Human Growth Hormone (HGH) and Insulin-like Growth
Factor-1 (IGF-1) Supplements Review Article
Human Growth Hormone
Supplements: Evidence and Safety. What Can HGH Supplements Really Do?
Beware of Misleading Claims!
Medically reviewed and
edited by Tod Cooperman, M.D. 
Last Updated
: 02/22/2013 | Initially Posted:
12/07/2003
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Table of Contents
What Growth Hormone Does:
Human Growth Hormone (hGH or HGH) is a
substance that the body secretes to promote the growth of children and
teenagers. After full growth is reached, it is not clear what role growth
hormone plays in the body. Levels do decline with age (as is the case with many
other hormones) and this has led to the idea that taking extra HGH could retard
signs of aging. This hypothesis was given considerable encouragement in 1990
when a small trial was published in the New England Journal of
Medicine.1 This six-month
study of 12 men found that use of HGH injections (at a dose of about 2
milligrams three times a week) increased muscle mass, decreased fat mass, and
thickened bone. Despite the fact that this research was far too preliminary to
prove anything at all (it was small, short term, and failed to follow a
double-blind, placebo-controlled protocol) it spawned an entire industry of HGH-related
products.
Subsequent research was less positive, finding that while growth hormone
injections improve muscle to fat ratio in older people, it does not increase
strength or improve function.2 In addition, growth hormone injections may cause problems
such as carpal tunnel syndrome (wrist and hand pain caused by swelling around
the median nerve), coarsening of facial features, enlargement of bones, joint
pain and leg swelling.
However, these later findings couldn't halt the HGH marketing juggernaut that
the first small study had stimulated. The New England Journal of Medicine was
so alarmed by this misuse of the study that they actually posted an article
online warning against its misinterpretation to sell products (http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/348/9/777).
But this was to no avail. The enthusiasm goes on.
HGH itself must be taken by injection, because it is a very large molecule
that cannot be absorbed intact (whether taken orally, allowed
to dissolve under the tongue, or sprayed into the nose or throat). It is also
extremely expensive, costing thousands of dollars every month. Because most
people cannot afford this, a host of products have become available that claim
to raise HGH levels. These supplements fall into four main categories:
·
HGH Releasing Agents (also called "HGH enhancers" or
"HGH stimulators")
·
Homeopathic HGH
·
Nanogram Strength HGH
·
IGF-1 Enhancers
Growth Hormone
"Releasing Agents:" (Amino Acid Supplements):
There are several natural
ways to raise growth hormone in the body. Exercise is perhaps the strongest
stimulus for growth hormone release, capable of raising levels by up to
10-fold.3 Not only will
exercise raise HGH, it will also enhance energy and well-being, increase muscle
mass, reduce fat, and enhance appearance. (However, it is not clear that these
benefits are related to HGH. Exercise, for example, may increase muscle size
because it causes microscopic muscle damage, not through effects on growth
hormone.)
Getting a good night's sleep and eating plenty of protein should also help
raise growth hormone levels. The term "growth hormone releasers,"
however, is used in reference not to lifestyle changes but to supplements. The
amino acids arginine, glutamine, histidine, methionine, phenylalanine, and
lysine all appear to cause a rise in growth hormone that lasts for an hour or
so.4
The best evidence regards intravenous administration of these amino acids, but
oral intake has a similar, though less intense, effect. In one study, ingestion
of 1.5 grams of arginine plus 1.5 grams of lysine by young adults increased
growth hormone levels by a factor of 2.7.5 In another study, two grams daily of glutamine increased
HGH concentration by a factor of 4.3 in people age 32-64.6 (See ConsumerLab.com's
test results for supplements containing arginine and glutamine.)
Nonetheless, the effects are very short-lived. In the study of young adults
just mentioned, the elevation was only measurable at the 60
minute point, but not at the 30 or 90 minute point. In other words, HGH
spiked for a half hour or so after use of supplement, but then fell back to its
original level. Similarly brief effects were seen in other trials as well. A
preliminary study using the product SeroVitale (see
product information below) in adults with an average age of 32 showed a 682%
increase in growth hormone levels at 120 minutes after taking the supplement.
However, over the full 2 hours, growth hormone levels (based on mean AUC)
averaged only 3% higher than with placebo. The study was published on the SeroVitale website
and was presented at a scientific conference but has not, as of yet, been
published in a peer-reviewed journal.
It's difficult to believe that such a short-term change in growth hormone
levels could provide any real benefit. The only evidence that it actually does
bring about any meaningful changes comes from two small studies conducted by a
single researcher.7,8 The author claimed
to find increases in strength and improvements in body composition when
athletes took arginine and ornithine; however, subsequent scrutiny of the
statistical analysis used in these studies found serious errors, and, as a
result, the conclusions cannot be trusted.9
There are other problems with growth hormone releasers as well. Athletes are
unlikely to benefit from growth hormone releasers, because they are already
engaging in practices that raise HGH levels: heavy exercise and high consumption
of protein. Studies have found that athletes need to take extremely high doses
of growth hormone releasers to have any effect on growth hormone levels even in
the short term, doses so high that they cause diarrhea. 10,11
Seniors also show a reduced response to growth hormone releasers.12 In other words, growth hormone releasers
may be most effective in people who don't need them: young people who don't
exercise. Even for this group, the effect is probably too short-term to have a
meaningful effect.
|
Name: SeroVital-hgh |
|
Name: Botanic
Choice HGH Booster Formula |
|
Name: Max
HGH Human Growth Hormone Releaser [DISCONTINUED] |
|
Name: HGH
Human Growth Agent [DISCONTINUED] |
In April 2003 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had accused the maker
of Nature's Youth hGH, an HGH releaser, of making
false and misleading claims. The company claimed that the product would
"improve physical performance, speed recovery from training, increase
cardiac output, and increase immune functions." The FDA had the company
destroy the misbranded product and agree to change the labeling for future
marketing. There have been numerous other government actions against sellers of
HGH products. (See the postings in
the Recalls & Warnings area of this website).
Homeopathic HGH Products:
An
entirely different approach involves using homeopathic dilutions of real human
growth hormone. Homeopathy is a centuries-old approach that makes use of
extremely high dilutions of a substance for a supposed therapeutic effect.
Originally, homeopathy was conducted in the following manner: People were first
given an overdose of a substance, the symptoms were recorded, and then very
dilute versions of that substance were used to treat people with similar
symptoms. Thus, if caffeine makes people anxious, homeopathic theory suggests
that highly dilute caffeine will help calm down people who are already anxious.
In recent years, a modification of the original theory has come into vogue.
According to this concept, very extreme dilutions of a
substance given to healthy people will produce the same effect as the original
substance. Thus, highly diluted caffeine should act as a pick-me-up; similarly,
highly dilute HGH should produce the same effects as normal doses.
Keep in mind that when homeopaths speak of high dilutions, they are not talking
about watering down your coffee a bit. The level of dilution involved in
creating a high-dilution homeopathic remedy resembles putting one drop of
coffee in a bathtub full of water, and taking one drop from the bathtub and
putting it in a swimming pool, and finally adding one drop of the swimming pool
into the Pacific Ocean. Such a bathtub/swimming pool/ocean process would end up
with one part coffee for every 1035 parts of water. That's 10 followed by 35 zeros (what a
homeopathic practitioner would call a 35X remedy). This is an immense dilution,
but it is trivial compared to some homeopathic HGH products which contain HGH
diluted by a factor of 10400. It's almost impossible to comprehend a number this high, but
consider this: the total number of atoms in the entire universe is less than 10100. Thus, even if you started with a whole
universe full of HGH, in a 10400 dilution not a single molecule of growth
hormone would be likely to remain.
As it happens, even a homeopathic remedy diluted "only" by a factor
of 1030 (a 30X, or 15C
remedy) is not likely to contain a single molecule of HGH. However, homeopathic
practitioners believe that some kind of "energy" or "imprint"
remains, even if no physical substance does. In fact, they believe that the
higher the dilution, the stronger the effect, and call highly dilute
homeopathic preparations "high potency" remedies. (Note that this is
a reverse of ordinary language, in which the more of a substance there is in a
pill the stronger the effect.)
From the perspective of modern science, none of this makes much sense, and the
overwhelming majority of scientists believe that homeopathy (at least at
dilutions above 106 or so), can't
possibly be effective. Homeopaths argue that a number of double-blind studies
of homeopathic products appeared to find benefits.13 Critics remain skeptical, however,
because, in general, the better the quality of the study performed, the less
the effects that were seen.14,15,16,17,18
|
Example of a Homeopathic HGH Product* |
|
Name: Renewal
HGH Advanced formula |
Regarding homeopathic HGH, a single double-blind, placebo-controlled study has
been reported in which HGH provided wellness benefits.19 In this trial, 69 people were given
either placebo or homeopathic HGH. Two different forms of homeopathic HGH were
used in this trial, each one a somewhat complex formula containing more than
one dilution of HGH (ranging from 106 to 10400 dilution). Over the three weeks of treatment, people
receiving the homeopathic remedies experienced a number of positive changes, as
compared to those taking placebo. For example, they showed an increase in
muscle mass, reduction in fat mass, and improvements in various measurements of
overall health and well-being.
On the strength of this single study, numerous homeopathic products are available
on the market that contain homeopathic HGH in various dilutions.
Note: To make matters even more confusing, some manufacturers advertise their
products as containing 50% more homeopathic HGH than other products, and go on
to imply that this gives the consumer more bang for the buck. However, such a
claim makes no sense at all. The theory of homeopathy emphatically states that
the lower the dose the stronger the effect, so adding more
substance would only defeat the purpose!
Nanogram Strength HGH Products,
Including Sublinguals and Sprays:
Some supplements claim to
contain a dose of HGH measured in nanograms, such as 2,000
nanograms of HGH per dose. That might sound like a lot if you did not know that
a nanogram is only one-millionth of milligram. As noted
earlier, when HGH is administered by injection by doctors, each dose is about 2
milligrams (equal to 2,000,000 nanograms). So a
supplement with 2,000 nanograms of HGH provides only one-thousandth of that
normally prescribed by doctors. Making matters worse, HGH is a large molecule
and is not known to be absorbed orally, sublingually (under the tongue) or even
as a nasal spray -- which are the ways in which these supplements are used. In
short, there is too little HGH in these products to be effective and it
won't even be absorbed.
|
Example of a Nanogram Strength HGH Product* |
|
Name: Retropin 2000 [DISCONTINUED] |
Beyond HGH: IGF-1:
When growth hormone
levels rise, levels of another substance rise too: insulin-like growth factor-1
(IGF-1). IGF-1 is thought to carry out some, though not all, of the effects of
HGH. However, if the situation with HGH is unclear, current knowledge about potential
benefits and risks involved in raising IGF-1 levels remains even less complete.
The supplement colostrum contains some IGF-1. Colostrum is a substance present
for a few days in the breast milk of a nursing mother. Colostrum supplements,
made from a cow source, are often added to HGH products to enhance the effect.
There is no evidence, however, that taking colostrum orally substantially
raises IGF-1 levels in the blood, nor that, if it did, any benefits would
accrue.
|
Example of an IGF-1 Product * |
|
Name: IGF-1
MAX |
ConsumerTips™:
The best way to raise
growth hormone levels is to exercise and get a good night's sleep. These
lifestyle changes will raise your growth hormone levels, which may or may not
have an effect, but they will also make you feel better, look better, and stay
youthful. Supplements may seem an attractive short cut, but it might be wiser
to save your money for a gym membership. However, if you are determined to try
an HGH supplement, watch out for the following:
·
Don't be fooled by claims of health benefits that refer to HGH
but not to the product itself. In fact, according to the FDA, no HGH supplement
may claim to treat, cure, or prevent a disease or improve body function or
structure.
·
Be wary of products that don't specifically list the amount of
each active ingredient. Products claiming "complexes" or
"formulas" are notorious for this. And even if a product has a large
number in its name, like "HGH 2000," this doesn't necessarily mean
that there is 2000 of anything in the product.
·
See if caffeine or other stimulants, such as guarana, are added.
Products marketed to boost energy levels sometimes include these to give you
the sense that they are working.
·
Make sure that the product lists the address of the manufacturer
or distributor. While this does not guarantee quality, it should be there and
you'll want this information in case you have a problem.
References:
* Products shown for illustration only. Not tested by
ConsumerLab.com.
1.
Rudman D, Feller AG, Nagraj HS, et al. Effects of human growth
hormone in men over 60 years old. N Engl J
Med. 1990;323:1-6.
2.
Vance ML. Can growth hormone prevent aging? N Engl J Med. 2003;348:779-80
3.
Raastad T, Bjoro T, Hallen J. Hormonal responses to high- and
moderate-intensity strength exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2000;82:121-8.
4.
Chromiak JA, Antonio J. Use of amino acids as growth
hormone-releasing agents by athletes. Nutrition. 2002;18:657-61
5.
Suminski RR, Robertson RJ, Goss FL, et al. Acute
effect of amino acid ingestion and resistance exercise on plasma growth hormone
concentration in young men. Int J Sport Nutr. 1997;7:48-60.
6.
Welbourne TC. Increased plasma bicarbonate and growth hormone
after an oral glutamine load. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995;61:1058-61.
7.
Elam RP, Hardin DH, Sutton RA, et al. Effects of arginine and
ornithine on strength, lean body mass and urinary hydroxyproline in adult
males. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1989;29:52-6.
8.
Elam RP. Morphological changes in adult males from resistance
exercise and amino acid supplementation. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1988;28:35-9.
9.
Jacobson, BH. Effect of amino acid on growth hormone
release. Phys Sportsmed. 1990;18:63-69
10.
Bucci L, Hickson JF Jr., Pivarnik JM,
et al. Ornithine ingestion and growth hormone release in bodybudilers. Nutr Res. 1990;10:239
11.
Chromiak JA, Antonio J. Use of amino acids as growth
hormone-releasing agents by athletes. Nutrition. 2002;18:657-61
12.
Antonio J, Chromiak J, Street C.
Androgens and GH releasers. In: Antonio J, Stout J, editors. Sports
supplements. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2001. p. 160-78.
13.
Linde K, Scholz M, Ramirez G, et al. Impact of study quality on
outcome in placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy. J Clin Epidemiol. 1999;52:631-636.
14.
Dantas F, Fisher P. A systematic review of
homeopathic pathogenetic trials ("provings")
published in the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1995. In: Ernst E, ed. Homeopathy:
A Critical Appraisal. London: Butterworth Heinemann;1998:69-97.
15.
Fisher P, Dantas F. Homeopathic
pathogenetic trials of Acidum malicum
and Acidum ascorbicum. Br
Homeopath J. 2001;90:118-125.
16.
Linde K, Scholz M, Ramirez G, et al. Impact of study quality on
outcome in placebo-controlled trials of homeopathy. J Clin Epidemiol. 1999;52:631-636.
17.
Ernst E, Pittler MH. Re-analysis of
previous meta-analysis of clinical trials of homeopathy [letter]. J
Clin Epidemiol. 2000;53:1188.
18.
Grabia S, Ernst E. Homeopathic aggravations: a
systematic review of randomised, placebo-controlled
clinical trials. Homeopathy. 2003;92:92
98.
19.
Brewitt B, Hughes J, Welsh EA, et al. Homeopathic
human growth hormone for physiologic and psychologic health: Three double-blind
placebo-controlled studies. Alt Compl Ther. 1999;5:373-385.
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used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Consumers should
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Latest Clinical Research Updates for HGH - human growth hormone
Growth Hormone Supplements -- Do They Help?
2/24/2013
Some supplements promise
to raise your level of Human Growth Hormone (hGH) and
provide extraordinary benefits, but do they really help? We reviewed the
science behind these products, including SeroVital-hgh,
which was the subject of a recent clinical trial. Get the details in the
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