Human growth hormone (HGH) has many benefits for men and women as it supports critical functions throughout the body and brain, including cellular regeneration, metabolism, immunity, cognitive functions, and heart health. Adults with clinically diagnosed low growth hormone levels who receive customized treatment will experience astonishing results in the many areas discussed in this report.
Legally prescribed HGH therapy is highly beneficial for adults whose bodies do not produce enough growth hormone for their needs. However, it is not a supplement you can buy online or over the counter. It requires a doctor’s prescription based on a diagnosis of growth hormone deficiency to receive this medication and enjoy its benefits.
While HGH does have potential side effects, as with any other medical treatment, these usually occur when buying HGH injections online without a prescription. You may find HGH offered for sale online illegally from unregulated websites, or from other countries.
Both scenarios are extremely dangerous as you may not receive legitimate HGH, or the dosage may be too high for your body. This can result in unwanted side effects and potential danger to your health, such as increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other concerns that could occur for those who take HGH illegally when not needed to combat low human growth hormone levels.
HGH therapy is not for everyone, but for those with a deficiency, it can make quite a difference in health and quality of life (QoL). Turning to a hormone doctor to diagnose any hormonal imbalance is crucial. That way, you receive the treatment your body requires while reducing the risk of adverse reactions. Monitored hormone replacement by a specialist is the best way to protect your body as you age.
What Are the Benefits of HGH for Adults?
As the body’s “master hormone,” HGH provides benefits with far-reaching effects. Overall, the majority of HGH benefits are identical for men and women. Similarities are found in how human growth hormone influences metabolism, cellular regeneration, immunity, cognitive functions, and appearance. Differences are often seen in sexual aspects, such as improved vaginal lubrication for females and better erectile functions and sperm production in males.
With age comes a decrease in how much HGH the pituitary gland releases into the bloodstream. By the time most adults enter their forties, their growth hormone secretion reduces approximately 15% each decade. Declining human growth hormone levels are responsible for premature aging, sexual decline, increased health risks, and reduced quality of life.
While maintaining fertility may be vital to adults in their thirties and even forties today, that will not play a role for those in their seventies and eighties. Seniors are often more concerned with health, memory, reducing osteoporosis risks, and, yes, even sexual satisfaction. Of course, there are no age limits on these benefits. They become more critical to well-being and quality of life the older you become.
Let us examine the many benefits of HGH therapy, when to expect these positive changes, and their impact on your life.
Emotional Well-Being, Vitality, and Quality of Life
Although not necessarily the highest priority HGH benefits on most people’s lists, these changes are often the first to be noticeable by our clients. During the first month of treatment with HGH therapy, the majority of adults experience the following positive experiences:
- Improved mood
- Decreased anxiety and stress
- Deeper, more restful sleep
- Increased energy and stamina
These early changes make for a better quality of life. Sleep is crucial because that is also when the body produces the maximum daily allotment of human growth hormone and uses it for tissue repair, information processing, memory storage, and metabolic functions.
Administering HGH at night helps improve the role of HGH in the body for faster results. Studies have shown substantial improvements in quality of life within three months of beginning hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with HGH.
These benefits strengthen each month, as shown by a nine-year quality-of-life study. Patients who received ongoing HGH treatment saw continuous improvements in energy and vitality while maintaining positive QoL benefits. Individuals in the study who remained untreated for their growth hormone deficiency experienced significant declines in health.
Hormone Production
While not often mentioned, it is crucial to point out that HGH helps promote the secretion of other hormones, including insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and testosterone. IGF-1 is the primary mediating hormone of many HGH effects throughout the body.
HGH also opposes cortisol, the stress hormone. That is why HGH and testosterone decline when people have higher cortisol levels. Having elevated cortisol can interfere with the sleep process and hormone production. HGH therapy lowers cortisol levels to reduce stress in the body.
While you may not “see” these changes, they begin to work from the start of your HGH therapy.
Cognition and Mood
Growth hormone has receptors in many brain areas, including the hippocampus, responsible for cognitive functions, alertness, memory, and motivation. GH receptors assist in transporting HGH across the blood-brain barrier, where it can improve concentration, learning ability, retention, spatial orientation, verbal recall, and mood.
Some specific benefits of HGH for the brain include reducing neural tissue loss, producing and regenerating new synapses and dendrites to aid information movement, and protecting the brain from the formation of amyloid plaque, a substance associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
HGH also exerts protective effects on the central nervous system, which has provided benefits in patients with spinal cord injuries.
Although you will likely see some improvements in mood and focus by the end of the first month, significant changes will occur by month three.
Appearance and Skin Benefits
Stimulating cellular regeneration is one of the leading roles of human growth hormone. In childhood, these new cells support the development of muscles and bones, helping children grow. Later, adults need a constant supply of new cells to maintain internal organ integrity and size, muscle mass, bone mineral density, and collagen and elastin production for the skin, hair, and nails.
Early improvements in skin appearance often occur by the end of the second month. You may see your skin beginning to thicken and firm and wrinkles starting to fade as HGH stimulates collagen and elastin production.
Other benefits in appearance at this time are improvements in muscle tone, stronger nails, and, for some people, thickening or faster growth of the hair, especially by the end of month three.
Improved Sexual Desire, Performance, and Functions
Human growth hormone influence on the sexual organs varies slightly between males and females. One of the first things to understand is that HGH works on the sexual organs (testes and ovaries) to assist with fertility. HGH helps promote testosterone production, which is crucial for spermatogenesis. Human growth hormone also helps with sperm cell maturation.
In women, increasing HGH levels can help with sexual desire, vaginal lubrication, and sexual satisfaction. Just as it helps with spermatogenesis in men, HGH and its mediating hormone IGF-1 improve ova maturation and ovulation in women.
HGH is a precursor to nitric oxide production, crucial for opening the blood vessels in the penis to assist with erections. Human growth hormone helps improve male sex drive, erections, stamina, and satisfaction.
Sexual desire typically increases by month two, with improvements in performance and pleasure by the third month.
Metabolism and Body Composition (Including Lean Muscle)
Multiple benefits come from HGH therapy in metabolism, including its influence on appearance, energy, insulin regulation (assisted by IGF-1), cholesterol, lean body mass, and fat storage. HGH therapy can reverse many physiological and metabolic abnormalities associated with growth hormone deficiency (GHD).
Adults with HGH deficiency tend to gain weight, often for no apparent reason. Obesity risks increase, causing further problems for the body. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials reviewed QoL, lean body mass, weight, and fat mass and found a statistically significant reduction in weight and body fat content along with an increase in lean body mass.
Weight loss often becomes apparent by month three, resulting in profound changes in body composition and appearance as central adiposity (belly fat) declines, and lean muscle mass improves.
This particular study of HGH-deficient women showed a decrease in body fat, a reduction in visceral adipose tissue, a decrease in total cholesterol, an increase in HDL cholesterol, and a decrease in LDL cholesterol in those who received HGH therapy compared to a placebo, as shown below:
Decreasing visceral fat is crucial as that can crowd the organs and create significant health risks. HGH helps transport molecules, break down fats (lipolysis), and build protein while providing the following benefits:
- Stimulates lipolysis in adipose (fat) tissue
- Promotes triglyceride uptake in the muscles and liver
- Exerts anabolic effects on protein metabolism through stimulation of protein synthesis
HGH provides tissue repair for the muscles during sleep, reversing the decrease in protein metabolism that causes muscle loss. Improved protein synthesis is one of the many anabolic effects of HGH therapy.
Improvements in lean body mass may be noticeable as early as the second month, with a decline in body fat becoming apparent in month three.
Cardiovascular Health
HGH therapy provides numerous benefits for the heart, including for individuals with cardiovascular disease risks. Studies have shown GHD impacts on heart health, including increasing endothelial dysfunction, arterial intima-media thickness, elevated LDL and total cholesterol, and atherosclerotic plaque.
HGH treatment increases fractional shortening, left ventricular wall mass, and stroke volume. Improvements are noticeable in diastolic function and improved nitric oxide.
With HGH therapy, benefits include increased HDL cholesterol levels, which helps remove excess LDL cholesterol from blocking the arteries. Lowering of LDL and total cholesterol may not show in blood test results for six to twelve months, but the effects begin to help the body soon after starting treatment. We demonstrated these benefits in the chart above.
Human growth hormone’s role in cellular regeneration is vital for the body’s ongoing supply of new blood cells. HGH helps decrease C-reactive protein markers, a sign of inflammation in the body. In one study, C-reactive protein decreased by 9.6% in those who received HGH therapy compared with 6.0% in the placebo group.
Although HGH immediately benefits C-reactive protein, cholesterol, and other areas of heart health, you may not notice these changes until month four or later.
Exercise Capacity
Adults with GHD exhibit improvements in exercise capacity with HGH therapy, especially for people also dealing with cardiovascular disease. Although these benefits do not always translate to improvements in strength, they help with fat loss, improved lean body mass, and heart health.
Improvements in exercise capacity are often noticeable by the end of the third month, as joint pains and stiffness decline and energy and stamina increase. Positive changes include increased oxygen consumption (VO2), maximal O2 pulse, and maximal power output.
Bone Mineral Density (BMD)
Bone loss is a significant issue for many adults as they age. HGH therapy reverses this effect by increasing bone formation and resorption. While joint pains decline and flexibility improves by the end of month three, it may take twelve to eighteen months for noticeable improvements in BMD.
Prolonged HGH therapy over two years positively affects maintaining and increasing bone mass in adults. Strengthening the bones can help reduce the risk of fractures, especially in GHD patients receiving HGH before osteoporosis onset.
Improved Immunity and Healing
HGH has significant benefits for healing – from injury, illness, and exercise. Studies have shown positive improvements in burns, wounds, and trauma patients. HGH increases collagen deposition, facilitates epithelialization, and stimulates granulation tissue formation to support wound healing. Eight weeks of treatment can provide many benefits for wound healing.
The effects of human growth hormone influence the ability of the thymus gland to produce crucial lymphocytes, the body’s primary immune cells that fight off invading viruses, toxins, and bacteria.
One promising study by the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and the Hospital for Special Surgery in NY, NY, examined recovery from ACL reconstruction in athletes. Human growth hormone treatment increased normalized peak isokinetic knee extension torque by 29% compared to the placebo group. An indirect biomarker of cartilage degradation, matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3), was 36% lower in those individuals receiving HGH therapy.
All positive HGH changes continue to improve as the months pass. You will find that your body gets healthier, looks more youthful, and performs in ways you thought were long gone from your life.
How to Maximize the Benefits of HGH
Once you receive a prescription for HGH therapy, you can optimize your benefits by stopping bad habits, such as smoking or excessive alcohol consumption. Losing weight and healthy dietary habits also help maximize your HGH results. Intermittent fasting, where you go 12 to 16 hours without eating (only consuming water), has been shown to boost HGH levels.
Exercise might seem out of the question if you are significantly overweight and suffer from fatigue and joint pains. However, even if you begin with a nightly stroll around your block, you increase your exercise capacity. Eventually, you can engage in weight-bearing and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) exercises that help maximize human growth hormone production.
Sleep is of the utmost importance when it comes to HGH, as that is when your body releases and utilizes HGH for tissue repair, immune support, metabolism, and cognitive processing. Getting 7 or 8 hours of quality sleep each night is crucial.
Most Common Side Effects of HGH
Human growth hormone therapy is considered safe for adults diagnosed with GHD. However, no medical treatment is 100% without risk, and there are some side effects to understand before starting HGH therapy.
The primary cause of HGH side effects is raising growth hormone levels too high. That is why you should never use this medication unless prescribed by a hormone specialist. HRT doctors follow stringent guidelines when determining the dosage of HGH to prescribe. Careful monitoring ensures optimum growth hormone levels.
The other benefit of working closely with a hormone specialist is that if any side effects occur, the doctor can determine how much to lower the dosage to reverse those effects. Once any adverse reactions disappear, the doctor will slowly increase the dosage to the recommended amount. Side effects are more likely in older individuals, but starting with a lower dose reduces those concerns.
HGH abuse can put a person at risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, type 2 diabetes, or cancer if a hormone specialist does not supervise treatment. These are also long-term side effects that could occur if HGH treatment continues at the present dosage with the presence of adverse reactions. Contacting a hormone specialist is critical to reducing these risks.
Most people who receive HGH therapy to restore growth hormone levels to their ideal state will not experience any concerning side effects. The most common issue is redness, swelling, or pain at the injection side. These concerns disappear rapidly and diminish as the individual becomes more adept at administering their injections.
The most common side effects of HGH therapy are listed below:
Water Retention
Retaining fluid is one of HGH therapy’s most common short-term side effects. Most people find this disappears within two weeks as the body adjusts to increased human growth hormone levels.
Edema
Water retention can lead to swelling in the extremities if left untreated. While not an extremely serious issue, and one that often resolves itself, it is crucial to contact the prescribing doctor, as your provider might want to lower the dosage temporarily to allow the edema to disappear.
Joint or Muscle Pains
Some people experience joint or muscle pain if their growth hormone levels get too high. Edema can play a role in pain and stiffness. These issues are reversible by lowering the dosage of HGH under doctor supervision.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
One of the more common symptoms of elevated HGH levels, carpal tunnel syndrome, can reverse by having the doctor lower the dosage. Signs of carpal tunnel syndrome include pain, weakness, or numbness in the wrist or hand. Tingling in the fingers or difficulty using the hands for small tasks might occur.
Headache
Some people may experience headaches while using HGH therapy.
Insulin Resistance and Increased Blood Glucose
Some individuals may experience insulin resistance during HGH therapy – another reason to work closely with a hormone specialist to ensure the proper dosage. Blood glucose level abnormalities can vary depending on age, genetic characteristics, and body composition.
Type 2 Diabetes
An increased risk for type 2 diabetes is present in people taking a higher dosage of HGH, typically more than what is medically prescribed. The condition is reversible with the guidance of a hormone specialist.
Individuals with type 2 diabetes may still receive HGH therapy, often starting with a minimal dosage and gradually increasing the amount. Diabetes medications will also require monitoring and adjusting throughout the treatment.
Gynecomastia
Because HGH also influences testosterone levels, some people, predominantly males, might experience increased breast tissue size, swelling, tenderness, or pain. Gynecomastia is more of an annoyance than a health problem and will often resolve itself naturally or by lowering the HGH dosage.
Acromegaly
Adults with higher-than-normal HGH levels may have enlarged organs and thicker bones. Altered facial features, such as an enlarged jaw, are possible. Swollen feet and hands may occur. The bone thickening in adults is due to a lack of growth possibility. In place of lengthening, the bones thicken.
Please remember that we can reduce the risk of side effects by using comprehensive blood analysis to measure your current hormone levels. Our doctor prescribes customized bioidentical HGH in the lowest viable dosage to provide superior results while decreasing the risk of adverse reactions.
How to Take HGH Safely and Effectively
HGH therapy is only legal when prescribed by a doctor following a comprehensive blood analysis to determine a deficiency. Treatment with HGH is safe when medically authorized and used as directed.
You can avoid adverse effects by following the doctor’s instructions for HGH. Administer it at night, before bed, unless directed otherwise. Contact your doctor if you notice any unwanted side effects.
Do not take more than the prescribed dosage, as that will not speed up your results and could end up causing adverse reactions.
Our hormone therapy clinic is here to answer your questions and provide safe, effective HGH therapy to improve your health, vitality, and quality of life.
