Growth Hormone Linked to Aging

Research suggests that treatment with human growth hormone may reverse some of the effects that aging has on the body.

Injecting a genetically engineered version of the natural body hormone led to an increase in muscle mass and a decrease in body fat in a group of men ranging in age from 61 to 81 years old.

However, the results are preliminary, and the long-term effects of human growth hormone have yet to be determined.

“What is exciting is the possibility of using growth hormone on a short-term basis to assist recovery from illness, injury and surgery in older people,” said Dr. Jir-Shiong Tsai, a specialist in geriatric medicine at New York University Medical Center.

“Having more muscle strength in these situations could be highly beneficial,” Tsai observed. “We are conducting clinical trials to test this theory.”

“Everyone loses muscle and gains fat with age,” he explained. A decline in human growth hormone may be one reason why fat gathers and muscles wither as people grow older.

“At this point, people should not be calling their physicians to ask if they should be taking growth hormone,” Tsai said. “But the future looks very promising.”

Growth hormone is produced by the pituitary gland during sleep. As it circulates through the body, it stimulates the production of a protein that spurs tissue growth and helps maintain organ health.

Over time, at least one-third of the population stops producing any useful amount of the hormone, Tsai said.

In the study, healthy older men found to be deficient in that protein were given injections of synthetic human growth hormone. After six months, the men had significantly increased muscle mass and skin thickness, and decreased accumulations of body fat.