Can HGH supplements increase height?

Growth hormone (GH) is a protein made by the pituitary gland that’s vital for normal growth and development in children. Once puberty hits, GH levels decrease, and they remain low throughout the rest of your life. However, some people believe that taking human growth hormone supplements can help increase height, especially in adults. But is there any truth to this claim? Let’s take a closer look.

How Might GH Supplements Increase Height?

The answer has to do with something called the “somatotropic axis.” This is the intricate system that regulates GH production and release in your body. When the system isn’t working properly, it can lead to dwarfism or gigantism. However, some researchers believe that stimulating the somatotropic axis with GH supplements might help increase height in adults who are otherwise healthy. 

Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of scientific evidence to support this claim. A few small studies have found that GH supplementation might modestly increase height in adults with GH deficiency, but it’s not clear if the same holds true for people who are otherwise healthy. Additionally, it’s important to note that taking GH supplements comes with a number of potential side effects, including fluid retention, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, Increased insulin resistance,and enlargement of the heart so it’s not something to be taken lightly. 

How might HGH affect height?

HGH is responsible for stimulating growth in childhood and adolescence. Once we reach adulthood, our bones stop growing but that doesn’t mean that HGH stops playing a role in our bodies. In adults, HGH helps to maintain tissue and organ function, bone density, muscle mass, and energy levels. Given these functions of HGH, it stands to reason that taking supplemental HGH might help you grow taller by stimulating the growth of new cells including bone cells. 

However, it’s important to note that there is no scientific evidence to support the claim that supplemental HGH can increase height in adults. In fact, most research on the topic has found that taking supplemental HGH does not lead to any significant increase in height. One study from 2006 followed a group of individuals with Idiopathic Short Stature (ISS), a condition characterized by an abnormally short stature with no known cause, for four years. The participants were divided into two groups one group received injections of synthetic HGH while the other group received injections of placebo (salt water). At the end of the four years, researchers found that there was no significant difference in height between the two groups; those who had received synthetic HGH had only grown an average of 0.3 inches taller than those who had received the placebo. 

A separate study from 2010 looked at the effects of oral spray supplementation with deer antler velvet extract on stature and skeletal development in children with ISS. The study found no significant difference in skeletal or linear growth between the group who received deer antler velvet extract and the group who received placebo over the course of one year. 

Conclusion: 

If you’re looking for ways to increase your height as an adult, you might be tempted to try GH supplements. However, there’s not a lot of scientific evidence to support their use for this purpose, and they come with a number of potential side effects. Therefore, it’s probably best to stick with more proven methods such as regular exercise and a healthy diet which can help you maximize your height potential without putting your health at risk.