Human growth hormones (HGH) are a very complex hormone that is applied in childhood, and adulthood to correct and treat growth issues. HGH has been used in recent years as a therapy for anti-aging, and weight loss. Reported effects from the use of HGH include decreased weight, increased bone density, and muscle mass, an improved immune system, improved skin texture and tone.

HGH has also been used in the past since the 1970’s, and continue to be used as an anabolic steroid. It wasn’t until the 2004 Athens Olympic games that blood tests were sufficient to differentiate between artificial and natural growth hormones.

The synthetic process of HGH dates back to 1981 and was pioneered by Genentech, a pharmaceutical company famous for bringing synthetic human insulin to the market. HGH was created with the idea of being a growth hormone supplement for children.

Beginning during the 90’s, the idea to use it as a hormone therapy had gained a lot of attention, however the results even today, are still controversial due to the nature of the studies and the complexity of the growth hormone.

The idea of using Growth Hormones as an anti-aging therapy stem from a 1990 Article in the New England Journal of Medicine, which gave the treatment to 12 men over the age of 60, while another 12 did not receive any growth hormones. The study concluded that the men who used GH had statistically higher increases in muscle mass and bone mineral.

This led to the general confusion that HGH had reversed the aging process. In contrast, a 2007 study from Stanford University, concluded that while elderly patients did receive, on average, 2kg of lean body mass, as well as an equal drop in body fat that no other effects were noticed in taking GH that would be indicative or an increased level of fitness such as an increase in muscle strength, lower cholesterol levels; as such, researchers concluded that growth hormones allowed the body to retain more water in the muscles, rather than increase actual muscle mass.

Side effects from intake of growth hormones include increased chance of diabetes, especially for those who use it for training purposes and begin use while under 25 years of age. Other conditions include joint pain, swelling of the joints, CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome)