Hormone Helps Reduce Weight
Weight Loss Study Summary
A controlled dose of growth hormone may help people who are obese lose
weight and maintain the energy to exercise, according to recent weight
loss research from Saint Louis University.
Weight Loss Study Background
When people are obese, the amount of growth hormone in their bodies drops.
Growth hormone may help control appetite and speed up the metabolism to
burn calories. Without the right amount of growth hormone, the body accumulates
fat and loses muscle mass, which may sap the energy to exercise.
Weight Loss Study Methods
Thirty-nine volunteers who were about 40 percent overweight participated
in the study. All participants met with a registered dietitian monthly
and were encouraged to slowly lose weight by exercising and reducing their
daily caloric intake by 500 calories.
Weight Loss Study Results
People who took growth hormone lost an average of slightly more than five
pounds of body weight. This weight loss was all due to the loss of body
fat; they did not lose any muscle mass. Most of the fat loss was in the
abdominal area. There were also improvements in the good cholesterol HDL,
which may have a long benefit in protecting the people from heart disease.
The group that received the human growth hormone lost weight, but researchers
aren't sure of the reason - whether they had a decrease in appetite or
they had an increase in energy because they kept up their muscle mass
and were able to exercise.
Weight Loss Study Conclusion
The findings are significant because obesity is a major health risk in
the United States, affecting as much as 30 percent of the population.
Future weight loss studies of growth hormone may suggest whether the drug
could help in weight loss by itself or when used with another medication
that has been approved for weight loss therapy for obesity.
In the past when doctors used growth hormone
as a medicine to restore the body levels, the doses were too high. People
had side effects and did not want to continue the therapy. In this weight
loss study, growth hormone was given at a more balanced dose and people
lost weight, which was entirely due to loss of fat.
Source: 2003 Aphroditewomenshealth.com
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