They say you’re only as old as you feel. That’s all well and good – certainly, a positive attitude goes a long way. But try as we may, we can’t deny the physical, biological forces of aging.
Beginning at about age 30, our bodies start to change. Things just don’t work the way they used to, and over time, those little physiological inefficiencies can add up to some big problems. But that’s not to say we can’t have it all; why can’t we feel great both mentally AND physically?
At HSI, we often write about therapies that can help you do just that. And over three years ago, we first told you about one of the most powerful mechanisms at work in the fight against aging. It’s called human growth hormone (HGH). When you’re young, HGH helps keep your body fat low, your muscle mass high, and your skin young and healthy-looking. But from age 30 on, your body uses it less and less efficiently – a reality that contributes to many of the physical manifestations of aging.
We told our members how increasing the body’s HGH levels can help decrease body fat, restore hair growth, and increase skin elasticity. In fact, according to one report in The New England Journal of Medicine, HGH has been show to reverse biological age “by 10 to 20 years.” Now there’s even more research to reinforce those claims, and to show that HGH is not just about looking better – it’s about being healthier, as well.
Reverse organ atrophy, improve T-cell counts, and reduce fat stores
In the latest issue of the scientific journal Endocrinology, researchers at the University of Illinois analyzed the effects of HGH through animal studies. They compared the tissues and bone marrow of young, untreated rats with those of older rats – and with samples taken from older rats that had received regular doses of HGH. In particular, they focused on tissue samples from the thymus gland, the organ where important immune system cells called T-cells develop. Research has proven that the thymus progressively atrophies as we age – and the resulting decline in T-cells makes us more vulnerable to illness and disease.
As expected, the thymus tissue from young rats was strong and healthy, while the older rats’ tissues showed poor definition and a lack of developing cells. The older rats also had significantly more fat cells than their young counterparts. But when old rats were treated with HGH, their cell counts jumped, tissue definition improved, and atrophy of the thymus reversed. In untreated old rats, there was an 80 percent decline in the production of cells in bone marrow as compared to young rats – but when the old rats were treated with HGH, their cell production jumped four-fold. Further experiments showed that HGH treatments reduced the accumulation of adipocytes in the bone marrow – connective tissue cells that make and store fat.
Supplemental HGH can be risky – try natural ways to improve your HGH utilization
This new research goes a long way toward reinforcing the benefits of HGH and the key role it plays in the aging process. But it doesn’t refute the significant drawbacks of HGH supplementation. First, HGH treatments can be extremely expensive – as much as $1,000 month. And there is significant research to suggest that it can trigger uncontrolled cell division – possibly leading to the development of cancer.
But, as we explained in our original article, HGH treatments aren’t the only option. There are other ways to tap into your body’s own HGH and make the most of it, at any age. Your body never completely STOPS making its own HGH, the whole process just slows down. Your body doesn’t release or use it as efficiently. So they key is to help your body drawn on its own sources – natural and safe sources.
Fortunately, there are ways to do that. In an October 1998 article in the Members Alert, and in our special new member report “Fat Burning Aids from the Underground,” we explained how exercise and dietary changes can help enhance your body’s growth hormone utilization. (HSI members: you can view back issues and special reports for free on our website, www.hsionline.com.) And we also wrote about a supplement introduced to us by Dr. Martin Milner. It can stimulate certain receptors in the pituitary and hypothalamus glands, which help your body release its sequestered stores of growth hormone. It’s called Pro-HGH, and clinical tests have shown that it increases levels of key growth factor activity markers, and improved participants energy, endurance, and body composition in as little as four weeks, with no side effects. To learn more about Pro-HGH, follow this link to the original article: HGH.
Looking younger is good. But feeling younger – and keeping your body as healthy as possible – is even better. This research shows that managing HGH levels can help your body do both, by reducing fat stores AND by strengthening your immune system.
Source: Endocrinology 2002; 143:690-699Copyright 1997-2002 by Institute of Health Sciences, L.L.C.
