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What is growth hormone?
At the base of the brain, there is an endocrine gland called the pituitary gland, which protrudes below the cerebrum. Though the pituitary gland is relatively small (weighing only 0.5 grams), it has many important functions. It especially produces growth hormone (GH for short).
Growth hormone (GH) is also called somatotropic hormone (SH) or somatotropin. Growth hormone (GH) is a single-chain protein of 191 amino acids with a molecular size of 22,005. Growth hormone is the main hormone that controls all organs and functions in the body. Growth hormone promotes the conversion of foods into energy, enhances protein synthesis, stimulates cell division, increases cell size and stimulates bone growth.
Growth hormone is the main hormone that controls all organs and functions in the body
In children, if growth hormone is secreted less than normal, it will affect the cell division, reduce the number and size of cells, make children grow slowly and become stunted. Suffering from growth hormone deficiency, children often have obvious signs such as less hair, fatigue, chubbiness, delayed puberty, short stature in comparison with their peers, etc. On the contrary, if growth hormone is secreted too much, children will be taller and susceptible to gigantism. However, in order to obtain precise results, medical tests need to be performed at the request of the physician.
Should growth hormone drugs be used to increase height in children?
Nowadays, with the advancement of science, the growth hormone drugs have been produced by recombinant DNA technology. They are only used to treat "growth deficiency" in certain cases and are prescribed by the doctor exactly on daily and weekly bases depending on the severity of the deficiency.
Although the price is not cheap, many parents have bought the growth hormone drugs to inject their children in the hope that their children will have outstanding height. However, what they have done brings about not only unexpected results but also many severe consequences. (human growth hormone (hGH) is an easily broken down protein so it is only suitable for use in direct injection into the blood vessel. If it is taken by mouth, it will be broken down by digestive enzymes. Therefore, the oral administration is absolutely ineffective).
Using the human growth hormone to increase height without doctor's prescription will cause many serious consequences
The use of high dose hGH by injection in a short time without instructions can cause fluid retention, swollen fingers, headache, flatulence, swollen joints. Long-term use of hGH will lead to severe headache, neurodegeneration, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Moreover, long-term use of hGH can cause acromegaly and many other dangerous complications such as gastrointestinal malignancy, pseudotumor cerebri, and even death.
Methods to strengthen growth hormone levels naturally
After many years doing research, the scientists have discovered that growth hormone levels in the blood change throughout the day and primarily depend on some factors such as diets, rest and sleep, mental status, and exercises. In order to promote the production of growth hormone and promote height growth naturally, here are some tips for parents:
Healthy diets
Healthy diets will help increase the growth hormone secretion naturally
In order to optimize the development of growth hormone, attention should be paid to diets that must ensure the adequate supply of calories, minerals and vitamins, especially micronutrients such as calcium, iron, iodine, etc. In addition, children should avoid eating high-carbohydrate foods, reduce snacking or limit soda drinking between meals.
Diligently doing exercises and playing sports
Exercising daily is the simplest way to increase the growth hormone secretion. However, high-intensity exercises for height growth will be better than gentle exercises. Some sports which help children get outstanding height are swimming, volleyball, badminton, rope jumping... These exercises and sports should be done every day. While doing exercises and playing sports, children should drink plenty of water because the risk of dehydration will cause reactions to growth hormone.
Good mental health
Stress not only causes fatigue and irritability but also affects the growth hormone production of the pituitary gland. In order to grow taller, children should have good mental health and avoid stress.
Getting good sleep
70% to 80% of growth hormone will be produced during sleep if you sleep well and 8 hours per day continuously. Therefore, children should not stay up late. They should go to bed before 10:00 PM because the growth hormone levels are secreted most from 11:00 PM to 01:00 AM. Sleeping space should also be comfortable, quiet, clean and should not have strong light.
