What Is Growth Hormone?
What Is Growth Hormone?
Growth hormone (GH) is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and the regeneration of cells in animals and humans.
Growth hormone is a single chain polypeptide that contains a 191-amino acid.
Growth Hormone is an amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is stored, synthesized and secreted by somatotropic cells within the pituitary gland.
Growth hormone (GH) is also known as somatotropin or as human growth hormone (HGH)
What Does Growth Hormone Do For Your Body?
- Stimulates growth in children and adolescents
- Helps to regulate body composition
- Promotes muscle and bone growth
- Stabilizes sugar and fat metabolism
- Enhances social well-being
If the Pituitary Gland does not produce enough Growth Hormone, then Growth Hormone deficiency transpires.
What Happens If Your Body Is Growth Hormone Deficient?
Some people are born with a Growth hormone deficiency. Whereas, other people have Growth Hormone-deficient from a medical condition or traumatic brain injury.
Children who are Growth Hormone deficiency will be much shorter and usually look younger than their peer group.
Growth Hormone Deficient children mature late, puberty may come late or may not come at all.
Growth Hormone deficiency symptoms in adults can vary.
Adults who have Growth Hormone deficiency may experience a combination of the symptoms listed below;
- Baldness (men) (Thinning/ Receding hairline women)
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Decrease in libido
- Decrease in muscle mass
- Muscle weakness
- Lack of memory
- Laborious time concentrating
- Thin, dry skin
- Elevated triglyceride levels
- Fatigue
- Fibro Fog/ Forgetfulness
- Heart problems
- High levels of LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol
- Insulin resistance
- Lower tolerance to exercise
Can You Take Growth Hormone Supplement?
If you are Growth Hormone Deficient prescription medication is available.
Synthetic human growth hormone was developed in 1985 and approved by the FDA for specific uses in children and adults.
In children, Hormone Growth injections may be medically prescribed for treating short stature from medical causes.
Adults may be given a Growth Hormone prescription under certain medical conditions, such as;
- Short bowel syndrome
- Pituitary tumors
- Pituitary Insufficiency
- Muscle-wasting disease associated with HIV/AIDS Muscle-wasting
Hopefully, this HypoGalBlog has brought you insight into, What Is Growth Hormone?
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/human-growth-hormone-hgh#1
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