Somatotropin - the hormone of youth, health and beauty

Today, somatropin is a recognized means in the sports community for effectively building muscle mass and burning fat. The effect of drugs based on substances secreted by the endocrine glands on humans has been well studied, which allows enthusiastic people to sculpt a sculpted body without serious health risks.

Where did this miracle drug come from, how did it come into sports and displace the position of testosterone, what are its disadvantages?

What is growth hormone (somatropin)?

When you go to bed in the evening, your pituitary gland wakes up. The cherry-green sized endocrine gland at the base of the skull produces several hormones, including growth hormone, a 191-amino acid chain. It travels through the bloodstream to various stations within the body and remains there on the surface of the cell. Growth hormone attaches to fat cells and causes them to shed some of their cargo. It also works in the liver and stimulates the production of hormone-like polypeptide, which promotes the growth of bones, cartilage and muscles! Therefore, somatropin reaches peak levels during periods of high growth—childhood and adolescence—which subsequently decline steadily.

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The intensity of growth hormone production depends on the person’s age. The highest rates are always observed in children. From birth and during the first year of life, the concentration ranges from 5 to 53 μg/l. Gradually, the production of somatotropin decreases and by adolescence, normal levels are up to 20 mcg/l. The norm for adults is from 1 to 16-18 mcg/l, and for older people – up to 9 mcg/l.

In childhood, somatotropin is necessary for the growth and development of soft and hard tissues, in adults – for restoration and metabolic processes.

Does HGH injection have side effects?

Until 1985, somatropin was obtained for medical purposes from the pituitary gland of the deceased. Then it became clear that HIV and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease could be transmitted this way. Scientists soon developed a method for producing the hormone without the risk of infection, by growing genetic information in bacteria. Since then, growth hormone production has taken place in microscopic hormone factories. As part of medical treatment, growth hormone injections bring hormone levels back to normal. But this is not true: “Overdosing sometimes causes serious side effects,” says endocrinologist Weber. "There are healthier, natural ways to increase somatropin levels." When the values ​​are in the ideal range, the hormone has a positive effect on the body. Read on to find out which effects are desirable and which are truly dangerous.

HGH injections should keep you young and lean - but don't

Does HGH actually increase muscle growth and reduce fat?

Desire: Professional and casual bodybuilders typically divide their workouts into two phases: a phase to maximize muscle building, and then a phase to lose fat. It is usually not possible to build muscle mass at the same time as losing fat. Somatropin may change this. For many bodybuilders, after all the legitimate powders and pills, from protein to creatine, HGH is the next best hope as a muscle growth enhancer.

Reality: Most people combine somatropin with other anabolic hormones, such as testosterone. Which component causes muscles to grow has not been clearly proven for a long time. Australian researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney conducted an experiment: 96 study participants were divided into 4 groups and administered either growth hormone (group 1), testosterone (2), or both (3), or placebo (4) for 8 weeks Although the participants' hormonal growth rates improved over the course of 2 months, their muscle mass remained unchanged. “No matter what you read about it on the internet, a healthy person without hormone deficiency will not magically build muscle with HGH or magically burn more fat.” Yes, the hormone affects metabolism - but only if the body contributes to this. In the few cases where high doses of somatropin hormone cocktails actually result in increased muscle growth, the result is unfavorable. “Muscles created in this way are damaged,” the expert warns. “In the worst case, the heart muscle suffers.” Cardiovascular disease is a typical consequence of growth hormone overdose. Years of use can lead to organ enlargement and death. In addition, mental dependence threatens health. But not only for your health, the price is high - illegal procurement is very dangerous. On the black market, drugs cost up to 10,000 euros per year. And you often don’t even know what’s actually in the ampoules. Diluted or tainted drugs are not uncommon because quacks have long discovered that they can make a lot of money from it.

Conclusion: It's doubtful it works. Urgently abandon illegal experiments.

Injection of growth hormones should speed up regeneration

In what form is somatotropin produced by manufacturers?

Somatotropin is available in two pharmacological forms: injection solution and lyophilized powder.

Lyophilization is a method of drying a hormone in which the substance is first subjected to shock freezing at a low temperature for several seconds. After this procedure, the drug is placed in a vacuum chamber. The substance is dried by sublimation. With this method of processing, the hormone completely retains its structure and biochemical properties.

Preservatives and stabilizers are added to the liquid form of the drug to prevent the destruction of the substance in solution.

Does growth hormone speed up the healing of injuries?

Desire: With a joint injury, many athletes land in the operating room. This is followed by a longer break for regeneration. Of course, after surgery, training takes place for the first time, and as a result, the body's joints, ligaments and muscles greatly destroy tissue. With unilateral injuries, such as a torn cruciate ligament, the affected leg is 40% weaker than the unaffected leg after a break from exercise. The subsequent training is usually very tedious. Anti-inflammatory analgesics also only partially speed up healing and, in addition, are not very good for the stomach. Scientists now want to find out that injections of growth hormone accelerate regeneration. HGH is said to counteract muscle loss by activating a hormone-like polypeptide that stimulates tissue growth and blocks myostatin, a protein that inhibits muscle building.

Reality: This all sounds too good to be true. “Research is ongoing, but unfortunately there are no clear results yet,” says endocrinologist Weber. The regenerative effect is currently being investigated in an extensive US study at the University of Michigan. Many have high hopes for the hormone, previously banned in sports. Whether somatropin will treat without surgery will also be discussed in more detail. There has been research for some time using growth hormone in intensive care units to compensate for muscle loss before bed. However, when the mortality rate increased during this study, the study had to be stopped.

Bottom line: Research in this area walks a fine line: as long as the risk of serious side effects is not yet clear, there will be no medical clearance.

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Does growth hormone act as a fountain of youth?

Desire: Over time, hormone levels drop, and not just the levels of sex hormones - testosterone and estrogen. This process is a natural side effect of aging. The pituitary gland never secretes as much somatropin as during puberty. In numbers: at 40, your hormonal gland produces only about half of what it produced at 20. As a result, age-related changes in body composition: muscles gradually degrade, fat mass accumulates, the percentage of body fat increases - who wants that? But it's not just Charlie Sheen, Sylvester Stallone and other celebrities who are trying to counteract this - even for Normalos, who is blessed with the necessary changes, the prospect of a younger body is very tempting.

Reality: Weber, however, has his doubts: “the expected rejuvenation effect has no medical purpose, nature does nothing in vain and will think about stopping the production of hormones.” In the case of menopause in women, not a single person talks about hormone deficiency and artificially maintains the level.” There are hardly any significant studies of anti-aging hormone therapy in healthy adults. Maybe an overdose will shorten your life because there are many side effects. It becomes really dangerous when undetected cancer cells lie dormant in your body. Growth hormone doesn't know the difference between good and evil - and so not only does healthy tissue get a growth spurt, but the tumors that feed also feed. There is also an increased risk of contamination for black market products. Some preparations still contain hormones from old-fashioned extraction, that is, from the pituitary glands of corpses.

Conclusion: do not take independent measures to rejuvenate with growth hormone under any circumstances, since the targeted use of hormonal injections to obtain eternal youth has not yet been scientifically proven.
The current scam is helping illegal sellers dump money into coffers.

Does growth hormone protect people from injury?

Injuries on the road and in sports, head injuries are a very sensitive topic.

Desire : In traffic accidents as well as in sports, head injuries are a very sensitive topic. In sports such as boxing, American football and hockey, there is a very high chance of injury when the brain slams inward against the skull bone. If a concussion or whiplash occurs as a result of a stroke, the pituitary gland is usually also affected. The pituitary gland is connected to the cerebellum only by a thin rod 14 mm long. If this sensitive structure is irritated or damaged, the body's own hormone production can plummet. Researchers believe this shock also causes inflammation, which is bad for the gland. In any case, damage to the pituitary gland has catastrophic consequences for both physical and mental well-being - sleep disturbances and anxiety, persistent pain and increased sensitivity to stress, as well as increased body fat with decreased muscle mass and decreased bone density. Doctors are now hoping to mitigate all of this through growth hormone.

Reality: Soldiers often suffer from these problems after combat, the result of post-traumatic stress disorder due to head injuries. In a study conducted in the United States at the Washington School of Medicine at Seattle University, 26 soldiers were examined for hormonal deficiencies. One result: almost half of them suffered from hypofunction of the pituitary gland. If growth hormone treatment is effective, it can improve the quality of life for many. The suggestion that somatropin administration may help patients with hormone deficiency due to pituitary injury is clear. In case of certain deficiency as a result of traumatic brain injury, use is already authorized. Doctors, however, do not give up prescriptions for somatropin syringes.

Bottom line: “There is no evidence yet that a deficiency of growth hormones is sufficient to warrant the use of these hormones,” says Weber. If you cannot get rid of symptoms such as fatigue or cognitive impairment after an accident, you should definitely see a doctor - preferably an endocrinologist.

Fitness is the best medicine - absolutely legal and without side effects

Regulation of secretion

The main regulators of somatotropin production are the peptide hormones of the hypothalamus - somatoliberin and somatostatin. Neurosecretory cells synthesize them into the portal veins of the pituitary gland, which directly affects somatotropes. The hormone is produced thanks to somatoliberin. Somatostatin, on the contrary, suppresses the secretion process. The synthesis of somatropin is influenced by several different factors. Some of them increase concentration, while others, on the contrary, decrease it.

It is possible to increase the production of somatropin without the use of medications. There are a number of factors that contribute to the natural synthesis of this substance. These include the following:

• exercise stress;
• thyroid loads;
• estrogens;
• ghrelin;
• good sleep;
• hypoglycemia;
• somatoliberin;
• amino acids – ornithine, glutamine, arginine, lysine.

Secretion is also affected by some xenobiotics - chemicals that are not part of the biotic cycle. Other factors that lead to hormone deficiency are:

• hyperglycemia;
• somatostatin;
• high levels of free fatty acids in the blood;
• increased concentration of insulin-like growth factor and somatotropin (most of it is associated with transport protein);
• glucocorticoids (hormones of the adrenal cortex).

How do you naturally increase somatropin levels?

With these strategies you can increase your HGH levels – completely legally and without side effects:

1. Endurance Sports Nothing energizes your hormones like endurance training. Intensity is the key to success, not duration. Whether it's jogging, rowing or spinning, always try to do 2 intense cardio workouts per week. High intensity means: training for 45 minutes at a pace that requires significant effort.
2. Strength training Training should also be intense. Boost your HGH levels in the gym by switching from one device to another without interruption. And the weight should always be set so that it reaches your limits within 8 reps—that's about 75 percent of the maximum weight that will allow you to perform just one rep clean. Then, despite the high intensity, the risk of injury remains low. Be sure to schedule 2 of these sessions per week.
3. Deep sleep To produce somatotropin, you need sleep - but only if you got enough sleep in the first half of the night. Unfortunately, this is not the case for many. For better sleeping conditions, raise the room temperature to 18-20 degrees and darken the bedroom - this will help you fall into deep sleep as quickly as possible.
4. Need to lose weight Fat stored in the abdominal cavity, which accumulates around the internal organs and digestive system, negatively affects growth hormones. Take care of your diet: eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Healthy fats from nuts, avocado and olive oil will also help you balance your insulin levels. And thus also when losing weight.
5. Daily exercise Exercise is and will remain the most effective and inexpensive way.

Of course, the effect achieved by growth hormone is tempting. But, firstly, the promises turn out to be unproven upon the slightest examination. And secondly, you risk causing serious harm to your health. Therefore: stay away from it and stick to our strategies to increase your own growth hormone legally and without physical side effects.

Somatotropin and insulin

I would like to talk a little about how growth hormone interacts with insulin. In principle, it is not recommended for less advanced athletes to supplement their growth hormone intake with externally administered insulin - it is enough to eat a full meal every 3 hours. This way you will keep your insulin levels fairly high.

Also, be aware that too much insulin will make you fat because too much insulin activates certain enzymes that convert glucose into glycerol and then into triglycerol.

On the other hand, too low levels of insulin in the blood, which most often occur during the “cutting” period before competitions, sharply reduce the effect of growth hormone on the body. The ideal would be to find a doctor who can test your blood and urine sugar levels and determine how much insulin you need.