Until a few years ago, most scientists considered anti-aging treatments to be little more than snake oil.
Today however, that's all changed. Few researchers doubt that human growth hormones can affect aging bodies, potentially making them more youthful.
What changed everything was a landmark study by Dr. Daniel Rudman, a researcher at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Rudman decided to see if he could reverse the effects of aging by administering a human growth hormone (HGH) to elderly men.
HGH is produced by the anterior pituitary gland in the brain and is known to promote tissue repair, cell regeneration in bones, muscles and vital organs, and support the immune system in combating infection and disease. As we age, our HGH levels decline, causing our cell replacement levels to reduce to a fraction of the levels of our youth. By the age of forty nearly everyone is deficient in HGH, and at eighty the body's production has usually diminished by 90-95%.
According to HGH experts, many of the diseases and symptoms associated with aging can be traced to declining levels of HGH being produced by the body.
In his study, Dr. Rudman gave growth hormone to a group of elderly men for six months. At the end of the study the men had an astounding 8.8% increase in lean muscle mass, and a 14.4% decrease in body fat. The test group also reported improvements in sleep, energy levels, and skin and muscle tone. The results led Dr. Rudman to state, "The effects of six months of growth hormone on lean body mass and adipose-tissue mass were equivalent in magnitude to the changes incurred during 10 to 20 years of aging."
The type of human growth hormone used in this study is a synthetic injectable that costs well over $1000 for each dose. It has been approved to treat certain human growth related afflictions, but many doctors are also prescribing it as an anti-aging treatment. However, its high costs and open questions regarding appropriate dosage and long term safety have limited its use.
The HGH supplements more commonly available today without a prescription fall into one of two categories, releasers and secretagogues.
Releasers provide the building blocks of the 191 amino acid human growth hormone, predominately L-group amino acids such as L-valine and L-arginine. While these are components of true HGH, they are several chemical conversion steps away from actually being HGH.
The other main HGH supplements are secretagogues. These contain minute amounts of human growth hormone substance. Secretagogues are a form of homeopathic medicine in which tiny amounts of a natural body chemical are taken to stimulate the body to produce more. According to experts, absorbing small amounts of a synthetic hormone can cause the pituitary gland to secrete more of its own natural hormone into the bloodstream. Secretagogues can contain actual HGH and still be available without a prescription, but only if they do so in very small amounts.
One of the earliest natural HGH supplements to be developed that does not require a prescription is called Sytropin. It's one of the only HGH supplements available today that combines both releaser amino acids, and true secretagogue human growth hormone (within FDA regulations) into one supplement.
The known benefits of the HGH include reduced body fat, increased lean muscle, improved sleep and sharper mental acuity.
It's only natural that some people would be skeptical of the product's effectiveness, but Sytropin is so sure that its HGH product works it's offering new customers the chance to try Sytropin for free. (just cover the S&H).
