Here's what really happens when you take the 'anti-aging' supplement Peter Thiel swears by
But HGH has some pretty concerning downsides. It's banned by nearly every major sports organization. It's been tentatively associated with an increased risk of cancer. And if it's not obtained with a valid prescription in the United States, it's illegal.
The body naturally produces the hormone to help us grow as kids, but levels decline as we age.
When people take synthetic HGH, it can increase their muscle mass and decrease their body fat, according to the Mayo Clinic. But it doesn't make people stronger or boost performance, according to experts from Harvard University.
Negative side effects include carpal tunnel, swelling, muscle pain, and joint pain; a subset of men using HGH even develop breasts.
Some people with HGH deficiencies - because they were born with one or developed one due to chemotherapy or AIDS - need to take the hormone in order to maintain their energy and fitness. But they get valid prescriptions to do so, whereas most off-label use (like for bulking up) is done illegally.
Pure HGH is administered as an injection, and if people aren't trained in using needles, they could hurt themselves or end up with a serious infection. They could also seriously mess up the dosage, which a doctor would carefully calibrate. The risks and effects of long-term HGH supplementation in healthy people are largely unknown.
Many supplements sold online or in other countries advertise that they contain HGH. But since these are barely regulated at all, they could have no actual HGH and contain potentially dangerous ingredients instead. There's no telling what you're really taking.
A way to ward off age-related decline?
Some people, including billionaire Peter Thiel (who says he hopes to live to 120), take HGH to try to prevent aging. That application, however, is far from proven.
Supplementation may actually have the opposite effect, according to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), which summarized the research:
At least one epidemiological study suggests that people who have high levels of naturally produced growth hormone are more apt to die at younger ages than those with lower levels of the hormone. Researchers have also studied animals with genetic disorders that suppress growth hormone production and secretion. They found that reduced growth hormone secretion actually promotes longevity in the tested species.
While the decline in HGH as we age might be part of why older people often feel less energized and fit, that same decline "may be offering important protection from cancer and other age-associated diseases," one study concluded.
That means there's a chance HGH supplementation could actually increase the risk of cancer, which anti-aging pioneer Aubrey de Grey has called "the hardest aspect of aging to fix." (When confronted with this risk, Thiel told Bloomberg News that he "hopes we'll get cancer cured within the next decade." That's a claim experts have dismissed as "so wildly optimistic as to be out of touch with reality.")
"There's little evidence to suggest human growth hormone can help otherwise healthy adults regain youth and vitality," Mayo Clinic staff wrote. "In fact, experts recommend against using HGH to treat aging or age-related conditions." The only things we know can help ward off aging are a healthy diet and exercise, the researchers continued. Of course, that's a bit more challenging than a daily pill.
The bottom line is that taking HGH recreationally could have potentially disastrous consequences, especially if you don't have a valid prescription from a doctor. And the known benefits are basically nil.