Talk:Growth hormone

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[edit] Explanation of changes

Paragraph 1 spelling correction and improved precision of description of function GH release does not primarily occur in morning (most reliable peak occurs about an hour after onset of sleep). I don't understand "salivary absorption." I am guessing author intended "absorption into the body through the mucosal membranes of the mouth after dispersion in saliva" but this is doubtful and I don't think has any demonstrated physiologic effect. If author believes this, it is an assertion that needs referenced documentation (and would be great news to the thousands of people taking GH by injection). Hypopituitarism only causes "dwarfism" when it occurs in childhood. GH for human use was previously obtained from human pituitaries, not from pigs. Writer appears to be confusing GH and insulin. I know of no products purporting to contain "HGH" which contain effective amounts of GH. I suggest reinforcing distinction of GH and HGH. Confusion or conflation aids and abets fraud and nonsense. Obviously article is incomplete. I included proposed outline and will try to amplify soon. I hope I'm not violating Wikiquette this way (if so let me know). alteripse 10 apr 04

As I have made this article fairly large and intend about another 20% expansion to complete the outlined topics, I am considering splitting this entry into three parts with appropriate cross links.

1 Growth hormone, the current article, would cover GH physiology, concluding with one-paragraph descriptions of diseases of excess and deficiency and links to separate articles on acromegaly (already existing) and deficiency;

2 Growth hormone deficiency, to contain second portion of this current article;

3 Growth hormone treatment, to contain third portion of this article, which discusses history of GH therapy and use of GH for many other reasons than deficiency, and will include expanded coverage of HGH quackery.

I'll leave this note for about 10 days for comments & suggestions before I change anything. alteripse 16 apr 04

[edit] anon user, please reconsider your changes or I will

Anonymous user, much of what you added is erroneous or questionable. You seemed to be intending to add valid content rather than trolling, but there are some problems with some of your assertions.

You changed the categorization of GH therapy for fibromyalgia, muscle building, and aging Uses from considered controversial to "considered controversial by very conservative doctors". This is a simple substitution of your opinion for fact. Most physicians consider these indications controversial. This includes the New England Journal of Medicine (http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/348/9/779), the AACE (http://www.aace.com/clin/guidelines/hgh.pdf), all standard endocrine texts, all insurers, and the FDA. No matter how convinced you are of the value-- and you may be right in your opinion, GH use for these conditions is still considered controversial by mainstream physicians and medical institutions. This is simple indisputable fact and your edit is incorrect.

The products are identical in composition, efficacy, and potency, varying primarily in cost and how they are produced through genetic engineering, most common being through the use of e. coli (a one cell animal commonly found in the human intestine) and mammalian cells originally obtained from the abdomen of small mammals.

You changed a correct statement to an incorrect one. There is little price difference between the GH products available. Even the new chinese brands are priced at about 80% of the american brands when I checked recently. And you removed the mention that formulations and delivery devices are the main differences. Why? Do you know anything about growth hormone products? If you look at their advertising or talk to their reps these are the major features they market as significant differences.

However, more than 12,000 certified medical doctors affiliated to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine believe that GH treatment is extremely beneficial in older adults, is an aid to prevent sarcopenia (age related loss of muscle), enhances loss of body fat, and is a reasonable treatment for fibromyalgia.

This statement needs context. Is the Am Acad of Anti-Aging Medicine that large? Do they all support GH use? Is that what defines the purpose of the Academy? More than 12,000 endocrinologists, internists, and other physicians aren't so convinced. GH for aging is probably an important enough topic to have its own article reviewing the evidence with balance: growth hormone for aging, or something similar. Unfortunately, much of the information available on the internet about this topic is crap and quackery and fraud. Let's see if we can be a bit different and more useful.

Before I simply revert, do you want to modify some of this? Thanks. Alteripse 05:17, 17 Oct 2004 (UTC)

[edit] apparent spam link removed

This is actually not a bad example of the mixture of reliable and misleading info described in the article HGH quackery. I would not remove it if inserted there with approp description. It doesn't belong in this article. alteripse 00:44, 26 Jan 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Meaning of sth

sth is redirected to this page. Shouldn't there be a disambiguation page as it's also short for "something"? --82.141.48.176 22:49, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I think we could lose the redirect. Sth as an abbreviation for somatotropic hormone is obscure in the extreme and likely to be indicated in the context. On the other hand, I cannot imagine why anyone would ever look for an article on sth as an equally idiosyncratic abbreviation for "something." We can certainly have lists of 3 letter abbreviations, but I wouldn't waste any more time on either of these. alteripse 00:15, 9 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Growth Hormone and Bodybuilding

Several friends of mine injected real, synthetic growth hormone in California around 1990. All of them achieved outstanding levels of muscle, lowered bodyfat, and strength far beyond anything they had gained taking steroids. HOWEVER... a few of them developed severe problems due to bone growth. The eyes of one person actually spread apart at least 1 INCH. He became so ugly it was difficult to look at him. Another person began having painful problems with his elbows and knees due to excessive bone growth. And another person came down with a terrible case of diabetes. Growth hormone is no joke and I urge athletes to avoid it at all costs. Even under a doctor's supervision you can run into problems that will last you a lifetime. It's just not worth it.

Thanks for moving this anecdote from the article to the talk page. This kind of well-intentioned, cautionary anecdote is improbable in several ways but impossible to prove or disprove because not enough information is provided. alteripse 15:52, 20 July 2005 (UTC)

[edit] reasons for changes

Thanks to user:Kennethma for a variety of small fixes and additions. I made a number of small changes and reverted a couple of things. Counterfeit GH is a real thing but it is not the right word for the fraudulent HGH products. As mentioned in same section, adult frequency of GH peaks is lower than childhood frequency. I think there is a better correlation between pubertal growth spurt and GH levels than between late puberty and GH levels, especially in girls. There is some variation in known side effect frequency between adults and children but not much variation by indication. Although IGF1 is one of several steps in the diagnosis of GH I removed it mainly because it is no more important than auxologic criteria and other steps not mentioned and the whole process is covered in more detail with ample mention of IGF1 in the article on growth hormone deficiency. Please refrain from simply expanding this article in the areas of deficiency and treatment. A year ago I split the huge and growing GH article into 4 articles:

I put what I considered a skeletal overview of diagnosis and treatment in this but suggest that we put new info about diagnosis and treatment in the appropriate articles, rather than re-expand this already large article with duplicate info. alteripse 14:46, 28 August 2005 (UTC)

[edit] J B B?

What is J B B?

Vandalism. Fixed now. --Arcadian 03:42, 14 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Functions of Growth Hormone

The wikipedia article states "1. GH directly stimulates division and multiplication of chondrocytes of cartilage. These are the primary cells in the growing ends (epiphyses) of children's long bones (arms, legs, digits)."

However, the newest edition of Boron et al, Medical Physiology (2005) reports on page 1029 that "GH itself does not have grwoth-promoting action on epiphyseal cartilage", which directly contradicts the information on the wikipedia article. Based on the same book, growth hormone affects growth by stimulating the synthesis of Insulin-Like Growth Factor I (and to a lesser extent II) which is responsible for stimulating division of multiplication of chondrocytes of cartilage.

Therefore, I'm interested in knowing the source of the information provided on the wikipedia article on Functions of GH.

--85.194.224.181 16:37, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

Evidence has been mounting for decades that the direct effects of GH on bone are more important for growth than the effects mediated by the major form of circulating IGF-1 (from the liver). It is the nature of this "direct effect" that is a matter of uncertainty and active investigation. To what extent is this direct GH effect due to locally generated IGF-1 (in the cartilage) and to what extent is it due to IGF-1-independent processes in cartilage cells triggered directly by GH action on the GH receptor. See [1]. alteripse 18:29, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Adults vs. Children

I think it's important to understand the role GH plays in adults and children, since it is not something that disappears in adults and varies considerably according to the situation. As i understand it, in adults the segregation of GH often increases a response to stress or hunger, and in children may result in growth spurts when children have fever, etc. can anyone document this?

[edit] Cut section -- "HGH quackery"

I cut this section for being POV & unreferenced. I have no particular opinion one way or another, but before it gets put back, let's see some references, folks. -- phoebe/(talk) 22:39, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

HGH dinkus (called "HGH Quackery" in other diffs)

Consumers should understand that use of the term "HGH" by marketers since 1990 is a nearly infallible sign that a product so labeled contains no effective amount of growth hormone[citation needed]. Endocrinologists tend to use other terms

[vague], and the specific term HGH is often an indicator of questionable claims or information.[citation needed] For fuller discussion, see growth hormone treatment.

[edit] Just a thought

  • how about adding a section to talk about people who use it.

Here is what Stallone said: "Testosterone to me is so important for a sense of well-being when you get older," he says. "Everyone over 40 years old would be wise to investigate it because it increases the quality of your life. Mark my words. In 10 years it will be over the counter."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,325767,00.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by SoilMan2007 (talk • contribs) 15:09, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

I was just wondering about this. Stallone is noted for working out 12 hours a day, 6 days a week when he's not acting though. I'm 34 right now. I won't even consider touching it until I'm 55-60 years old, and it would be in small regulated amounts. I'm hoping that the science behind it becomes more effective with less risks and/or consequences by then. But I don't see how taking small and regulated amounts at age 60 would have an adverse affect. By then, your body hardly produces testosterone anyways. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.207.171.81 (talk) 16:41, 5 February 2008 (UTC)