To add to Joel's good comments: Regarding aging and growth hormone, it appears that it isn't the body's capacity to produce the hormone that declines. Rather the stimuli for secretion wane. Older individuals can induce a strong growth hormone response for example through exercise.

 

Regarding the arguments that increased growth hormone output promotes diabetes

 

1) by GH's ability to increase free fatty acid concentration in the blood following lipolysis
(acts directly on beta cells in pancreas?)
2) by a sort of negative feedback loop which downregulates insulin receptors (because GH
utilizes parts of the insulin signalling pathway)
 

I would say it's a pitfall to look at isolated molecular mechanisms. Insulin resistance is not just insulin resistance, there is receptor insulin resistance and downstream insulin resistance, and there is selective insulin resistance (insulin resistance in one insulin signaling pathway in the liver, but not in another; insulin resistance in the hypothalamus and muscle cells but not in adipose tissue, etc.). Moreover, insulin resistance is not necessarily a state of disease. Insulin resistance is part of the body's continuous and complex responses to various stiumli, that contribute to homeostasis. Chronic insulin resistance is another story - but where is the evidence that growth hormone promotes chronic insulin resistance? For one, growth hormone is secreted in pulses, largely according to an inherent circadian rhythm.

 

Growth hormone is stimulated by intensive exercise. At the same time, regular physical activity promotes insulin sensitivity (insulin resistance in muscle cells increases even with shorter-term inactivity). When growth hormone is enhanced naturally for example via intelligent exercise, a set of counterregulatory mechanisms, including temporary increased levels of cortisol, result in favourable adaptation. When "synthetic" stimulation occurs, the same array of regulatory and counterregulatory processes is not set into motion in the same way, and side-effects may result. Over time, homeostasis is skewed in the direction of disease. NHE, by enhancing hormones through natural processes that humans are adapted to respond positively to, it promotes health rather than disease.

 

Simon
 

 

On 8/31/06, Joel Rosart <joel.rosart@... > wrote:

Not off topic at all Jason, this is what NHE is all about!

Unless you're willing to take GH for the rest of your life I think there's no point in taking it. Like you said, the instant you stop you will return to your previous aged self, if not WORSE because your body can't produce GH anymore!

Even those that do have the money to do it for life have to be careful because of the potential for side effects. There are some clinics that now administer a combination of GH, testosterone, estrogen, IGF-1, etc., in an effort to mitigate the deleterious effects of single hormone injections. While I applaud their efforts, I think we're still not there yet and the only reliable system to balance hormones is the human body.

On 8/31/06, jason yana <jyana@...> wrote:

Thanks Joel, I wouldn't imagine that any dietary manipulation would make GH go unreasonably hog wild.  I knew a few people who were using exogenous GH, the results were clear in the short term, but it sure seemed to me that a decent while after they stopped using it, they appeared to get older in a flash.  Isn't it true that exogenous manipulation of a hormone like GH for a long enough time renders the body at least temporarily incapable of creating the hormone on its own?  Talk about selling your soul to the devil  .. .

 

off topic, i know, sorry about that :)

----- Original Message -----

From: Joel Rosart

To: HormonalFitness@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, August 30, 2006 9:28 PM

Subject: Re: [HormonalFitness] Re: Does NHE promote diabetes?

 

Jason,

I agree NHE should prevent diabetes. I believe concern arose from the fact that:

a) NHE strives to heighten GH production
b) Excess GH production can cause diabetes

Sounds counter-intuitive, but if ANY hormone is raised in excess it can cause massive problems.

The fact is that even among those people that do inject HGH (which has a much more profound effect than NHE does), its still a RARE condition. If that doesn't allay your fears I'm not sure what will!

Cheers,

Joel

On 8/31/06, Jason <jyana@...> wrote:

Doesn't NHE prevent diabetes?

I kind of thought that since NHE keeps insulin levels low most of
the time, that it would be the opposite. Preventing type II
diabetes - insulin insensitivity, etc. I mean people who are
constantly eating carbs, sugar etc. all the time are the people that
develop type II diabetes right? Isn't that why they put type II
diabetics on a low fat, low carb diet?

--- In HormonalFitness@yahoogroups.com , "Joel Rosart"

<joel.rosart@...> wrote:
>
> Welcome to the board!
>
> First off, you should understand that growth hormone is a problem
only when
> its too low or too high in an individual. There's some really good
> information here:
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Growth_hormone
>
> Excess GH can only be caused by either a pituitary tumour (which
leads to
> gigantism) or by exogenous injections (commonly used by athletes
and in
> anti-aging treatments). In these cases, a rare form of type II
diabetes can
> develop.
>
> Barring these factors, GH can vary significantly in an individual,
from what
> would be considered high-normal to low-normal. Aging and certain
lifestyle
> factors lower GH. This is a fact. It is one of the most significant
> correlations with aging that we have. Anyone that tells you low GH
is a good
> thing is off their rocker (for lack of a better term =) NHE's goal
is to
> reverse this trend and bring GH to the high-normal range.
>
> Rest assured that the only sure fire way to develop type-II
diabetes is too
> become fat or to consume a lot of fructose (as in high-fructose
corn syrup).
> Moderately improving GH status using NHE will only serve to
improve insulin
> sensitivity.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Joel
>
>
>

> On 8/31/06, fueled_on_ascorbate <fueled_on_ascorbate@...> wrote:
> >
> > Growth Hormone seems to promote diabetes in two ways:
> > 1) by GH's ability to increase free fatty acid concentration in
the blood
> > following lipolysis
> > (acts directly on beta cells in pancreas?)
> > 2) by a sort of negative feedback loop which downregulates
insulin
> > receptors (because GH
> > utilizes parts of the insulin signalling pathway)
> >
> > Please bring relief to my concerns. Does NHE promote diabetes?
> >
> >
> >
>

---

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