What is HGH?

Human growth hormone (hGH) is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pituitary gland. It’s important for growth, cell regeneration, and cell reproduction.

HGH helps to maintain, build, and repair healthy tissue in the brain and other organs. This hormone can help to speed up healing after an injury and repair muscle tissue after exercise. This helps to build muscle mass, boost metabolism, and burn fat.

HGH is also said to benefit the quality and appearance of the skin. It’s said to slow down the aging process and treat age-related diseases. However, research supporting these claims is limited.

HGH works by stimulating metabolic processes in cells to activate metabolism. It stimulates the liver to make an insulin-like protein that produces cartilage cells. This plays a part in bone and organ growth, as well as muscle protein synthesis.

WHAT EFFECT CAN HGH HAVE ON ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE?

Some of the effects attributed to hGH, which may explain the attraction for its use as a doping agent, especially in power and endurance sports, include the reduction of body fat (lipolysis), the increase in muscle mass and strength (anabolic effect), as well as its tissue-repairing effects (recovery) on the musculo-skeletal system. The anabolic actions of GH are mostly mediated through IGF-I and include increases in total body protein turnover and muscle synthesis. hGH also appears to be used synergistically with other performance-enhancing drugs, thus having an effect, albeit indirect, on muscle anabolism and athletic performance.

WHAT ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS OF HGH ABUSE?

Commonly reported side effects for hGH abuse are: diabetes in prone individuals; worsening of cardiovascular diseases; muscle, joint and bone pain; hypertension and cardiac deficiency; abnormal growth of organs; accelerated osteoarthritis.

In untreated acromegalic individuals (known for pathological over-production of hGH), many of the symptoms described above are observed and life expectancy is known to be significantly reduced.

Because of the role that hGH plays in stimulating IGF-1 secretion, excessive use of hGH may also lead to metabolic dysfunction, including glucose intolerance and other side effects associated with excess levels of IGF-1.

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