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HGH Treatment as a Weight Loss Drug
HGH is a natural substance that is excreted by the pituitary glands in the human body. As a person ages, the level of HGH that their body produces decreases. However, human growth hormone drugs work to raise a person's levels of HGH back to a youth-like level, therefore aiding in weight loss. Human growth hormone works by increasing the amount of IGF-1 that a person's liver excretes. IGF-1 prevents insulin from transporting glucose to cells. Normally, after you eat, your pancreas releases the amount of insulin necessary to transform carbohydrates into glucose. Your body then stores this glucose in fat cells and uses it for energy. HGH induced IGF-1 prevents insulin from storing this glucose in cells, therefore forcing your body to burn fat for energy. Normally, a person's body uses all of their glucose for energy before seeking that energy from their fat reserves. Human growth hormone forces your body to seek energy from the fat reserves first. This results in significant weight loss. Because human growth hormone forces your body to burn fat for energy, it means that you will lose weight even in your inactive periods. Energy is required for all aspects of living. Therefore, HGH can force your body to burn fat while you are sleeping. Additionally, it allows you to eat large amounts of food without gaining excess unwanted weight. HGH replaces the need to diet. Another beneficial effect of HGH is its ability to force your body to grow new muscle cells. Normally, a person stops growing muscle cells after puberty. They then have to do weight training in order to increase the size of these muscle cells. However, the number of muscle cells never grows. Human growth hormone helps to increase the number of muscle cells a person has. This means that they have to do significantly less weight training in order to develop muscle density. HGH, in addition to helping you lose weight, can help you increase muscle density and develop definition. It will help you get the body you want in the areas of weight and muscle definition. Another beneficial effect of human growth hormone is heightened energy levels and metabolism. Naturally produced HGH is responsible for these effects in children, and, by using human growth hormone drugs as an adult, you can feel the same energy as you did in your youth. An increased metabolism means increased fat loss. In fact, HGH can cause weight loss even without exercise. Human growth hormone increases strength, promotes healthy weight gain, and promotes fat loss. The side effects of using HGH as a weight loss drug are minimal and rare. Researchers say the goal of weight loss is to lose the fat but keep the muscle, but so far no drugs have been able to help people achieve that feat.
A study, published in the recent issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, looked at the effects of giving obese people low doses of growth hormone in an attempt to help them selectively lose fat while retaining lean muscle tissue.
Researchers say previous studies on growth hormone and weight loss have used relatively high doses, which resulted in unwanted side effects, such as swelling, hypertension, joint pains, and glucose intolerance (a risk factor for diabetes).
The study consisted of 59 obese men and women, whose average BMI was 37 (BMI is a measure of weight for height). The participants gave themselves nighttime injections containing 200 µg of growth hormone or a placebo for one month. For the next five months, the dosage of growth hormone was increased to 400 µg per day in men and 600 µg in women. Researchers say the increase was necessary because prior studies show resistance to the drug can develop over time, especially among women. Both groups were prescribed a diet and were instructed on lifestyle modification and exercise.
Among the 39 people who completed the 6-month treatment and follow up, the study showed that those who used growth hormone lost an average of about 5 pounds and kept it off for up to nine months. Researchers say the weight loss was entirely caused by a loss of body fat. The study also showed that growth hormone improved cholesterol profiles -- increasing the level of "good" HDL cholesterol by 19%. There was no significant change in fasting glucose levels or insulin resistance, which indicates diabetes risk. Obese women may suffer from an abnormally low level of growth hormone in the body that may make it harder for them to lose fat and attain a healthy cholesterol level.
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HGH and Weight Loss