Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Dec;41(6):759-774.
doi: 10.1007/s11357-019-00096-w. Epub 2019 Sep 4.

The enigmatic role of growth hormone in age-related diseases, cognition, and longevity

Gabriela Colon  1   2 , Tatiana Saccon  2   3 , Augusto Schneider  3 , Marcelo B Cavalcante  2   4 , Derek M Huffman  5 , Darlene Berryman  6   7 , Ed List  6 , Yuji Ikeno  8   9   10 , Nicolas Musi  11 , Andrzej Bartke  12 , John Kopchick  6   7 , James L Kirkland  13 , Tamara Tchkonia  13 , Michal M Masternak  14
Affiliations
Review

The enigmatic role of growth hormone in age-related diseases, cognition, and longevity

Gabriela Colon et al. Geroscience. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Growth hormone (GH) is secreted by the anterior pituitary gland and regulates various metabolic processes throughout the body. GH and IGF-1 levels are markedly reduced in older humans, leading some to hypothesize GH supplementation could be a viable "anti-aging" therapy. However, there is still much debate over the benefits and risks of GH administration. While an early study of GH administration reported reduced adiposity and lipid levels and increased bone mineral density, subsequent studies failed to show significant benefits. Conversely, other studies found positive effects of GH deficiency including extended life span, improved cognitive function, resistance to diseases such as cancer and diabetes, and improved insulin sensitivity despite a higher fat percentage. Thus, the roles of GH in aging and cognition remain unclear, and there is currently not enough evidence to support use of GH as an anti-aging or cognitive impairment therapy. Additional robust and longer-duration studies of efficacy and safety of GH administration are needed to determine if modulating GH levels could be a successful strategy for treating aging and age-related diseases.

Keywords: Aging; Cognition; GH deficiency; Growth hormone; IGF-1; Longevity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The effects of GH deficiency or resistance on aging
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aguiar-Oliveira MH, Bartke A. Growth hormone deficiency: health and longevity. Endocr Rev. 2019;40(2):575–601. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aleman A, et al. Insulin-like growth factor-I and cognitive function in healthy older men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999;84(2):471–475. - PubMed
    1. Ashpole NM, et al. Growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 and the aging brain. Exp Gerontol. 2015;68:76–81. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ashpole NM, et al. IGF-1 has sexually dimorphic, pleiotropic, and time-dependent effects on healthspan, pathology, and lifespan. Geroscience. 2017;39(2):129–145. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baker LD, et al. Effects of growth hormone-releasing hormone on cognitive function in adults with mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults: results of a controlled trial. Arch Neurol. 2012;69(11):1420–1429. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances