Somatropin is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals.
GH also stimulates production of Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and increases the concentration of glucose and free fatty acids.
Off-label somatotropin is used as a treatment for anti-aging.
A recombinant form of HGH called somatropin (INN) is used as a prescription drug to treat childrens growth disorders and adult growth hormone deficiency. Claims for GH as an anti-aging treatment date back to 1990 when the New England Journal of Medicine published a study wherein GH was used to treat 12 men over 60. At the conclusion of the study, all the men showed statistically significant increases in lean body mass and bone mineral density, while the control group did not. The authors of the study noted that these improvements were the opposite of the changes that would normally occur over a 10- to 20-year aging period.
Organizations such as the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine promote the use of somatropin as an “anti-aging agent”.
