# What is HGH? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 25, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-hgh/138573 "2002-11-25T01:34:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrentLumkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@BrentLumkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrentLumkin)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-hgh/138573/1 "2002-11-25T01:34:46Z")
I know what it stands for, but what good does it do? Can it be bought without a prescription? How does it work exactly? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-hgh/138573/2 "2002-11-25T03:51:03Z")
[http://www.nctimes.net/news/080600/xx.html](http://www.nctimes.net/news/080600/xx.html) > [@](#): > > More than a year ago, I wrote a feature on the pros and cons of taking human growth hormone (HGH). Before it was touted by some as the fountain-of-youth drug, HGH (produced by the pituitary gland) was given to children with growth deficiencies. Several clinics offering anti-aging HGH injections have sprouted in San Diego. > > There have been relatively few studies on HGH, but one appeared in the July 18 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. > > For 18 months, doctors gave either HGH or a placebo to 40 men with adult-onset deficiency. Those who received HGH experienced lower levels of two proteins that indicate inflammation in the body, and improved blood lipid (fat) levels in the first three months of the study. The improvement in the lipid levels, however, did not last from month 6 to month 18. > > The HGH group also experienced short-term increases in blood glucose levels, insulin levels and other markers that would make taking HGH dangerous for diabetics. > > These researchers concluded that those with lower-than-normal levels of HGH are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease, but the exact effect of HGH replacement on inflammatory processes and other cardiovascular risk factors is unclear. ---
**Author:** ![Pantone\_Swatchbook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@Pantone\_Swatchbook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantone_Swatchbook)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-hgh/138573/3 "2002-11-25T04:00:59Z")
No, it cant be bought legally without a prescription. Any form of “HGH” sold OTC or online through the internet is not the real deal. The genuine article costs upwards of several thousand dollars for treatment, and its a liquid that you inject. It is gaining popularity among weightlifters and athletes for its amazing properties - no doubt about it, this thing is a miracle drug. It also has immense value as a therapeutic tool for those healing from injuries or senility. I think its also used by parents with short or feeble physical stature that dont want their children to be cursed with their limitations. Using them during a child’s puberty period will yield tremendous growth. There is no conclusive data concerning its long-term safety however, and rumors abound that it could increase chance of cancer. It may also effect your facial appearance by enlarging aspects of the skull - brow, jaw, cheekbones. Your hands and feet may also grow, but the upside is that your penis will grow too. Taking HGH along with steroids is the closest thing there is to the Super Soldier serum from the Captain America comics. Pity that they are so difficult to obtain, and vulnerable to abuse/misuse. Take a look around weightlifting newsgroups and ask around. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-hgh/138573/4 "2002-11-25T20:00:26Z")
Note that there are many researchers who feel that HGH _promotes_ aging. Look at [this](http://www.siu.edu/worda/persp/sp97/mice.html) for example. People see this “Ohh, XYZ peaks at adolescence and declines thru old age, therefore if we give people XYZ we’ll delay aging.” But it’s really “Your body ages most rapidly during adolescence and therefore needs XYZ most then and less later.” Plan on lawsuits from small people who took HGH as teens to achieve “normal” height and end up feeling 80 at age 60.