The human growth hormone (HGH) is a naturally occurring hormone found in the human body responsible for the growth and development of children up to their late-teenage years. HGH regulates various bodily functions like muscle growth, metabolism, tissue repair, energy, and brain health but its production declines as you grow older beyond your teenage years. Studies linking the role of HGH in building muscles and promoting weight loss are giving rise to various HGH supplements and products containing HGH. While further research and studies are needed to establish a strong link between HGH and these benefits, several claims from HGHs users have surfaced regarding its effectiveness.
Read on to know some vital pieces of information about HGH supplements and building muscle and weight loss.
Conditions Linked to GH Deficiency
High cases of children with stunted growth and poor physical development prompted scientists and medical practitioners to identify the cause and search for an effective solution to the problem. It was in the early part of the 21st century when scientists found a link between low HG and deficient growth and development in children. In the 1960s, HGH was first used to treat children with pituitary disorders, GH deficiency, and related conditions such as Prader-Willi syndrome, Noonan syndrome, Turner’s syndrome, and idiopathic short stature, to name a few. In adult patients, FDA-approved use of HGH is limited to GH deficiency conditions with known causes, such as HIV/AIDS-related muscle wasting, pituitary tumor, irradiation, trauma, or hypothalamic disease. As mentioned earlier, HGH plays an essential role in regulating metabolism, and several studies support a link between low GH and obesity. Thus, related studies regarding the effects of increasing HGH in promoting weight loss were conducted.
How HGH Helps You Lose Weight
HGH helps burn fat primarily through increased metabolism. The human body can digest, process, and convert food into usable energy for different bodily processes. The human growth hormone is essential in ensuring that other hormones, enzymes, and chemicals associated with energy utilization are produced sufficiently for efficient energy conversion and use. While HGH helps improve the body’s storage and access to its energy reserves, it is only half as effective if its user does not engage in regular physical activity. Moving around and doing our usual daily tasks can burn calories by tapping into fat, carbohydrate, and protein reserves. Exercise, training, workout, and other intense physical activity can help burn more calories and fat.
Another way that HGH helps you lose weight is by stimulating lipolysis – a process of breaking down fats to make them absorbable and usable. Fats are broken down into fatty acids, which can be easily used when your body needs energy. The release of fatty acid molecules shrinks the fat cells in which fats are stored. It is this internal working that many of us commonly know as “fat-burning.” As mentioned earlier, a decrease in GH levels has a connection with increased belly fat and obesity, and increasing HGH levels through supplement intake can reduce fats accumulating in the abdomen and internal organs.
How HGH Supplementation Can Build Muscles
You may have noticed during your teenage growth spurt that not only did you grow taller, but you also developed leaner muscles. It is due to the peak production of HGH during your teenage years. Through science-backed and innovative formulations, many HGH supplement manufacturers embark on a quest to create the best HGH booster that can maintain the optimum HGH levels in your body even as you advance in age. As noted earlier, HGH regulates not just metabolism but also muscle growth. It promotes the creation of new muscle mass and improves your muscle density. Depending on the type of HGH supplementation you are using (injections or pills), muscle growth is promoted through the conversion of HGH to insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). IGF-1 enhances protein production, which is vital to the stimulation of muscle growth and the development of more muscle mass. HGH also facilitates the distribution of amino acids (protein building blocks) all over the body for a more efficient protein synthesis and faster muscle mass buildup. Protein synthesis also aids in faster recovery from tissue damage and improves the strength of ligaments and joints. Bodybuilders, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts find these mechanisms of action by HGH vital in shortening the recovery time between workouts and improving their overall performance.
The current status of HGH supplementation for weight loss and muscle building is still in the experimental stage. HGH supplement users report varying degrees of effectiveness, and these are promising data that researchers can consider. More studies are needed to establish the long-term safety and effectiveness of using HGH outside of its FDA-approved uses. To use HGH supplements safely, read their labels, dosages, indications, and drug interactions. To achieve the best possible results, incorporate HGH supplementation into your workout and diet regimens.