What Are The HGH Benefits

HGH Therapy is a controversial subject in the medical community. While some experts consider it to be the secret to a longer, more effective life, others consider it to be a fraud used to separate the unsuspecting from their hard earned money. But what are the facts?

HGH, or Human Growth Hormone, is a chemical found naturally in the human body. This hormone, secreted by the pituitary gland, is most prevalent in our childhood and teenage years, and is responsible for initiating and controlling the growth process.
middle aged couple jogging

As we reach our twenties, however, the levels of HGH in our blood stream drop significantly and continue to decrease with each passing year. While this may not seem to be a problem, since growing is pretty much done, some researches noticed that this decrease in HGH in the blood stream coincided with the onset of many symptoms of aging, including:

    Loss of muscle mass and muscle tone
    Difficulty losing and controlling weight
    Lowered energy levels
    Reduced elasticity in the skin, a contributing factor in the formation of wrinkles
    Loss of sex drive and an increase in related disorders, including erectile dysfunction
    Loss of bone mass and the beginning of age related joint problems
    Decrease in the effectiveness of the immune system

The research determined that HGH levels directly affect the body even after the growth period is complete, and that this loss of HGH may be one of the single largest contributing factors in the aging process. The obvious answer, say the proponents of HGH therapy, is to increase the levels of Human Growth Hormone to where they were when we were teenagers.

    While taking doses of synthetic HGH are increasing in popularity, there are some issues with this option:
    Synthetic HGH can only be taken by injection
    It requires a prescription
    It is very expensive

Most people who are interested in HGH therapy, however, are looking into the HGH Supplements or releasers.

These formulations stimulate the pituitary gland and encourage it to produce more HGH. This is a natural solution to the problem of lowered HGH levels.
What can you expect with HGH supplements:

    While the FDA has not approved HGH supplements as an anti aging therapy, clinical studies and consumer reviews of the available products have shown positive results. Users of a good HGH supplement can expect:
    Increased sex drive accompanied by a noticeable improvement in sexual performance
    Increased energy levels and less problems with fatigue and listlessness
    Improvements in memory, vision, hearing and other related areas
    Better muscle tone, reduced wrinkles, and improvements in the appearance of the hair and skin
    Better sleep patterns resulting in a more restful and restorative night
    Less problems with mood swings and depression
    Easier time controlling your weight
    A better and more effective immune system
    Relief of many system issues, including enlarged organs
    Improvement in the Cardio/Pulmonary system
    Reduction in joint and muscle pain related to aging

How Long Does It Take To See Results From HGH?

    While Human Growth Hormone injection therapy can produce results very quickly, HGH supplements take time to produce a lasting and significant effect on your body chemistry. While most users see some benefits within the first few weeks, it can take up to six months for the full effect to be realized. While results will vary based on age, general health, and the precise formulation, the typical HGH supplement user can expect the following results:
    During the first month, you should feel an increase in energy levels as well as a more positive outlook on life. You will tend to sleep better and be better able to participate more effectively in normal activities.
    In the second month, the regenerative effects of higher HGH levels will begin to be seen. Your skin, hair and nails will improve. You will see better muscle tone. Losing weight will also become easier, and you should see a notable improvement in your sexual performance.
    In months three through five, you should see significant improvement in these same areas. For those trying to improve their body strength, the increase in lean muscle mass will be noticeable. Your libido will be returning to where it was in your teenage years and early twenties.
    You will also notice improvements in memory and the ability to concentrate.
    By the end of month six, you should have made great strides towards your ideal weight, your muscle tone will be much improved, and your energy levels will be at the highest they have been in years. You will also begin to see less obvious improvements in the area of your immune and, cardiopulmonary systems.
    Many will see a drop in cholesterol levels, the loss of cellulite, and in some cases the re growth of lost hair.

In recent years medical science has made tremendous advances in their ability to extend our lives. Organ replacement, surgical procedures, new medicines and diagnostic techniques have allowed doctors to treat what once was untreatable and cure that which doomed our parents and grandparents to an early grave. For many, Human Growth Hormone supplements have restored quality of life to these precious extra years.

The Use of Human Growth Hormone in the treatment of HIV / AIDS

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The HIV retrovirus may be passed from one person to another when infected blood, semen, vaginal secretions or other bodily fluids come in contact with an uninfected person's broken skin or mucous membranes. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection and are fit and well. Some of these people will develop AIDS as a result of their HIV infection.

Growth hormone is a popular bodybuilding and performance enhancing aid, and the use of recombinant human growth hormone (rHGH, or simply GH) to treat various conditions in HIV infection has been debated with excitement for years. Indeed it is licensed for the treatment of wasting syndrome in advanced stages of AIDS. GH is also a commonly used bodybuilding and performance enhancing drug, which can be purchased on the black market; used to help both muscle anabolism / strength and reduction in body fat levels. Both of these applications have possible significance in the treatment of HIV.

Other than in the treatment of wasting disease, results from the studies using rHGH to treat body changes associated with HIV and/or drugs used to treat HIV have been very favourable. One which has been studied extensively is the use of rHGH in reducing HIV-associated adipose redistribution syndrome (HARS). However, the positive effects of HGH treatment in HIV may be more direct. Several studies have proposed that rHGH may bolster the immune system in ways that might improve clinical outcomes in HIV.

Let's look at each of the possible treatment benefits of rHGH in HIV in turn:

HIV-associated adipose redistribution syndrome (HARS)
HARS is a type of lipodystrophy (abnormal distribution of body fat), where there is accumulation of excess truncal fat and visceral adipose tissue, as opposed to regular gynoid (glutes and hips) or android (abdomen) deposition. This is observed in HIV infected people, moreso as virus load increases. Although not a debilitating condition in itself (indeed extra body fat can prolong life if followed by wasting), HARS is unpleasant for the individual, giving reduced confidence in body image; another negative aspect of the disease.

rHGH therapy has been shown to significantly reduce HARS, leading to an improved body image, and significant improvement in psychological well-being. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of this, leading to rHGH being licesenced for the treatment of HARS in some countries. It should also be noted that improvement in psychological well-being could also contribute to a positive clinical outcome, in that it reduces the effects of wasting.

Acute Infections
HIV patients are often more prone to acute infections which may take longer to clear up than in non-HIV individuals. Sometimes these can be associated with poor appetite and weight loss. rHGH therapy may curb rapid weight loss often associated with acute infections in HIV positive people and may also reduce length of infection. Far more research is needed here though.

Fasting lipid profile
HIV patients have been shown to have elevated serum lipids, and dyslipidaemia, i.e. high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol with raised total cholesterol and triglycerides. This is associated with anti-HIV drug treatment especially later on in infection. This does increase risk of cardiovascular diseases, and rHGH treatment may improve lipid profiles.

Bone Building
HIV patients may have loss of bone density associated with wasting. Both treatment with rHGH and growth hormone releasing factor (GHRF) have indicated improved bone mass in HIV patients (Koutkia et al 2005).

Side effects of rHGH treatment
Although we have focused on the promising benefits for rHGH treatment in HIV infection, consideration of possible side effects is important in ensuring an informed decision can be made. Side effects of rHGH therapy include possible joint pain (arthralgia), abnormal growth of the body's extremities and impaired glucose intolerance, increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Caution is also advised against using over-the-counter or faddy internet products that claim to contain human growth hormone. Some of them claim to contain plant-derived growth hormone, others claim to contain cow or goat growth hormone, and still others claim to contain substances that increase the body's production of GH. There is no evidence that any of these products contain either a relevant product or a dose needed to induce the types of effects seen in studies. Over-the-counter and internet sales of these 'growth hormone' products are a major source of health fraud.

Certainly rHGH has shown benefits in treating wasting syndrome in advanced stages of HIV disease or AIDS, and its approval as a treatment for body lipodystrophy is encouraging. However, it's important that larger studies confirm these early findings. They can tell us whether or not increases in thymus size and CD4+ cell numbers, associated with rHGH use, ultimately benefit people living with HIV and result in better quality of life and longer life. Treatment with GH in HIV is encouraging and exciting, but far more research is still required.

The Use of Human Growth Hormone in the treatment of HIV / AIDS

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS. The HIV retrovirus may be passed from one person to another when infected blood, semen, vaginal secretions or other bodily fluids come in contact with an uninfected person's broken skin or mucous membranes. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection and are fit and well. Some of these people will develop AIDS as a result of their HIV infection.

Growth hormone is a popular bodybuilding and performance enhancing aid, and the use of recombinant human growth hormone (HGH, or simply GH) to treat various conditions in HIV infection has been debated with excitement for years. Indeed it is licensed for the treatment of wasting syndrome in advanced stages of AIDS. GH is also a commonly used bodybuilding and performance enhancing drug, which can be purchased on the black market; used to help both muscle anabolism / strength and reduction in body fat levels. Both of these applications have possible significance in the treatment of HIV.

Other than in the treatment of wasting disease, results from the studies using HGH to treat body changes associated with HIV and/or drugs used to treat HIV have been very favourable. One which has been studied extensively is the use of HGH in reducing HIV-associated adipose redistribution syndrome (HARS). However, the positive effects of HGH treatment in HIV may be more direct. Several studies have proposed that HGH may bolster the immune system in ways that might improve clinical outcomes in HIV.

Let's look at each of the possible treatment benefits of HGH in HIV in turn:

Wasting
Like cancer cachexia, advanced stages of AIDS are characterised by severe muscle wasting and weakness. The reasons for this are because the patient often has a very poor appetite and food intake, as well as there being direct wasting effects from the HIV and some associated diseases which the patient may have, e.g. pneumonia. The patient then enters a downward cycle with diminished strength, poor food intake and further wasting, and it's often this which leads to eventual death.

Both anabolic steroids (AS) and HGH therapy are used clinically to both slow the effects of wasting and to help improve appetite. Both have been shown to prolong life significantly and improve quality of life in advanced stages of AIDS .

HIV-associated adipose redistribution syndrome (HARS)
HARS is a type of lipodystrophy (abnormal distribution of body fat), where there is accumulation of excess truncal fat and visceral adipose tissue, as opposed to regular gynoid (glutes and hips) or android (abdomen) deposition. This is observed in HIV infected people, moreso as virus load increases. Although not a debilitating condition in itself (indeed extra body fat can prolong life if followed by wasting), HARS is unpleasant for the individual, giving reduced confidence in body image; another negative aspect of the disease.
HGH therapy has been shown to significantly reduce HARS, leading to an improved body image, and significant improvement in psychological well-being. Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of this, leading to HGH being licesenced for the treatment of HARS in some countries. It should also be noted that improvement in psychological well-being could also contribute to a positive clinical outcome, in that it reduces the effects of wasting.

Immune system
Of most interest in HIV therapy are the possible benefits of HGH use on the immune system, since HIV's primary adverse effect is reduction in the immune system. It has been clearly demonstrated that HGH does benefit the immune system, but the method by which it helps is still under debate. One theory is that HGH may stimulate renewal of the thymus gland, an important organ in the immune system. This may, in turn, lead to improved immune health in people with HIV. Studies are now examining whether or not renewing thymus tissue leads to better health and longer survival.

The thymus is necessary for developing new T-lymphocytes, which are key immune cells in the defence against disease, and numbers of which steadily reduce in HIV as infection progresses. In particular the thymus gland is involved in the development of CD4+ and CD8+ cells, and it is the CD4+ level which is a very critical marker in HIV outcome. Without some thymus activity, immune reconstitution that produces a wide range of functional CD4+ cells is not believed to be possible. Thus, the state of the thymus in HIV disease and how therapies affect it are of great interest to those researching ways to restore the immune system.

Acute Infections
HIV patients are often more prone to acute infections which may take longer to clear up than in non-HIV individuals. Sometimes these can be associated with poor appetite and weight loss. HGH therapy may curb rapid weight loss often associated with acute infections in HIV positive people and may also reduce length of infection. Far more research is needed here though.

Fasting lipid profile
HIV patients have been shown to have elevated serum lipids, and dyslipidaemia, i.e. high LDL (bad) cholesterol and low HDL (good) cholesterol with raised total cholesterol and triglycerides. This is associated with anti-HIV drug treatment especially later on in infection. This does increase risk of cardiovascular diseases, and HGH treatment may improve lipid profiles.

Bone Building
HIV patients may have loss of bone density associated with wasting. Both treatment with HGH and growth hormone releasing factor (GHRF) have indicated improved bone mass in HIV patients (Koutkia et al 2005).

Side effects of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS. The HIV retrovirus may be passed from one person to another when infected blood, semen, vaginal secretions or other bodily fluids come in contact with an uninfected person's broken skin or mucous membranes. People with HIV have what is called HIV infection and are fit and well. Some of these people will develop AIDS as a result of their HIV infection.

Growth hormone is a popular bodybuilding and performance enhancing aid, and the use of recombinant human growth hormone (HGH, or simply GH) to treat various conditions in HIV infection has been debated with excitement for years. Indeed it is licensed for the treatment of wasting syndrome in advanced stages of AIDS. GH is also a commonly used bodybuilding and performance enhancing drug, which can be purchased on the black market; used to help both muscle anabolism / strength and reduction in body fat levels. Both of these applications have possible significance in the treatment of HIV.

Other than in the treatment of wasting disease, results from the studies using HGH to treat body changes associated with HIV and/or drugs used to treat HIV have been very favourable. One which has been studied extensively is the use of HGH in reducing HIV-associated adipose redistribution syndrome (HARS). However, the positive effects of HGH treatment in HIV may be more direct. Several studies have proposed that HGH may bolster the immune system in ways that might improve clinical outcomes in HIV.