Growth hormone

Growth hormone (GH or HGH (human growth hormone) in humans), also known as somatotropin or somatropin, is a hormone responsible for growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals.^[1] It is specific only to certain kinds of cells.

Growth hormone used for cows and cattle is called BGH (bovine growth hormone). BGH is an injection and external source of the hormone and it is used to make the cattle larger. Bigger cows produce more meat when they are slaughtered and this is more profitable. BGH can be synthetic or non-synthetic (natural).^[source?] The growth hormone can also be put into cattle feed. Some people take BGH to try and get bigger (for example in bodybuilding competitions), but it has not been tested or indicated for use in humans, who have their own growth hormone. BGH has not been shown to be safe in humans. Studies have shown that BGH is not present in meat from hormone-fed cattle. Studies have been done to track BGH from cattle to food because of a past craze where people started to become worried about the status of the cattle that they eat (or drink milk from), and this has lead to "hormone-free sourced" meats (for example beef) in the United States.

Human growth hormone

Growth hormone is used as a prescription drug in medicine to treat children's and adults growth disorders.^[2] In the United States, it is only available legally by prescription from a doctor. HGH (human growth hormone) is a very complex hormone, and many of its functions are still unknown.^[3]

Synthetic human growth hormone was developed in 1985 and approved by the FDA for specific uses in children and adults. In children, HGH injections are approved for treating short stature of unknown cause as well as poor growth due to a number of medical causes, including:

Turner's syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects development in girls
Prader-Willi syndrome, an uncommon genetic disorder causing poor muscle tone, low levels of sex hormones, and a constant feeling of hunger
Chronic (long-term) kidney disease
HGH deficiency or insufficiency
Children born small for gestational age

Related pages

References

↑ Daniels ME (1992). "Lilly's Humatrope Experience". Nature Biotechnology. 10 (7): 812. doi:10.1038/nbt0792-812a. S2CID 46453790.
↑ Official Grow Taller 4 Idiots Archived 2013-04-02 at the Wayback Machine website
↑ Powers M (2005). "Performance-Enhancing Drugs". In Leaver-Dunn D, Houglum J, Harrelson GL (ed.). Principles of Pharmacology for Athletic Trainers. Slack Incorporated. pp. 331–332. ISBN 1-55642-594-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)

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[1] Daniels ME (1992). "Lilly's Humatrope Experience". Nature Biotechnology. 10 (7): 812. doi:10.1038/nbt0792-812a. S2CID 46453790.

[2] Official Grow Taller 4 Idiots Archived 2013-04-02 at the Wayback Machine website

[ped-3] Powers M (2005). "Performance-Enhancing Drugs". In Leaver-Dunn D, Houglum J, Harrelson GL (ed.). Principles of Pharmacology for Athletic Trainers. Slack Incorporated. pp. 331–332. ISBN 1-55642-594-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)

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