The Road to Longevity
Donald McLeod M.D., Philip White M.D., and W.M. Heatherington
The Truth About Hormone Replacement, Antioxidants, Exercise, Stress, and Diet.

Section III
HGH: The Master Hormone
HGH Physiology (page 1/4)

There is a second way in which we can elevate the levels of HGH in the body besides injections, a more natural way.
To understand how it works it will be helpful if we first explore just a little of the physiology of HGH in the body.

As we have seen, HGH is produced in the anterior (front) part of the pituitary gland, which is located near the base of the brain, and then released into the bloodstream. Its production and release are largely governed by a number of feedback systems, the most important part of which involves a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. In a stripped down, over-simplified version of how the pituitary and the hypothalamus affect each other, we might regard the hypothalamus (as part of the more complex feedback loop) as a governor to the pituitary.

When levels of HGH in the blood become altered, this is detected by the hypothalamus, which reacts to the change. For example, if levels of HGH have reached what is regarded as maximal by the hypothalamus, the hypothalamus releases a hormone called somatostatin, which tells the pituitary to cut back on the amount of HGH it is releasing. Somatostatin is also known as Growth Hormone Inhibiting Hormone (GHIH). It is released from the pancreas, thyroid and gut as well. These somatostatin peptides will also inhibit thyroid and pancreas function.

When levels of HGH are low, this too is detected by the hypothalamus, which releases another hormone called Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH), which in turn instructs the pituitary to release more HGH. Since GHRH pulses regularly over the 24 hour period it is known that GHIH is the true "gatekeeper" for HGH release. GHIH will occasionally drop to low levels. This will allow surges of HGH production before feedback shuts off the production again.

Figure in Printed Version: Pituitary and Hypothalamus (after Pat McGeer) . . . . (cont'd)

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