Lose That Stubborn Belly Fat: Research shows HGH helps reduce abdominal fat

Human growth hormone (HGH), also known as somatotropin, is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, a small gland in the brain. HGH stimulates cell regeneration, growth and maintenance, and is critical for maintaining bones, muscles, organs, tissue and heart function. Growth hormone raises the concentration of glucose and free fatty acids and stimulates the production of IGF-1, which stimulates growth in a variety of tissues including bone. Your secretion of growth hormone begins a steep decline in your 20’s or 30’s and will continue to decline by about 50% every seven years.

The role of HGH:

• Increases muscle mass
• Promotes the breakdown of fats and lipids
• Increases cell production and regeneration
• Stimulates the growth of organs
• Stimulates the immune system
• Helps maintain the balance of physiologic processes
• Reduces liver uptake of glucose
• Helps maintain pancreatic islets
• Promotes the synthesis of glucose in the liver from non-carbohydrate sources
• Increases calcium retention and strengthens mineralization of bone

As people enter middle age their proportion of fat to body weight typically increases. The increased fat is usually found around the midsection. Research shows that abdominal fat, or visceral fat, is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and is associated with an increased risk of certain types of cancer. Visceral fat is the fat that lies deep within the abdominal cavity, making you appear older and unhealthy. Once it starts to accumulate, abdominal fat is very difficult to get rid of.

Several clinical trials have shown that HGH can help you lose that stubborn belly fat. Growth hormone burns fat by making it available as fuel for the body unfortunately, obese individuals produce lower levels of growth hormone.

HGH works in two ways:

1. Every fat cell has a growth hormone receptor. When HGH binds to a fat cell receptor is triggers a process called lipolysis, an enzymatic reaction in the cell that breaks down fat.
2. Insulin promotes the creation of fat cells. HGH inhibits the effect of insulin promoting the destruction of fat cells. Without growth hormone to counter the effects of insulin, the fat cells are free to expand. As the fat increases, it causes the pituitary gland to decrease its production of growth hormone, creating a harmful cycle.

Several studies have shown taking human growth hormone can help decrease both visceral and subcutaneous fat in men and women. In addition, growth hormone can decrease cardiovascular risk markers and improve glucose tolerance. Below is a summary of four studies evaluating growth hormone and its effect on visceral fat.

1. Title: GH administration decreases subcutaneous abdominal adipocyte size in men with abdominal obesity
   Trial Design: A 6 week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of GH vs placebo
   Objective: To investigate the effects of short-term GH administration on abdominal subcutaneous adipocyte size and CT attenuation in men with abdominal obesity.
   Conclusion: In men with abdominal obesity, subcutaneous abdominal adipocyte size is positively associated with measures of impaired glucose tolerance and administration of GH at doses that raise IGF-1 levels within the normal range, decreases abdominal subcutaneous adipocyte size, suggesting that GH administration improves the health of adipose tissue.

 

2. Title: Effects of growth hormone supplementation in premenopausal women with abdominal adiposity
   Trial Design: A 6 month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of GH vs placebo followed by 6-month withdrawal and observation
   Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether the effects of GH treatment on cardiovascular risk markers, body composition, and glucose tolerance in obese women persist 6 months after GH withdrawal.
   Conclusion: GH administration resulted in improved body composition including a decrease in trunk fat, an increase in thigh muscle and an increase in lean mass. Additionally, GH reduced cardiovascular risk markers and improved glucose tolerance. When patients discontinued GH treatment the positive results went away.

 

3. Title: Growth hormone treatment reduces abdominal visceral fat in postmenopausal women with abdominal obesity: a 12-month placebo-controlled trial
   Design: 12-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
   Objective: Evaluate the effect of GH treatment on insulin sensitivity using measurements of glucose disposal rate, abdominal fat, hepatic fat content, thigh muscle, total body fat and fat-free mass at 6 and 12 months
   Conclusion: Growth hormone treatment reduced visceral fat mass, increased muscle thigh area, reduced total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. At 1 year GH treatment improved insulin sensitivity and reduced abdominal visceral fat and LDL cholesterol.

 

4. Title: Growth Hormone Decreases Visceral Fat and Improves Cardiovascular Risk Markers in Women with Hypopituitarism: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study
   Design: This was a 6-month, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study.
   Objective: The objective was to determine the effects of physiological GH replacement on cardiovascular risk markers and body composition in women with GH deficiency (GHD).
   Results: Low-dose GH replacement in women with GHD decreased total and visceral adipose tissue and improved cardiovascular markers, with a relatively modest increase in IGF-1 levels and without worsening insulin resistance.

The Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic, the most experienced Age Management Clinic in Latin America, prescribes pharmaceutical grade synthetic HGH. Synthetic HGH has been reviewed and approved by the FDA to be safe and effective for specific uses in children and adults. The use of HGH for anti-aging is not yet FDA-approved in the United States, making it difficult for patients in the United States to receive a prescription.

Growth hormone production begins to decline in your 20’s and early 30’s resulting in decreased energy, reduced muscle mass, weight gain, dry skin, thinning hair, wrinkles and sexual dysfunction. Based on specialized testing, individual risk assessment and a personal health history, the experts at the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic can develop a customized health plan for you that will slow down the aging process and help you achieve your optimal health. Let us help you lose the unwanted abdominal fat. Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation.

 

References:

1. Bredella, M., Karastergiou, K., Bos, S., Gerweck, A., Torriani, M., Fried, S., & Miller, K. (2017). GH administration decreases subcutaneous abdominal adipocyte size in men with abdominal obesity. Growth Hormone & IGF Research, 35, 17-20.  doi: 10.1016/j.ghir.2017.06.001
2. Bredella, M. A., Lin, E., Brick, D. J., Gerweck, A. V., Harrington, L. M., Torriani, M., … Miller, K. K. (2012). Effects of growth hormone in women with abdominal adiposity: a 6-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. European Journal of Endocrinology / European Federation of Endocrine Societies, 166(4), 601–611. http://doi.org/10.1530/EJE-11-1068
3. Franco, C., Brandberg, J., Lönn, L., Andersson, B., Bengtsson, B., & Johannsson, G. (2005). Growth Hormone Treatment Reduces Abdominal Visceral Fat in Postmenopausal Women with Abdominal Obesity: A 12-Month Placebo-Controlled Trial. The Journal Of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 90(3), 1466-1474.  doi: 10.1210/jc.2004-1657
4. Catherine Beauregard, Andrea L. Utz, […], and Anne Klibanski (2008). Growth Hormone Decreases Visceral Fat and Improves Cardiovascular Risk Markers in Women with Hypopituitarism: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study. The Journal Of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2008 Jun; 93(6): 2063–2071.