In 1990, a scientist at the Medical College of Wisconsin named Daniel Rudman published a study that gave birth to the modern anti-aging movement. Rudman's paper, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that 12 men who were given injections of human growth hormone (HGH) lost 14 percent of their body fat and increased their lean body mass -- including muscle -- by 9 percent. HGH, which is mostly used to help short children grow, became the go-to drug for perfectly healthy, aging people who were in search of the fountain of youth.
Now, one of Rudman's closest friends is throwing cold water on the theory that HGH should be embraced as an anti-aging elixir. St. Louis University professor, John E. Morley, co-published a study in a recent edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences showing that inhibiting the body's production of growth hormone -- rather than increasing it -- extends life. "Large numbers of people are taking growth hormone to rejuvenate themselves," says Morley, director of the divisions of geriatric medicine and endocrinology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. "Our take-home message is that no one should take growth hormones."
Here's why: When Morley and his team gave an HGH-blocking drug to mice that were prone to develop Alzheimer's disease, the mice showed improved cognition skills -- and they lived longer than the mice that didn't get the drug. Furthermore, mice with lower levels of growth hormone were less likely to develop tumors, and more likely to have long telomeres, which are protective caps on DNA that have been linked to increased lifespans.
Will this study dissuade the growing legions of HGH fans? Not likely, Morley concedes. Rudman's research is still quoted on more than 50,000 anti-aging websites, despite the fact that the New England Journal has since posted an article warning patients that there isn't much scientific evidence supporting the theory that it's smart and safe for healthy people to take the hormone. "Once it's out there, people want to believe it forever," Morley says.
Morley points out that even Rudman had doubts about growth hormone. In 1993, Rudman co-published an 18-month study of HGH in 83 healthy men. Several of the men suffered adverse reactions, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and high blood sugar, and 29 participants ended up dropping out of the study. The report, however, attracted much less fanfare than the original Rudman study, because it was published in the relatively unheralded British journal Clinical Endocrinology. Rudman died in 1994.
The next step for Morley's team is to study whether inhibiting growth hormone lengthens the lives of other animals. If that works, Morley says, he may try it in people. His goal, however, is not to use the technique to halt aging, but rather to treat cancer.
As for growth hormone, Morley believes it doesn't do much except improve people's skin tone. "But that's just because it causes water retention," he says. So what does work when it comes to fending off the aging process? "Exercise is good," Morley says.
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Testosterone replacement and a low dose steroid regimen (for a short amount of time) will give you the same effects and cost a heck of a lot less. But medical supervision is mandatory to keep estrogen levels in check.
But honestly, just taking DHEA, and consistently exercising and eating healthy are just as good as anything.... cheapest way all around! Exercise and diet are what keeps us young. We can try fooling our bodies into not aging, but you can never fool father time. He'll always bite us in the bumm.
More and more researchers are now looking at excess estrogen in older men as a possible contributor to prostate cancer. For the past 20 years, most studies have pointed to too much testosterone as a cause. Most point to DHT which is the daddy of all hormones for men. This may be true. But once you look beyond this point, you discover that excess estrogen in the system throws off the hormonal balance that we have evolved with and the body quickly reacts with too much DHT to counter estrogen.
The science is very murky still and even well meaning urologists can't correctly point to a cause of prostate cancer beyond race, diet, and maybe vitamin D levels. Most of the deadly prostate cancer is in the northern 1/3 of the nation.
We know unfermented soy (esp GM products) causes issues with very important nutrients in the body and acts on the endocrine system with excess estrogen yet it continues to be promoted as a health food. Even doctors have fallen into this trap.
1-Get plenty of sleep... the first hour is critical. Experiment on your system and environment to make sure you are ready for sleep.
2-No simple carbs after 3:00 PM. Restrict carbs to less than 30% of meal in the evening by using lots of greens and fresh vegetables
3-Use varied workouts. Only use cardio as a first step for interval training. Lifting should also be varied. Fast movements with lower weights and heavy weights with lower reps per set.
4 Lifting workouts should include compound muscle groups. Read Schuler's book on lifting. He has one for w/m
5- Understand the role of fats in your diet and workouts. Limit the fats severely before and after after a workout. Use only proteins and carbs (good carbs).
6- Relax and enjoy life if you can. Do some yoga or pilates with close friends. Listen to your favorite music. Have more and better sex with a partner or spouse.
HGH is definitely not bad, it just needs to be natural. Our bodies are constantly creating new cells that replace older and some times diseased cells. We replace our body completely with the growth of new cells. When we stop eating correctly, resting enough at night, allow our bodies to become sedentary, and can't fully relax, we set ourselves up for death. We all have a choice. I am currently 62 and have made my choice.