Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is primarily responsible for significant growth, particularly during childhood and adolescence.
How HGH Works
HGH, produced by the pituitary gland, stimulates cell growth and multiplication, especially in bones and cartilage. This leads to increased height during puberty. After puberty, HGH continues to play a role in maintaining body composition and metabolism. It boosts insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which helps regulate blood sugar levels.
- Childhood and Adolescence: HGH is crucial for achieving adult height. It signals cells in bones and cartilage to multiply, resulting in significant growth spurts.
- Adulthood: While HGH doesn't increase height in adults (because the growth plates in bones have fused), it remains vital for maintaining muscle mass, bone density, and overall metabolic function.
HGH and Growth Limitations
It's important to understand that HGH's ability to increase height is limited by the closure of the growth plates in long bones. Once these plates fuse (typically in late adolescence), additional HGH cannot make a person taller. Synthetic HGH treatments cannot overcome this natural biological limitation.
- Adults: In adults, using synthetic HGH will not result in increased height.
- Acromegaly: Excessive HGH production in adulthood leads to acromegaly, characterized by abnormal growth of hands, feet, and facial features. This is a hormonal disorder, not a result of normal growth.
Sources and Further Information
For more detailed information on HGH, its functions, and potential health implications, please refer to these reputable sources:
