TWO NEW KLRI PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS: Hormone Therapy May Reduce Atherosclerosis in Women Close to Menopause; Growth Hormone May Increase Risk of Diabetes, Improve Lipid Prof...(Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study (...),Health

Another KLRI study, appearing in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism and led by Marc Blackman of the Washington DC VA Medical Center, tests the effects of growth hormone (GH) therapy, both combined with sex steroids and alone, in healthy, ambulatory men and women over 65 years of age for a period of six months. The study found that GH caused insulin resistance (the body's inability to respond to and use the insulin it produces) to increase, yet it had a beneficial effect on lipids (molecules in the blood that include cholesterol and triglycerides).

"It's extremely unusual to analyze the effect of both growth hormone and sex steroids," said Harman.

This research is particularly interesting because the effects of GH therapy have not been studied extensively. The body naturally secretes growth hormones to fuel growth through childhood and maintain tissues and organs. Their use as an anti-aging therapy stems from the natural decrease of growth hormones secreted by the body as we reach middle age--replacing them with artificial GH, in theory, would slow the aging process. However, there is little evidence to suggest that it is effective.

Very few studies have tested the combined effects of GH and sex-steroids on glucose tolerance, elevated cholesterol and insulin sensitivity--changes in older adults that occur as a result of aging and that contribute to increased risk for cardiovascular disease. GH has been found to decrease total body and regional fat mass in older men, while sex-steroids have been reported to have positive effects on lipid (fat) concentrations in the body.

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