of growth hormone
remain low, most often less than three ng/mL for most of the night
and day.
Also, the pattern and amount of
growth hormone that is secreted changes over the course of one's
life. Base levels ofGrowth Hormoneare at their highest at the
beginning of childhood. The frequency and amplitude of peaks is at
its greatest during the growth spurt of puberty. Healthy
adolescents and children average around eight peaks every 24 hours.
Adults usually have around five peaks. The amplitude and frequency
of peaks as well as base levels ofGrowth Hormonedrop as one becomes
older.
Growth Hormone
Functions
The effect thatGrowth Hormonehas on
human tissue can most accurately be termed anabolic (meaning having
a stimulative effect). Similarly to the majority of other hormonal
proteins, growth hormone functions through interaction with a
particular receptor that is located on the outer surface of the
cell.
Increases Height
The stimulation of growth in height
during childhood is the most well known effect of growth hormone
action. It appears to be spurred by a minimum of 2
mechanisms.
Growth hormone stimulates the
multiplication and division of the chondrocytes located in the
cartilage. Chondrocytes are the main cells in the epiphyses
(growing ends) of the long bones of a child's body (digits, arms,
legs).
Growth hormone also encourages
manufacture of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1, known
previously as somatomedin C). IGF-1 is a hormone that is similar to
proinsulin. Creation of IGF-1 occurs primarily in the liver, and
stimulation through Growth Hormone is necessary for this vital
process to occur correctly.
IGF-1 also has stimulative growth
effects on various types of tissue. IGF-1 is manufactured to a
lesser extent inside the tissues that are targeted, which makes
IInsulin-Like Growth Factor-1 seemingly an endocrine hormone as
well as a paracrine/autocrine hormone. Also, IGF-1 has stimulative
effects upon chondrocyte and osteoblast activity, leading to a
promotion of the healthy growth of one's bones.
Other Functions of Growth
Hormone
Though Growth Hormone's most well
known effect is the stimulation of height growth, it also
stimulates a variety of other metabolic processes.
Below is a list of some of these
processes:
Diseases that are a result of an
excess of growth hormone
(acromegaly and pituitary
gigantism)
The disease which is most common
that results in an excess of growth hormone is a pituitary gland
tumor comprised of somatotroph cells that normally reside in the
anterior of the pituitary gland. These somatotrophic adenomas are
not cancer causing and they grow very slowly, producing a greater
and greater amount of growth hormone as they develop. For many
years, the main medical issue that arises from a somatotrophic
adenoma is an excess of growth hormone. After many years, the
adenoma can become so large that it begins to cause headaches and
impair vision due to the pressure it creates upon the optical
nerve. It can also create a deficiency of other hormones by
displacing them on the pituitary gland.
Prolonged excess of growth hormone
can lead to a thickening of the bones of the toes, fingers, and
jaw. The jaw heaviness and digit thickness that occurs as a result
is known as acromegaly. Problems that accompany acromegaly often
include pressure upon the nerves (carpal tunnel among other
conditions), weakness of the muscles, a reduction of sexual
ability, and even possibly resistance to insulin, which can result
in a rare kind of type-2 diabetes.
Tumors that secrete growth hormone
are most often discovered during a patient's 50s. It is very
uncommon for this type of tumor to develop during childhood or
adolescence, but if it does develop, it can lead to an excess of
growth hormone that can lead to excessive growth commonly called
pituitary gigantism. Growth hormone producing tumors are usually
treated by means of surgical removal. In unique cases, focused
blasts of radiation may be used. In other cases, a Growth Hormone
antagonist like octreotide or bromocriptine may be administered to
block the function of growth hormone or cause the tumor to
shrink.
Deficiency of Growth Hormone
(GHD)
A deficiency of growth hormone can
produce very different issues dependent upon the age at which the
deficiency occurs. In young children, an inhibition of growth
leading to short stature and size is the most common manifestation
of Growth Hormone Deficiency. For adults, however, effects that are
caused by Growth Hormone deficiency are much more subtle. These
effects can include weakness, lack of energy, reduction in bone
mass in addition to a higher risk of cardiovascular
complications.
There are numerous causes of Growth
Hormone deficiency. These include genetic mutations, genetic
defects of the pituitary and/or the hypothalamus, and also damage
that occurs to the pituitary gland from disease, surgery, or
injury.
A proper diagnosis of Growth Hormone
Deficiency is a multi-step diagnostic procedure which usually
culminate in growth hormone stimulation tests. In these tests,
various stimuli are administered in an effort to spur the pituitary
gland into releasing a pulse of Growth Hormone.
A deficiency in Growth Hormone is
treated through bio identical hormones therapy. All of the Growth
Hormone that is currently used is of a biosynthetic variety created
through technology derived from recombinant DNA.
Because Growth Hormone is a very
large protein, it has to be administered by injection into
subcutaneous tissue to reach the blood stream. Injections used to
be administered into muscle mass until 1985, when manufacture of
synthetic Growth Hormone began. If an individual has been
long-suffering from the effects of Growth Hormone deficiency,
treatment benefits are quite often gratifying and dramatic. Side
effects are rare, as well. When Growth Hormone is used properly in
children who have a deficiency, the end result is a more normal and
average height in adulthood.
Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy
is used as a treatment for adults that struggle with a Growth
Hormone deficiency of adult-onset (which is usually caused by the
development of a tumor on the pituitary gland) or childhood-onset
(upon completion of the growth phase). In these individuals, the
benefits often include a reduction in body fat, an increase in lean
muscle, stronger bones, improved cholesterol levels, fewer risk
factors for cardiovascular complications, and an overall
improvement in mental well being.
Advantages of Hormone Replacement
Therapy
Other uses for Growth Hormone and
other indications of treatment
A number of other ailments other
than Growth Hormone deficiency can lead to lackluster growth;
however, the benefits of growth and height gain are very often
poorer when not treated for Growth Hormone Deficiency as
well.
Other examples of reduced stature
that feature treatment regimens involving Growth Hormone
include:
Chronic Renal Failure
Turner syndrome
Prader-Willi syndrome
In-utero growth
complications
Severely small stature with no
discernible cause
In conditions such as these, larger,
pharmacological doses of Growth Hormone are needed to induce
growth. The amount of Growth Hormone administered to the body by an
HRT doctor in these instances is much higher than normal
physiological levels. Luckily, treatment with these pharmacological
doses rarely result in unwanted hormone side effects. Also, the
Growth HRT side effects show little variation relative to the
condition treated.
Often, Growth Hormone is utilized to
attain benefits other than an increase in height. Growth Hormone
Replacement Therapy leads to an increase in muscle strength and a
modest reduction in body fat for those who suffer from Prader-Willi
syndrome. In those children who suffer from this condition, these
two benefits are significantly more vital than simply growing in
height. Growth Hormone has also proven to be useful to ward off the
muscle atrophy and wasting caused by AIDS. Growth Hormone also can
be administered to individuals suffering from short bowel syndrome
so that their bodies are not dependent upon being fed totally
intravenously.
Less Commonly Known benefits of
Hormone Replacement Therapy include:
-
Attempting to induce remission in
those who suffer from Multiple Sclerosis
-
Weight loss treatment for those with
obesity
-
Anti-aging treatment to reverse
effects of the aging process (read more below)
-
Combating fibromyalgia
-
Relieving ulcerative colitis and
Crohn's disease symptoms
-
General treatment for being of small
stature
-
Administration to assist in physical
enhancement for athletics or bodybuilding
Growth Hormone as an anti-aging
therapy
The first claims of Growth Hormone
as a valid treatment to combat the aging process dates back to the
year 1990. The New England Journal of Medicine released a study in
which Growth Hormone was implemented to treat twelve males over the
age of sixty. At the end of this study, every male was shown to
have increases in lean body mass and bone density that were of
statistical significance. The control set of males showed no such
improvements. The scientists who conducted the research noted that
reduction in bone density and an increase in lean body mass are
among the changes that occur normally over a ten to twenty year
period of aging. Even though the authors did not claim that Growth
Hormone reversed the process of aging, the results that they
released were interpreted incorrectly, leading many to believe that
Growth Hormone was effective as an agent to prevent and reverse
aging.
A survey of clinical research
conducted by the Stanford University School of Medicine released in
2007 revealed that Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy administered
to older, yet healthy patients, led to an increase in muscle mass
of around two kilograms. It also led to a reduction in body fat by
two kilograms as well. These effects, however, were the only
positive effects that the survey revealed. Cholesterol levels, bone
density, maximal aerobic capacity, and lipid profiles showed no
change, nor did any other significant factor that would indicate an
increase in general fitness. The survey did not discover gains in
muscle strength. They concluded that Growth Hormone merely allows
the body to store greater amounts of water in muscle tissues, which
would not lead to an increase in the actual growth of the muscles.
This also explains the improved lean body mass as well.
Standardized administration of Growth Hormone did induce several
negative issues like pain and swelling of the joints, carpal tunnel
syndrome, and a higher risk of developing diabetes.
Complications and risks of Growth
Hormone therapy: bio identical hormone replacement therapy
side effects
With Growth Hormone Replacement
Therapy, some adults may experience the side effects of nerve
compression, pain and swelling of the joints, and water retention.
Also, there is a concern that, theoretically, growth hormone
treatment might raise the risk of developing cancer or diabetes,
even more so in individuals who have other risk factors and take
higher doses of Growth Hormone. It should be noted, though, that
diabetes generally develops due to the accumulative effects of bad
eating habits over the course of thirty or forty years, are most
probable cause for diabetes in those patients who undergo Growth
Hormone Replacement Therapy is the lack of proper nutrition that
the individual experienced throughout his or her life. One
particular survey of patients who were administered Growth Hormone
that was collected from cadavers as children were shown to have a
modestly higher risk of colon cancer as adults; however, cadaver
Growth Hormone ceased to be used anywhere worldwide around 1985.
Also, a link between the treatment and the incidence of colon
cancer was not adequately established in the survey.
History
Choh Hao Li is associated with the
discovery, refinement, and eventual synthesis of Growth Hormone.
The history of the use of growth hormone—from
the initial extraction of the hormone from the human pituitary, to
the minor catastrophe that resulted in a small group of patients
acquiring Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, to the eventual expansion of
use and large expenses of synthetic Growth
Hormone—is explained in further detail in more
detail elsewhere on Growth Hormone Treatment.
By the year 2005, Growth Hormone of
the synthetic variety was attainable in the U.S. by means of a
number of manufacturers. Among these manufacturers are Genentech
(Nutropin), Lilly (Humatrope), Pfizer (Genotropin), Novo
(Norditropin), and Merck Serono (Saizen). All of these products are
almost identical in their composition, cost, and efficacy. They
vary mainly through means of delivery and ultimate formulation.
Also in the year 2005, Teva, a company from Israel, began to offer
Tev-Tropin in the United States for a cheaper price. In the year
2006, the United States FDA gave the go ahead to a follow-up type
of rhGH known as Omnitrope, released by Sandoz. Alkermes and
Genentech developed a form of Growth Hormone that releases over
time known as Nutropin Depot. This treatment was FDA-approved in
1999 and it minimized the need for daily injections, requiring one
injection every two to four weeks; however, this product became
discontinued in the year 2004.
See
also:
Human
Growth hormone; Human Growth hormone treatment; Bodybuilding and
Human Growth; Hormone Treatment; Human Growth Hormone
controversies; Recombinant protein List; Insulin-Like Growth
Factor-1
References
Alba-Roth, M'ller, Schopohl, von Werder (Published 1988).
Arginine can enhance Human Growth Hormone secretion through the
suppression of internal secretion of somatostatin. Journal of
Clinical Endocrinolgy and Metabolism Volume 67 Issue 6: Pages
1186-9. PubMedID 2903866.
Scarth.
Controlling the Human Growth Hormone and-Insulin-Like Growth Factor
axis by nutraceutical, environmental, and pharmaceutical
xenobiotics: a new role for enzymes that metabolize xenobiotics and
the factors which regulate their expression. A review". Xenobiotica
Volume 36 (Issue 2-3): Pages 119-218. PubMedID 16702112.
Takahashi, Kipnis, Daughaday (Published 1968). Human Growth
Hormone secretion during sleep". Journal of Clinical Investigation
Volume 47 Issue 9: Pages 2079-90. PubMedID 5675428.
Actions
of Ant. Pit. Growth Hormones. Med. Coll of Ga, 2007
King.
Growth Hormone. Indiana SU 2006
Study
finds no proof that Human Growth Hormone Therapy leads to longer
life.
British
Broadcasting Company News. July 26, 2002. Human Growth Hormone
therapy linked to cancer.
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