Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is the heaven-sent therapy with the potential of changing lives for better, and in few cases, for worse. Touted as ‘miracle in a vile’, HGH brings along benefits that seem too good to be true and is touted to be relatively safe compared to other drugs/therapies of similar caliber. To have a better understanding, let’s have a look at eight astonishing facts about HGH.
1 Initial Use In Medicine
Though today it is the ultimate beauty, health, fitness and anti-aging remedy for millions of athletes and everyday Joes around the globe, back in its initial days, this wasn’t the case. It was firstly used in the 1960s to treat growth disorders in children on an experimental basis. You might ask from where and how they got their hands on HGH back then. Well, it was extracted from cadavers, shocking but true! A synthetic version came on the market in the late 1980s, after the ban on cadaver-extracted HGH.
2 What is HGH?
In actuality, it is a hormone secreted from the up top, the brain, pituitary gland to be exact. Once released into the body, it signals protein synthesis, which triggers cell repair, reproduction, growth, healing and all sort of good stuff for the body. Digging deeper, it’s the complete protein strand of 191 amino acids, each’s amino acid is encoded by a whole sequence of DNA, and recombinant DNA is the artificial or lab-made DNA. Sounds too scientific and expensive? Well, it is! At one point in time, a year supply was costing anywhere from 15k to 30k USD.
3 HGH and Testosterone Complement Each Other But Are Not The Same
Yup, that’s true! Although both seem to have anabolic properties, and male athletes tend to get the best of both (HGH therapy and HRT), yet both are very different. Testosterone is produced by gonads or Leydig cells located in male testes and female ovaries, in kidneys. It is responsible for developing male characteristics in the body, whereas HGH triggers cell growth and repair, which in-turn initiate better cognitive abilities and stamina, endurance, positive mood and sleep pattern, and so on. Together, they form the ultimate muscle building formula in male athletes, which is the reason 99% of professional bodybuilders rely heavily on both.
4 The Normal Range
Like testosterone, HGH levels also top during puberty and decline as we age. However, since their main function is growing the human body, so HGH levels start to decline much earlier and faster. By mid to late 1920s, the first drop and later a nosedive in 30s. Healthy male individuals can have anywhere from 1-9 nanograms per ml of HGH in the bloodstream; the normal range is almost double for females.
Though everyone goes through the lowering phase, some individuals have exceedingly high HGH levels, normally. They tend to have larger hands and feet, a more defined jawline and thickened/ big skull. Almost similar side effects can also be seen in athletes abusing the miraculous healing and growing powers of HGH.
5 People Get Distracted
Since it brings along such a plethora of goodness, it is relatively easy to sell. The only problem is, it is only allowed for individuals with prescriptions or in other words under medical conditions. Obviously, that rule is harder to implement in reality, as a 2013 study found that 11% of surveyed high school students confessed that they used the synthetic version of HGH at least once. Then, there are numerous incidences of celebrities, celebrity trainers and athletes being busted for anabolic steroids and HGH use or trade. So, it’s safe to say that people lose track and get greedy considering how much they can benefit from the Human Growth Hormone.
6 It Is Still A Rarity
Considering the widespread knowledge about HGH, as you see an advocate on every other fitness site, blog and TV show, it’s hard to accept the truth that Human Growth Hormone is not available in massive quantities. One can argue that it’s the same scenario as diamonds since production can be beefed up to meet the demand, but pharmaceutical companies produce it in limited amount to keep the price high. This brings us to the conclusion that most of HGH sold in shady markets and not at pharmacies are fake. Athletes in fitness arena have also pointed out this fact openly.
7 It Does Have Side Effects And They Are As Big As Its Benefits
Like all drugs and medications, synthetic HGH also has a long and eye-opening list of side effects. In fact, people with naturally high HGH levels also have these side effects in one form or other. The side effects can range from getting diabetes since HGH is extremely insulin sensitive, enlarged inner organs, arthritis as joints grow beyond the body’s natural structure to even cancer.
8 The Goodness Is Real
All the much-hyped benefits like increased muscle mass, lowered body fat, improved sleep cycle, enhanced cognitive capacity and memory, youthful looks and strong bones are in fact a reality. Some proponents will go to the extent of arguing that HGH is still underhyped, and we couldn’t agree more. One look at the male bodybuilders, whether in open bodybuilding, men’s physique, or classic physique category, reveals the true potential of HGH in maintaining a killer body and superhuman muscle density.
With all being said about what HGH can do, it is essential to keep in mind that FDA approved HGH can only be obtained from pharmacies and that too upon providing a medical prescription. That is the only legal and viable source of pure HGH, other than that, finding a pure one can be difficult. That being said, you can explore around and test the dose level that suits you, but under no circumstances, you should go overboard. Because, as real as its miraculous, life-altering properties are, it also has the nastiest stings.
Besides, a healthy individual, whether male or female, can boost HGH level with proper workouts, diet, and sleep. However, this protocol is not as convenient as getting HGH supply from a reputed source. Learn more about it here.
