Does Human Growth Hormone Slow the Aging Process?

Does Human Growth Hormone Slow the Aging Process?
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Does Human Growth Hormone Slow the Aging Process?

Does Human Growth Hormone Slow the Aging Process?

Q. I haven't heard much about human growth hormone lately. Is there any new evidence to support its use in helping older men?

A. The pituitary gland in the brain makes and secretes natural growth hormone. In combination with other hormones, such as IGF-1 (insulin growth factor 1), it is responsible for body development early in life.

Throughout your life, growth hormone continues to play a role in protein production and helps the body use fat for energy. Children deficient in growth hormone do not grow to their full potential height and have short stature. The FDA approved a synthetic human growth hormone (HGH) as a replacement in these children, which helps them grow taller.

In the early 1980s, synthetic HGH became a popular but illegal performance-enhancing drug. The hype around HGH and superior athletic performance has always been greater than the reality. In fact, multiple clinical trials comparing HGH to a placebo have never shown an athletic advantage for people who use it.

As we age, the amount of growth hormone secreted by our pituitary gland naturally declines. By age 55, blood levels of growth hormone are about one-third lower than they are in people ages 18 to 35. This drop also coincides with the reduced muscle mass and increased body fat that happens with aging.

It's easy to see why HGH was touted as an "anti-aging" supplement. But does it make you feel and look 10 years younger, as some would suggest? We do know that healthy adults who take HGH can increase muscle by about 6% and reduce body fat by about the same amount. Strength also improves in some muscle groups, but not in all.

But there are downsides to using HGH. It can cause insulin to be less effective, which can raise blood sugar levels and increase the risk of diabetes. HGH also can lead to joint and muscle pain, breast enlargement, fluid retention, high blood pressure, and carpal tunnel syndrome. And then there is this: animal studies suggest that lower levels of growth hormone activity may lead to longer life. So, theoretically, HGH injections might actually shorten life span, challenging the notion that HGH is anti-aging.

The FDA has approved HGH in adults only for a few uncommon conditions, such as documented growth hormone deficiency. Synthetic human growth hormone is a prescription drug and cannot be obtained legally without a doctor's approval. To have any effect, it must be injected. Don't waste your money on pills containing HGH. The active ingredient is not absorbed when taken by mouth.

You can slow the tick of the clock with the time-tested formula of eating a healthy diet with enough protein and pursuing a regular program of aerobic and resistance exercise. This approach is better than any drug for enhancing your vigor and enjoyment of life.

by Howard LeWine, M.D.
Editor in Chief, Harvard Men's Health Watch



Pupy the Elephant Arrives at Brazil Sanctuary after 30 Years in Argentine Zoo

A female African elephant named Pupy stands in her enclosure at the Ecoparque in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, as she is trained for her relocation to a sanctuary in Brazil. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A female African elephant named Pupy stands in her enclosure at the Ecoparque in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, as she is trained for her relocation to a sanctuary in Brazil. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
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Pupy the Elephant Arrives at Brazil Sanctuary after 30 Years in Argentine Zoo

A female African elephant named Pupy stands in her enclosure at the Ecoparque in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, as she is trained for her relocation to a sanctuary in Brazil. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
A female African elephant named Pupy stands in her enclosure at the Ecoparque in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, March 25, 2025, as she is trained for her relocation to a sanctuary in Brazil. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Pupy the elephant arrived at her new home in a sanctuary in Mato Grosso, Brazil, Friday following a 2,700-kilometer (1,680-mile) overland journey from a zoo converted into an ecological park in Argentina’s capital where she had spent 30 years in conditions criticized by activists.
The Buenos Aires mayor’s office said in a statement that the last elephant living in the Argentine city’s “Ecopark” arrived at her destination in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest “in perfect health.”
The 35-year-old African elephant was transported in a large iron crate with thick bars strapped to a truck, a mission for which she had been trained for several months. The truck was flanked by vans filled with caretakers and veterinarians.
Pupy (pronounced POOH’-pee in Spanish) did not require sedation during the five-day journey to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, the first refuge for elephants in Latin America located in the municipality of Chapadas Dos Guimarães in Mato Gross state, The Associated Press quoted Argentine authorities as saying.
Upon arriving at the sanctuary, her veterinary escorts opened the door for her, but Pupy was reluctant to leave the iron crate. They said they fed her sugarcane and watermelon, her favorite food, and gave her a bath to refresh her.
Pupy will remain in an outdoor shed while she begins to adapt to her new home, without rushing.
“Everything will happen at her own pace,” said the Buenos Aires mayor’s office.
In 2016, Buenos Aires launched the transformation of its century-old, urban zoo in Palermo neighborhood into an ecological park for the preservation of biodiversity and the conservation of native species.
As part of this process, more than 1,000 animals — including lions, tigers, bears and apes — have been relocated to other countries where they enjoy better living conditions. An emblematic case was that of the orangutan Sandra, who now lives at the Great Ape Center in Wauchula, Florida, where she has adapted and has friends of her own species.
Pupy, who arrived at the Palermo zoo in 1993, is the latest animal transferred from the Buenos Aires ecological park.
Already enjoying the Brazil Elephant Sanctuary are five Asian elephants — including Mara, a former circus elephant that also ended up in the Argentine preserve’s enclosure and five years ago made the same highway trip to the refuge, where she now trudges at least 10 kilometers (6 miles) a day.
Pupy will not be reunited with Mara in her new home, “due to the natural differences between the two species,” officials explained. “The sanctuary is designed to keep the groups separate, respecting their biological and behavioral needs.”
The Buenos Aires “Ecopark” will continue to house animals that, due to age or logistical impossibility, cannot be transferred to another habitat.