What Is Human Growth Hormone?Human Growth hormone (HGH) is a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration.1 Specifically, HGH promotes muscle growth and bone growth. Therefore, HGH can be more broadly described as an anabolic hormone much like testosterone.
Growth hormone promotes the production of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in the liver. IGF-1 is what actually produces the growth-stimulatory effects on a wide variety of tissues within the body. IGF-1 plays an important role in bone formation and muscle growth as well as in many other essential bodily functions. effects of HGH are most pronounced during puberty, yet HGH plays a vital role in the body throughout life.
Examples of the effects of HGH include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Increased muscle growth (protein synthesis)
- Fat breakdown (lipolysis)
- Increased calcium retention and increased bone mineral density
- Immune system stimulation
Growth hormone levels can be boosted naturally through a variety of safe and easy lifestyle adjustments. (See Lifestyle Choices that Affect Growth Hormone Release)
When Is Growth Hormone Released?
The pituitary gland releases growth hormone in pulsatile manner throughout the day and night. This pulsatile release causes GH levels to increase and decrease periodically throughout the day. The highest levels are achieved approximately one hour after the onset of sleep, and nearly 70% of all GH released into the body in a 24-hour period is released during deep sleep in the first half of the night.2 Quality sleep is absolutely essential for proper growth hormone release. Anything that interferes with sleep, such as alcohol, caffeine, sleep apnea, or certain medications, can severely reduce GH release. (See Alcohol and Sleep)
The pulsatile manner of GH release makes it difficult to for physicians to diagnose GH deficiency with a single blood test at any given time.
Why Is Growth Hormone So Expensive?
Unlike testosterone, which is a single molecule, growth hormone is a peptide. More specifically, HGH is a long string of 191 molecules known as amino acids that are bound together. This complexity makes the synthesis of growth hormone difficult. In fact, growth hormone was not synthesized in a laboratory until 1985. Prior to this date, the growth hormone used to treat growth hormone deficiency in humans was extracted from the pituitary glands of cadavers. The synthesis of exogenous HGH is difficult and thus expensive, which in turn causes the price of this hormone to be high. Typically, growth hormone replacement therapy for growth hormone deficiency costs around $10,000 per year.
References1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone.2. Van Cauter E, Plat L, Copinschi G. Interrelations between sleep and the somatotropic axis. Sleep. Sep 1998; 21 (6): 553-566.