It is true that HGH is a hormone that occurs naturally in the body. But it is also a powerful hormone with far reaching effects throughout the entire body. One of the concerns of users who want to use HGH therapy is the potential of such a therapy in raising the risk of cancer. It is a long running debate regarding HGH use.
Some of the known negative side effects of HGH usage include acromegaly, carpal tunnel syndrome and fluid retention, diabetes, arthritis, and high blood pressure. But of particular concern is whether HGH is responsible for causing cancer, and a few experiments suggest that increased IGF-1 levels (which are a direct result of HGH conversion) may contribute to a higher cancer risk.
Lab tests have shown that HGH and IGF-1 stimulate the growth of tissue culture leukemia cells. It makes sense, because you are boosting the growth of your cells with growth hormone, but the truth is, you need to consider the large picture.
Cancer risk from HGH depends on 3 factors.
- Overdosage – In many experiments, the dosage of HGH administered, was frequently higher than minimal or even average levels. Even the Dr Rudman study was using higher levels of HGH than normal, and which Dr Rudman himself acknowledged later on. On a sidenote, two other doctors who promote HGH therapy, Dr Chein and Dr Terry have used HGH on hundreds of their patients over the years, and the incidence of cancer among the patients have been extremely negligible. This could be attributed to the low doses which they have espoused all this while. Moral of the story – Use really LOW dosages because it is always best to err on the side of caution.
- Genetics – Cancer has a lot to do with genetics, which is why if you have ancestors who suffered from cancer, than you should be extra cautious because you have already inherited a higher risk which has already been coded into your DNA. It is always best to undergo a very thorough health check to determine your cancer risk before you even consider HGH therapy. Certain people are definitely more predisposed to developing cancer whether they take HGH or not.
- Deficiency – The majority of people taking HGH currently, do not have a verifiable need for additional growth hormone. HGH is by and large, suitable only for people with inactive pituitary glands, growth disorders, and aged people. HGH is not suitable if you just want to have a designer model body. You will get the desired results by enrolling in a gym and eating right. If you’re young and reasonably healthy, please do not embark on a HGH program! For example, this study by Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Sweden found no benefit on aerobic exercise capacity in young, healthy individuals.
The numerous studies done to correlate HGH with cancer have been inconclusive. A study published in NCBI found no evidence that growth hormone therapy is associated with tumor occurance. Against a database of thousands of reports, there is no conclusion that HGH leads to an increase in cancer, although as I mentioned earlier, caution is highly advised at all times.
As in all things in life, moderation is the key to success. Even vitamins can be dangerous if taken in excess, let alone a powerful hormone like the human growth hormone! You don’t get a big margin of error when you’re dealing with hormones, so bear that in mind.
Personally, I feel HGH releasers provide the best balance of safety and efficacy. All the arguments of HGH being dangerous were in reference to injections of the direct hormone. There are many other ways to increase your HGH levels (via natural means) and I’ve discussed them, and will continue to talk about them here; the problem is people want shortcuts (and they want fast results). With all hormones, the “more is better” mentality needs to be curbed if you truly desire a holistic approach to aging and health.
