Definition of growth hormone

Growth hormone (GH) is a protein hormone secreted from the pituitary gland, which works by binding to growth hormone receptors, as it stimulates direct effects or begins to produce the first insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I), the most important mediator in growth hormone effects.

Growth hormone benefits

• It stimulates longitudinal growth in children and adolescents. HGH is necessary for natural growth, muscle and bone strength, and the distribution of body fat.
• Without a sufficient amount of growth hormone, the child can grow slowly and be much shorter than other children of the same age and gender.
• When a person becomes an adult, growth hormone has a different role in metabolic functions throughout life. It helps regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and possibly heart functions.
• It helps to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis.
• It builds muscles and helps to increase them.
• It works with testosterone.
• Growth hormone, an essential fat burning hormone, also helps in losing fat.
• It helps to stabilize the level of sugar in the blood.
• When you are fasting, it sends signals to the liver to release stored sugar and converts it into body fat.
• It stimulates the immune system and thus helps to protect against diseases.
• It helps convert T4 from the inactive form of the thyroid gland to T3, which is the active hormone of the thyroid gland, so it works to stimulate the thyroid hormone.
• Improves cognition, memory and concentration.
• HGH is important for hair and nails.
• Growth hormone increases vitality and restores the aging process, because it keeps the skin, bones, tendons, ligaments and keeps them elastic, and if the body loses proteins, elasticity in the arteries, and pressure rises, the body will collapse.
• Growth hormone is important for cell repair, reproduction and regeneration after injury or after stress.
• Helps maintain calcium.
• Improves sleep quality.

Defining growth hormone deficiency

HGH deficiency is a rare condition in which the body does not make adequate growth hormone (GH). GH secretes the pituitary gland, a small organ at the base of the brain.

Symptoms of growth hormone deficiency

• Low levels of growth hormone reduce the quality of life, increase the risk of disease, and make the body acquire fat. Not having enough of the growth hormone in the body leads to obesity.
• Decreased bone mineral density.
• Increased cardiovascular risk factors.
• Low energy level.
• If the growth hormone deficiency develops later in the child’s life, due to a brain or tumor injury, then its main symptoms are delayed puberty, in some cases sexual development stops.
• People with low levels of growth hormone may feel tired and unable to endure. They may experience sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures.
• A variety of psychological symptoms can occur, including:
• Lack of focus.
• Poor memory.
• Episodes of anxiety or emotional distress.
• Adults who have an acquired growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) usually have high levels of blood fat and high cholesterol. This is not due to poor nutrition, but due to changes in the body’s metabolism, due to lower levels of growth hormone. Adults with AGHD are at greater risk for diabetes and heart disease.
• Slowed growth in height in infants, children or adolescents.
• Small-looking face compared to other children of the same age, full body, small hands and legs, and muscle weakness.
• Low blood sugar levels (in infants and young children with severe growth hormone deficiency).
• A very small penis (in newborns with an acute growth hormone disorder).
• Delayed puberty.

Causes of growth hormone deficiency

• In children and adults, severe head injuries, infections, and radiotherapy can also cause encephalitis, a lack of growth hormone, and this is called a deficiency of acquired growth hormone (AGHD).
• Decreased growth hormone due to rare pituitary tumors.
• HIV / AIDS-Associates muscle wasting
• Turner syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects a girl’s development.
• Prader-Willi syndrome, an uncommon genetic disorder that causes muscle tone, decreased levels of sex hormones, and a persistent feeling of hunger.
• Chronic kidney failure.
• Children born early.
• Short bowel syndrome, a condition in which nutrients are not absorbed properly due to an acute intestinal disease or due to surgery on a large part of the small intestine.
• Hormonal problems related to the pituitary gland.
• Reduced blood flow to the pituitary gland.
• The cause of a child’s short stature may also be other syndromes, and growth failure may be due to decreased nutritional intake, medications, digestive disorders, and diseases that have increased metabolic demand or hypothyroidism.
• A growth hormone deficiency can be caused by a deficiency only in the growth hormone, or possible with a deficiency in other hormones from the pituitary gland. This condition is called a hypothalamus, and in this clinical case, one or more of the following hormones may be deficient, causing symptoms:
• The hormone stimulating the adrenal cortex.
• Thyroid stimulating hormone.
• Luteinizing hormone (LH).
• Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH – Follicle – stimulating hormone).
• Also, among the things that decrease the secretion of the growth hormone, is the consumption of sugar, high pressure and high cortisol, as well as pesticides of all kinds.
• A lack of growth hormone (GHD) occurs when the pituitary gland does not produce enough of the growth hormone, affecting children more than adults.
• If the pituitary gland or hypothalamus region is deformed or damaged, it may mean that the pituitary gland cannot produce the growth hormone.

How is a deficiency of growth hormone (GHD) diagnosed?

• X-ray of the hand to verify bone growth and assess the growth potential.
• Blood tests and other laboratory tests to rule out other conditions that affect growth.

Specific tests for GHD include:

• Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). A blood test checks the levels of IGF-1, a hormone that reflects growth hormone levels.
• Stimulation test, the child is given drugs that stimulate the pituitary gland to release growth hormone, then, if the levels of growth hormone in the blood do not rise to a certain level, it may mean that the pituitary does not produce enough of the growth hormone.
• Magnetic resonance image (MRI). A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the head will look for a problem in the pituitary or brain gland, and can rule out the presence of a brain tumor.
• Kidney and thyroid function tests can determine how the body produces and uses hormones.

Methods to stimulate the secretion of growth hormone and thyroid gland

There are natural methods that can be taken to maintain growth hormone as possible.

• Keeping the level of sugar in the body low, because sugar reduces the secretion of growth hormone, so the percentage of sugar in the body increases, so insulin will rise and cause a decrease in growth hormone, you should keep the level of sugar in the body low and stop consuming it.
• Arginine is an amino acid that raises the growth hormone. Arginine is abundant in animal proteins.
• Vitamin B3 increases growth hormone.
• Exercise without extreme pressure is effective to raise the growth hormone, with exercises you can raise it by 450%, fast running, make a high effort in a short period and then rest for a long period, and then repeat the ball several times between running and rest, because high-intensity exercises stimulate the hormone the growth. But the longer the exercise period, the worse the situation becomes, because in this case the stress hormone (cortisol hormone) is stimulated.
• Sleep well at night, in the dark and early, because the body naturally releases large amounts of growth hormone, especially at night. In fact, getting enough deep sleep is one of the best strategies for improving long-term growth hormone production.
• Eat healthy sugar-free foods that contain high-healthy fats, vitamins, minerals and proteins.
• Fasting stimulates growth hormone production at a high rate and thus slows down aging.
• Get rid of excess body fat, especially around your stomach, to improve growth hormone levels and improve your health.
• Not eating too much before bed, because most meals cause an increase in insulin levels, some experts suggest avoiding food before bedtime, it is advisable to have another meal three hours before bed.

What are the side effects of human growth hormone therapy?

Some people turn to a substance called Human Growth Hormone (HGH) in the hope that it will keep them young, but experts say hope is baseless. Worse yet, these products can be harmful.

Possible unusual side effects include:

• Headache, muscle or joint pain, swelling of the hands and feet, curvature of the spine (scoliosis), development of breast tissue in boys.
• But serious side effects include:
• Severe headache with vision problems.
• Hip problem, when upper thigh bone slips out of place.
• Inflamed pancreas.