Growth Hormone Secretagogue Supplements: Do They Reverse Aging in Patients Over Age 40?
Growth hormone is a protein hormone (not a steroid hormone) produced and secreted by the pituitary gland in the brain. After age 30, growth hormone secretion declines by approximately 14 percent per decade. By age 60, the average person secretes 75 percent less growth hormone than a 20-year-old. The dramatic decline in growth hormone secretion as we age is directly associated with many aspects of aging. Growth hormone is primarily released in pulses that occur during the beginning phases of sleep, which in turn stimulates the release of IGF-I from the liver. As growth hormone secretions decline with aging, so do blood levels of IGF-I.
The decline in IGF-I blood levels as we age has been shown to contribute to many aspects of aging, including thinning of our skin, more rapid wrinkling, brittle hair, and nails, grayed or dulled hair color, reduced energy, loss of muscle and bone mass, decreased libido and sexual performance ability, increased body fat, and other common signs and symptoms of aging. Conversely, growth hormone injections and/or supplementation with natural agents that stimulate the release of growth hormone have been shown to boost IGF-I blood levels back to more youthful levels and reverse many age-related changes in the body. Studies have shown that boosting IGF-I blood levels back to more youthful levels leads to a multitude of anti-aging benefits, including:
* improved immune function;