Human Growth Hormones as Performance Enhancers

Many college and high school teams put intense pressure on students to excel at sports. As a result more and more teenagers turn to the use of steroids, human growth hormone (HGH) and other performance enhancing substances in order to order to gain an edge against their competitors. There is also pressure on many high school athletes to get a scholarship in sports because it is the only way families would not be able to afford the high cost of tuition.

HGH use has soared over the past few years because it is very hard to detect.  As a result it seems that HGH is now right up there with anabolic steroids when people are looking for a ‘magic elixir’ to enhance sports performance. Athletes take HGH and anabolic steroids to improve muscle mass and performance. As far as making your muscles bigger, results vary widely.  The Olympics randomly tests athletes for HGH, and in July 2010, Major League Baseball became the first professional sports league in the U.S. to test for the substance among its minor league players.

HGH, produced by the pituitary gland, stimulates growth in children and adolescents. It also helps to regulate body composition, body fluids, muscle and bone growth, sugar and fat metabolism, and possibly heart function. It is a naturally occurring hormone and is one of the most important hormones influencing growth and development in humans. HGH plays a critical role in normal growth from birth to adulthood. It stimulates the liver and other tissues to secrete insulin-like growth factor and stimulates production of cartilage cells, resulting in bone growth and also plays a key role in muscle growth. Children and teenagers with low levels of HGH have difficulty growing properly as evidenced by short stature or slow bone growth. Excessive HGH secretion in children (extremely rare) can result in gigantism.

In 1985 Synthetic human growth hormone was developed and approved by the FDA for specific uses in children and adults. In children, HGH injections are approved for treating short stature of unknown cause as well as poor growth. Growth hormone therapy supervised by an endocrinologist is generally safe, with few side effects. However the use of illicit HGH enhancements can be very dangerous.

Teens that have adequate HGH levels are at high risk of overdosing when they take an HGH supplement. The increased consumption of growth hormones will cause several side effects. Excessive human growth hormones can cause a condition known as Acromegaly which is characterized by the distorted facial bones and enlarged limbs and legs. In some cases, it may also cause adenoma, a type of brain tumor which may be fatal. The formation of blood clots in brain may give rise to complications like seizure and other disorders. Other side effects teenagers are at risk of developing by taking growth hormone include:

• Discomfort of the muscles, joints, and bones. Muscle and joint stiffness and pain in the feet and hands.
• Abnormal facial hair growth.
• Hormone imbalances that can result in infertility, stroke, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases and tumors (yes, even in teenagers).
• Breast enlargement in teen boys.
• Edema of the hands and feet (swelling caused by fluid in your body's tissues.)
• Increased risk of diabetes.

Teens can also develop long-term stunted growth. Excessive HGH may cause premature closure of bone growth plates (which would stop your linear growth) which is exactly the opposite of what someone taking these drugs want to achieve in the first place. Many of the side-effects from long-term use of this drug are irreversible. Some of the effects can induce life-threatening conditions or shorten life expectancy.

Here are some other things to consider:

• HGH is illegal to use without a doctor's prescription. It is also illegal for a doctor to prescribe HGH unless there is a medical reason to do so.
• You have no idea what you are putting in your body if you buy any performance enhancing drug on the Internet. It could be anything since it is not monitored or regulated.
• HGH is very expensive.
• HGH can only be injected, so you need syringes, which means that you increase your risk of contracting hepatitis, HIV, bacterial infections and other illnesses.

Jeopardizing your health is not worth the risk. Even though HGH and anabolic steroids can improve sports performance in some situations, these drugs are illegal, using them is cheating, and they can be very, very dangerous. Make no mistake about it: these drugs pose serious risks to your health and they can kill you. There are many other effective, healthier, and safer ways to improve sports performance, feel and look better, and improve your ability as an athlete without having to take such a gamble and risk your health and your life.