From: "Ellis Toussier Bigio"
Date: Fri Nov 25, 2005
Subject: * * * Dr. Cranton: "Nobody Gets Out of Here Alive"
I paste Dr. Cranton's answers to my questions asking him
for comments about the JAMA article by Jay Olshansky and
Thomas Perls. Dr. Cranton DISAGREES with the authors of
the article that growth hormone has many bad side effects,
is not safe, and might cause cancer, etc.
But he agrees with the authors that claims that GH
supplementation can stop or reverse aging are nonsense.
However, he also says "THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT SOME SYMPTOMS
THAT DECLINE CAN BE RESTORED, AND THAT QUALITY OF LIFE AND
COSMETIC APPEARANCE CAN BE IMPROVED BY REPLACEMENT IN OLDER
PEOPLE WITH DOCUMENTED HGH DEFICIENCY."
I agree with Dr. Cranton and with the authors of the article
that we cannot stop aging completely...
But I DO THINK we can reverse many signs of aging, because I
have seen it in myself and in others... I also think that we
might be extending our expected lifespan simply because
we are improving our health today, so this increases our
life expectancy... but to extend my lifespan is not the reason
why I take growth hormone... I take growth hormone and other
hormones because they improve my health and quality of life
TODAY.
I have no idea to what age we might live, but I think HGH
together with good nutrition and exercise give us a very good
chance to live up to age 90 or 100 in a healthy body with
a healthy mind...
And I think if we stay healthy, we might live to age 110 or
maybe even longer... without HGH and other hormone replacement,
the probability of this is about a 1 in 10,000,000 (one in ten
million).
(There are 6.5 billion people alive... and I am guessing that
less than 650 of these will live to age 110 years or older,
without HGH and other hormone replacement.)
But I agree with Dr. Cranton: "Nobody gets out of here alive."
- Ellis
=======================
1. JAMA Article:
"Growth hormone is associated with substantial adverse effects.
In a clinical trial of healthy women (n = 57) and men (n = 74)
aged 65 to 88 years, GH administered subcutaneously at an initial
dose of 30 µg/kg, 3 times per week, then reduced to 20 µg/kg, was
associated with carpal tunnel syndrome in 38% of women vs 7% of
those taking placebo, and in 24% of men vs 0% taking placebo;
edema in 39% of women (0% for placebo) and 30% of men (12% for
placebo); and arthralgias in 46% of women (7% for placebo) and
41% of men (0% for placebo).
===============
Ellis: Can you please tell me if 38% of your female
patients or 24% of your male patients have had carpal tunnel
syndrome? Have many of your male patients developed glucose
intolerance or diabetes?
Dr. Cranton: 330 MICROGRAMS OF HGH EQUALS ONE I.U.
30 MCG/KG IN A 70 KG PERSON WOULD MAKE THE DOSE APPROX. 6 I.U.
20 MCG/KG IS 4 I.U.
FOR A HEAVIER PERSON THE DOSES WOULD BE EVEN GREATER.
THOSE ARE EXCESSIVE AND POTENTIALLY TOXIC OVERDOSES. SUCH SIDE
EFFECTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN MANY PUBLICATIONS FOLLOWING
OVERDOSES.
I PUBLISHED A TABLE DOCUMENTING THE EXCESSIVE DOSES USED IN MANY
PUBLISHED STUDIES IN MY BOOK, "RESETTING THE CLOCK."
I DO NOT ADMINISTER SUCH EXCESSIVE DOSES. I RECOMMEND ONLY
NORMAL PHYSIOLOGICAL REPLACEMENT OF HGH AS NECESSARY AND SAFE
DURING DECADES OF YOUNG ADULTHOOD.
THUS I DO NOT SEE CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME, DIABETES OR ANY OTHER
SIGNIFICANT SIDE EFFECTS FROM HGH REPLACEMENT.
THE OPERATIVE WORD HERE IS "REPLACEMENT." REPLACEMENT ONLY OF
THAT AMOUNT OF HGH DIMINISNED IN AGE-RELATED PITUITARY DECLINE,
AVOIDING PHARMACOLOGIC OVERDOSES.
AN OVERDOSE OF MANY OTHER HORMONES CAN CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS.
A 4 FOLD OVERDOSE OF THYROID HORMONE CAN CAUSE VERY SERIOUS SIDE
EFFECTS, BUT THAT IS NEVER CITED AS A REASON TO AVOID PHYSIOLOGIC
THYROID REPLACEMENT.
2. JAMA Article:
"Another concern is the possibility of an increased cancer
risk with long-term GH treatment 28 and the potentiating
effects of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) on cancer. 29
Mukhina et al 30 reported that autocrine production of GH
by mammary carcinoma cells facilitates cellular growth and
suggested that such growth may be sufficient to cause
breast carcinoma to become invasive and metastatic."
Ellis: Are you aware of the increased cancer risk associated
with long term GH treatment, and the potentiating effects of
insulin-like growth factors on cancer? Are you worried that
autocrine production of GH by mammary carcinoma cells might
facilitate cellular growth, as reported by Mukhina et al?
Dr. Cranton: THE ABOVE IS PURE SPECULATION BASED ON TEST TUBE
MEASUREMENTS. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN
IT IS PROBABLE. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO CLINICAL EVIDENCE OF
THIS HAPPENING. WE WORK WITH ACTUAL PEOPLE, NOT TEST TUBES IN
A LABORATORY.
A PRINCIPAL POINT TO MAKE HERE IS THAT IN THE MANY LONG-TERM
STUDIES IN GROUPS GROWTH HORMONE REPLACEMENT PATIENTS, AN INCREASE
IN MALIGNANCY HAS NEVER BEEN REPORTED.
CELL GROWTH, CELL REPLICATION AND NORMAL FUNCTION OF ALL CELLS
IN THE BODY, BOTH MALIGNANT AND HEALTHY, ARE TO SOME EXTENT
DEPENDENT ON HGH AND IGF-1.
CELLS ARE ALSO DEPENDENT ON A SPECTRUM OF NUTRIENTS, VITAMINS,
MINERALS AND TRACE ELEMENTS. IT IS POSSIBLE TO STARVE ALL CELLS,
BOTH HEALTHY OR MALIGNANT, AND SLOW THEIR GROWTH.
THUS A PERSON ALWAYS HAS THE CHOICE TO REMAIN DEFICIENT OF
CALORIES AND MICRONUTRIENTS AS A WAY TO PREVENT CANCER AND
PROLONG LIFE. HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD STARVE THEMSELVES FOR
THAT REASON?
IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED THAT PROTEIN-CALORIE MALNUTRITION CAN
PROLONG LIFE. I HAVE NEVER HAD A PATIENT CHOOSE TO DO SO. IT
MAY WELL BE THAT BY SLOWING METABOLISM IN GENERAL, HORMONE
DEFICIENCIES MIGHT EXTEND LIFE SPAN IN THE SAME WAY -- BUT
THOSE SAME DEFICIENCIES WOULD GREATLY REDUCE THE QUALITY OF
LIFE.
THAT IS A CHOICE, IT MAY BE A TRADE-OFF, BUT IT IS NOT ONE I
WOULD CHOOSE.
THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT HGH EXTENDS LIFE. THERE IS GOOD EVIDENCE
THAT WHEN PROPERLY USED IT CAN IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE.
PLACEBO EFFECTS NEVER LAST LONGER THAN 6 MONTHS BUT PATIENTS
REMAIN ON HGH REPLACEMENT FOR YEARS, AT CONDIDERABLE COST. I DO
NOT BELIEVE THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO DO THAT IF THEY DID NOT
PERSONALLY EXPERIENCE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY
OF THEIR LIVES, WITHOUT SIDE EFFECTS.
WHY IS IT A SURPRISE THAT HGH POTENTIATES CELL GROWTH AND
REPLACEMENT? THAT IS WHAT WE TAKE IT FOR. THE SURPRISE IS THAT
LONG TERM STUDIES SHOW NO INCREASE IN EITHER THE INCIDENCE OR
DEATH RATE FROM CANCER.
THE BEST EXPLANATON FOR THAT IS THAT HGH IS WELL DOCUMENTED TO
IMPROVE IMMUNE FUNCTION, TO INCREASE THE T-KILLER CELLS THAT
DECLINE WITH AGE, WHICH ARE A MAJOR DEFENCE AGAINST CANCER.
3. JAMA article:
"To our knowledge, no studies have assessed long-term
efficacy or safety of GH administration as an antiaging
intervention in humans."
Dr. Cranton: THERE ARE A NUMBER OF LONG TERM STUDIES OF
PHYSIOLOGIC REPLACEMENT IN PATIENTS WITH HGH DEFICIENCY.
THOSE STUDIES DOCUMENT SAFETY QUITE WELL. OTHERWISE WHY
WOULD THE FDA APPROVE IT FOR THAT PURPOSE?
4. JAMA article:
"Proponents of GH claim that aging is caused by an
age-related decline in GH levels and therefore GH
supplementation can stop or reverse aging,3, 14 but
scientific findings counter or fail to support this
hypothesis."
Ellis: Based on your personal experience and your
observations of your patients who have taken growth hormone
for several years, what is your opinion of the long term
efficacy or safety of GH administration as an anti aging
intervention in humans? Can GH supplementation slow down
or stop or reverse aging?
Dr. Cranton: CLAIMS THAT HGH CAN STOP OR REVERSE OVERALL AGING
ARE PURE NONSENSE. DECLINE IN HGH IS JUST ONE OF MANY, MANY
FACTORS INVOLVED IN AGING.
CLINICAL STUDIES SHOW THAT SOME ADVERSE AGE-RELATED SYMPTOMS
OF DECLINE CAN BE PARTIALLY REVERSED AND POTENTIALLY SLOWED
IN THE FUTURE. THE PROCESS CANNOT BE STOPPED, AND I DOUBT THAT
HGH ACTUALLY EXTENDS LIFE EXPECTENCY BEYOND ONE'S GENETIC
HERITAGE.
THE BENEFITS THAT ARE EXPERIENCED ARE ENOUGH THAT MANY
PATIENTS BELIEVE THAT IT IS WORTH THE EXPENSE AND
INCONVENIENCE. IT'S A CHOICE.
AGING IS A HIGHLY COMPLEX PROCESS THAT INVOLVES DECLINE IN
A MYRIAD OF BODY SYSTEMS. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT SOME SYMPTOMS
THAT DECLINE CAN BE RESTORED, AND THAT QUALITY OF LIFE AND
COSMETIC APPEARANCE CAN BE IMPROVED BY REPLACEMENT IN OLDER
PEOPLE WITH DOCUMENTED HGH DEFICIENCY.
BUT THE AGING PROCESS CONTINUES DESPITE THOSE IMPROVEMENTS
AND ANY CLAIMS TO THE CONTRARY ARE NONSENSE.
NOBODY GETS OUT OF HERE ALIVE.
- Dr. Elmer Cranton
http://www.drcranton.com
