In the 1980s a doctor by the name of Daniel Rudman decided he would test the results of HGH supplementation on aging people and see if it could reverse the effects of their symptoms of aging. He published a paper later on regarding his findings, which is still cited today as a landmark in HGH research. Daniel Rudman is credited with planting the seeds for the widespread use of HGH later on, and although controversial to some, is regarded as a major catalyst in bringing attention to HGH.
In 1985 he decided to work on a paper which he titled, “Growth Hormone, Body Composition and Aging“. At that time, HGH was just mainly seen as a drug therapy for children with growth disorders. Rudman wanted to find out if HGH could actually reverse the loss of lean body mass that always accompanies aging.
He recruited 26 men for his test, between the ages of 61-80. All men were healthy individuals but nonetheless aging old men who were obviously very deficient in growth hormone. 4 men later dropped out and 1 came down with prostate cancer, and so 21 men altogether completed the experiment in the end. Out of that 21, 12 men received HGH injections 3 times a week and the rest were put into a control group who didn’t receive any HGH injections.
The results were startling. After 6 months, the men receiving the HGH injections showed a big difference over those who didn’t. They gained an average of 8.8 percent body mass and lost 14 percent in fat, meaning their bones and muscles increased in mass and size while their body fat went down.
His findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine in July 1990, simply entitled, ” Effects of Human Growth Hormone in Men Over 60 years Old.” This report went on to become a very frequent citation on HGH, till this very day.
There were negative side effects too like carpal tunnel syndrome but all in all, Rudman’s experiment was hailed as a groundbreaker. Rudman later acknowledged that the doses he used in his experiment were too large, but he was convinced that HGH could really improve the quality of life for the ever growing aging population, and thus, HGH warranted continued experiments.
Sadly, Dr Rudman passed away in 1994 at the age of 67, due to a pulmonary embolism but it is clear that largely through his efforts, a whole new door was opening up for the elderly to continue embracing the gift of life. Many doctors and researchers soon followed up in his footsteps, and the many experiments that followed continue to show new evidence that HGH was a key factor in combating aging.
