BLOG 135 HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE
As I have become more involved in the body building world, as a natural competitor I have often wondered what exactly “non-natural” athletes take to gain such definition and size. I just was in Las Vegas and attended the Mr. Olympia and my eyes were certainly wide open and staring and some of the people I saw. And then I heard a comment made about the Human Growth Hormone and their formula for their working out, so I thought hmmmmm….. let me look into this.
We do live in a world that desires immediate gratitude. This substance is sought as an answer to look and feel a certain way. In summary, “HGH, produced by the pituitary gland, spurs growth in children and adolescents. It also helps to regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and possibly heart function. Produced synthetically, HGH is the active ingredient in a number of prescription drugs and in other products available widely over the Internet” (http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/human-growth-hormone-hgh#1).
I was actually surprised to learn that the FDA does have approved uses for the drug dating back to its original purposes in 1985. For children, approved uses were for:
- Turner’s syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects a girl’s development
- Prader-Willi syndrome, an uncommon genetic disorder causing poor muscle tone, low levels of sex hormones, and a constant feeling of hunger
- Chronic kidney disease
- HGH deficiency or insufficiency
- Children born small for gestational age
(http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/human-growth-hormone-hgh#1)
In adults, approved uses were for:
- Short bowel syndrome, a condition in which nutrients are not properly absorbed due to severe intestinal disease or the surgical removal of a large portion of the small intestine
- HGH deficiency due to rare pituitary tumors or their treatment
- Muscle-wasting disease associated with HIV/AIDS
- Chronic kidney disease
- HGH deficiency or insufficiency
- Children born small for gestational age
(http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/human-growth-hormone-hgh#1)
But the reality is that the most common uses for HGH are not approved. Some people use HGH in a combination with steroids to stimulate muscle growth and improve athletic performance. Nothing is exactly scientifically proven, but we know that HGH levels decrease with age, so pumping them back into the system to achieve a “younger” state of levels would possible have some anti-aging impact. Companies love to include HGH in their products and might claim: “they turn back your body’s biological clock, reducing fat, building muscle, restoring hair growth and color, strengthening the immune system, normalizing blood sugar, increasing energy and improving sex life, sleep quality, vision, and memory” (http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/human-growth-hormone-hgh#1).
At some point, testing the waters and putting substances into your body that don’t have the scientific backing can become questionable to your health. For some, the benefit over powers the risk, which is indicative of our society’s nature of wanting everything here and now. I know that hard work goes along with steroid use, because the muscle doesn’t exactly magically appear but man oh man I have seen some biceps the size of my head. My feelings are certainly mixed on the sport that realms on the “dark side” of HGH use. Choices. We certainly live in a world of choices and no matter what route you take on your fitness journey, you are the product of your choices and I am here to help.