Understanding Physiology: HGH, IGF, and Gonads

Growth hormones gained prominence in 1978 when their isolation from human pituitary glands got medical approval for clinical use. The sequence of human GH resulted from the culmination of numerous animal and human-based studies since 1944. Decades later, scientists and researchers involved in genetic engineering produced safe, pure, and unlimited amounts of human growth hormones through DNA technology by 1981. Today, GH is an essential supplement for treating GH-deficient children.

Healthcare institutions began using the recombinant GH for therapeutic applications in 1985. Today, its usage is common among the pediatric population to treat children with short status, delay in physical growth, renal insufficiency, SHOX gene deficiency, Turner syndrome, and Noonan syndrome. Moreover, adults with GH deficiency and AIDs also benefit from growth hormones today.

It has become easier to acquire the metabolic benefits of HGH through a prescription with the availability of injectable HGH for sale. Here’s how Human Growth Hormones work and how they relate with IGF and Gonads.

What are Human Growth Hormones?

Human Growth Hormones (HGH) are secretions from the body’s pituitary gland that control one’s body’s growth. They’re present at a brain’s base and are the primary drivers of children’s height, increased muscle mass, decreased body fat, and overall linear growth.

It’s also the primary controller of metabolism in both children and adults. As a result, it triggers the process that allows cells to convert food and other nutrients into energy to fit the body’s needs to stay healthy.

Primary HGH Controllers

As we grow up, many factors temper the production of the growth hormones in our bodies. These include our sleeping patterns, physical activity, stress levels, and nutrition. However, HGH has three primary controllers: Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), Somatostatin, and Ghrelin.

Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH):

This is an essential hypothalamic peptide for stimulating the growth hormone’s synthesis and secretion within the body.

Somatostatin (SS):

A peptide produced by our body’s hypothalamus and other body tissues. It works with GHRH to inhibit GH release and releases other GH stimulatory factors like the low blood glucose concentration.

Ghrelin:

The stomach secretes this peptide hormone, which binds to each drivers’ receptors and further stimulates the growth hormone secretion.

The Role of HGH in Growth

GH stimulates a person’s bones and tissue growth in childhood. Its epiphyseal growth plate stimulation elongates the bones as the child ages. Throughout this process, the GH releases a protein similar to insulin that further drivers the bone, muscles, and tissue growth in the body. This protein is called the IGF, which is responsible for GH release from the pituitary glands.

Furthermore, our bone density also depends on the growth hormone, which is essential in childhood and adulthood. The lack of proper bone density can lead to illnesses like osteoporosis. Therefore, HGH contributes to various mechanisms within the complex body processes to maintain and ensure human growth from infancy to adulthood.

HGH & IGF

Clinic studies researching HGH reported the presence of a hormonally-controlled factor in HGH, responsible for the stimulation of sulfate in the body’s Vitro. After further isolation, researchers observed that this peptide had structural and mechanical similarities to insulin. While they first named this factor somatomedin C, they later substituted it with IGF-I.

At the time of its discovery, the popular opinion was that the liver produced IGF for its hepatic expression through the GH secretion. However, advanced studies on IGF indicate that despite the liver being the main source of IGF circulation, this peptide secretes in all cells and tissues of the body along with the GH.

There’s an inversely proportional relationship between HGH and IGH. IGF production from the liver has a negative control on GH secretion from the pituitary glands. IGF essentially works as an antibody to block growth hormone’s proliferative effects, especially when the hormone is injected or locally infused for unilateral epiphyseal growth. In other words, IGF action depends on GH production, while GH stimulation and efficacy depend on IGF production.

Researchers conducted a study of dwarfism among children around six decades ago and found high serum levels of GH with a defective liver disrupted the signals between the GH and IGF expressions and functions. Most literature regarded the malfunctioning liver as the primary reason behind the untreatable dwarfism among those children.

Nevertheless, when healthcare providers discerned a way to synthesize IFG from the liver, the situation reverted. As a result, HGH from the recombinant DNA technology became a successful treatment for Laron syndrome children.

HGH & the Gonad

The natural harmony of puberty in both men and women consists of a spontaneous growth spurt and pubertal maturation in a specific sequence. While women experience breast development during puberty, men experience an increase in testicular size at relatively similar ages of 11 and 12.

It’s critical to note how both genders have different growth patterns before puberty, leading to a similar hormonal growth exhibition at the time of puberty. However, the growth spurt in both genders is different as it begins slightly earlier in girls. Boys’ growth commences to accelerate and continues until they attain a genitalia stage. It’s all due to the relationship between HGH and the Gonad.

HGH levels increase in boys and girls during their rapid growth phase. However, they decrease during the final stages of puberty. As a result, many young individuals face GH deficiency without consuming adequate nutrients or indulging in substantial physical activity.

Fortunately, adults with excessive HGH deficiency can acquire HGH injections’ benefits if prescribed by their doctor. Modest consumption of this GH can help retain natural metabolic systems with the benefits of our natural GH.