Heavy/John......how about 'older guys' 50 to 70 yrs old, using hgh or insulin.....?
.......as always thanks for your help........charley
Insulin is fine for advanced bodybuilders but I rarely recommend its use due to the risks associated with the profound lowering of blood glucose levels. Insulin improperly used can cause coma and even death.
HGH is a great compliment to Testosterone replacement therapy. HGH is absolutely proven to cause a synergistic effect towards fat oxidation and increasing LBM.
N Engl J Med. 1990 Jul 5;323(1):1-6.
Effects of human growth hormone in men over 60 years old.
Rudman D,
Feller AG,
Nagraj HS,
Gergans GA,
Lalitha PY,
Goldberg AF,
Schlenker RA,
Cohn L,
Rudman IW,
Mattson DE.
Source
Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The declining activity of the growth hormone--insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) axis with advancing age may contribute to the decrease in lean body mass and the increase in mass of adipose tissue that occur with aging.
METHODS:
To test this hypothesis, we studied 21 healthy men from 61 to 81 years old who had plasma IGF-I concentrations of less than 350 U per liter during a six-month base-line period and a six-month treatment period that followed. During the treatment period, 12 men (group 1) received approximately 0.03 mg of biosynthetic human growth hormone per kilogram of body weight subcutaneously three times a week, and 9 men (group 2) received no treatment. Plasma IGF-I levels were measured monthly. At the end of each period we measured lean body mass, the mass of adipose tissue, skin thickness (epidermis plus dermis), and bone density at nine skeletal sites.
RESULTS:
In group 1, the mean plasma IGF-I level rose into the youthful range of 500 to 1500 U per liter during treatment, whereas in group 2 it remained below 350 U per liter. The administration of human growth hormone for six months in group 1 was accompanied by an 8.8 percent increase in lean body mass, a 14.4 percent decrease in adipose-tissue mass, and a 1.6 percent increase in average lumbar vertebral bone density (P less than 0.05 in each instance). Skin thickness increased 7.1 percent (P = 0.07). There was no significant change in the bone density of the radius or proximal femur. In group 2 there was no significant change in lean body mass, the mass of adipose tissue, skin thickness, or bone density during treatment.
CONCLUSIONS:
Diminished secretion of growth hormone is responsible in part for the decrease of lean body mass, the expansion of adipose-tissue mass, and the thinning of the skin that occur in old age.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006 Feb;91(2):477-84. Epub 2005 Dec 6.
The effects of growth hormone and/or testosterone in healthy elderly men: a randomized controlled trial.
Giannoulis MG,
Sonksen PH,
Umpleby M,
Breen L,
Pentecost C,
Whyte M,
McMillan CV,
Bradley C,
Martin FC.
Source
Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, GKT School of Medicine, King's College London, St. Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH, UK.
Abstract
CONTEXT:
Declines in GH and testosterone (Te) secretion may contribute to the detrimental aging changes of elderly men.
OBJECTIVE:
To assess the effects of near-physiological GH with/without Te administration on lean body mass, total body fat, midthigh muscle cross-section area, muscle strength, aerobic capacity, condition-specific quality of life (Age-Related Hormone Deficiency-Dependent Quality of Life questionnaire), and generic health status (36-Item Short-Form Health Survey) of older men. DESIGN, SETTINGS, AND PARTICIPANTS: A 6-month, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 80 healthy, community-dwelling, older men (age, 65-80 yr).
INTERVENTIONS:
Participants were randomized to receive 1) placebo GH or placebo Te, 2) recombinant human GH (rhGH) and placebo Te (GH), 3) Te and placebo rhGH (Te), or 4) rhGH and Te (GHTe). GH doses were titrated over 8 wk to produce IGF-I levels in the upper half of the age-specific reference range. A fixed dose of Te (5 mg) was given by transdermal patches.
RESULTS:
Lean body mass increased with GHTe (P = 0.008) and GH (P = 0.004), compared with placebo. Total body fat decreased with GHTe only (P = 0.02). Midthigh muscle (P = 0.006) and aerobic capacity (P < 0.001) increased only after GHTe. Muscle strength changes were variable; one of six measures significantly increased with GHTe. Significant treatment group by time interactions indicated an improved Age-Related Hormone Deficiency-Dependent Quality of Life questionnaire score (P = 0.007) in the GH and GHTe groups. Bodily pain increased with GH alone, as determined by the Short-Form Health Survey (P = 0.003). There were no major adverse effects.
CONCLUSION:
Coadministration of low dose GH with Te resulted in beneficial changes being observed more often than with either GH or Te alone.
Comment in
PMID:16332938 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
) what would you recommend as the best course of action to raise T levels?
