First things first, exactly what are hormones? They are the very small chemical messengers that enable our bodies to perform various tasks. It is the body's endocrine glands that produce them and these glands exist all over the body and their function is to secrete hormones that stimulate various bodily functions.



Human growth hormone or HGH is produced by the pituitary gland which is situated right in the center of the brain.

As the name would suggest, human growth hormone exists to promote physical growth in humans and HGH production is at its peak in the human body at the time of adolescence. HGH is made up of proteins called amino acids.

Adolescence, of course, is the time of many changes in the human body of both sexes, so it isn't surprising that human growth hormone is present in maximum quantities in the body at this time. But don't think that this particular hormone disappears altogether after this period. Human growth hormone continues to be produced, especially during periods of deep sleep.

Human growth hormone is responsible for affecting the growth of all of the body's tissues and, indeed, the repair of tissues that have become damaged. They also help with bone strength, brain function, the function of the sexual and reproductive organs, the production of enzymes and other bodily functions.

Human growth hormone in modern times has become the focus for the anti-aging industry. It is certainly true that just about everything that goes on in your body is in some way affected by HGH and if you have artificially high levels of HGH in your body you will feel more energetic and youthful.

Before you rush off to find a source of human growth hormone to rejuvenate you, be aware that you will need to have very deep pockets, because the stuff isn't cheap. In fact, a year's supply of HGH can cost approximately $20,000.

Even if you have pockets deep enough to afford it, there's no guarantee that you'll be allowed any HGH injections, because it's usually only available on prescription.

Ok, let's say that, if only for reasons of personal vanity, you can afford and have been granted access to a supply of human growth hormone, are there any dangers or side-effects associated with its use?

Some research that has been carried out suggests that injecting human growth hormone can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome and enlarged breasts.

More research needs to be done to verify these findings and work out whether carefully controlling the amounts of HGH injected can mitigate the side-effects in any way.