You may have also seen a recent news story about Human Growth Hormone, or HGH. Hearing that this hormone can cause Alzheimer's disease must have made you a little scared and worried, right? This fear can be even greater if a doctor has prescribed this hormone treatment for you or your child. So let's talk about this in detail today, what is the truth in this story, and let's clearly understand whether we should be afraid or not.
How did this story start?
This story suddenly emerges from a study conducted by a group of researchers in Britain in the year 2024. They found that a long time ago, between 1959 and 1989, several people who received a special type of HGH given to stunted children later developed Alzheimer's disease.
But the most important thing here is the type of HGH used at the time. It's called cadaveric growth hormone . Simply put, those hormones were taken from the bodies of deceased people, specifically from the pituitary gland in the brain. Think of it, it's like treating someone else with a part of their body.
Around 1985, a person who had taken this old-fashioned hormone developed a dangerous brain disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) . It is a disease that causes memory loss similar to Alzheimer's. Later tests confirmed that this CJD disease was caused by a defect in the hormones taken from those deceased people. With this incident, HGH from deceased people was completely stopped around the world.
A new study recently found that when the brains of several people in the same group who died from CJD were examined, they had deposits of a protein called beta-amyloid in their brains. This is the same protein that is deposited in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. Several of these people had developed symptoms of Alzheimer's at a very young age, in their 30s and 40s.
So this research suggests that some contamination in the old, decades-old HGH taken from deceased individuals may have led to the proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease being absorbed into the body.
So is the HGH given today that dangerous?
Here's the most important thing you need to clearly understand. No. The HGH given today is not that dangerous.
For decades, doctors around the world have been prescribing synthetic HGH . That is, a hormone that is produced in a laboratory in a very clean, safe, and artificial way. It does not contain any human tissue. Therefore, there is no chance that CJD, or the Alzheimer's protein, as the old research suggests, can be transmitted from one person to another.
Let's clearly see the difference between these two methods.
| Attribute | Old HGH (Cadaveric - before 1989) | Modern HGH (Synthetic - Present) |
|---|---|---|
| How to get it | Obtained from the pituitary glands of deceased individuals. | Produced artificially and cleanly in the laboratory. |
| Safety and risk | There was a risk of transmitting proteins linked to diseases such as CJD and Alzheimer's. | Because it does not contain human tissue , there is absolutely no risk of such transmission. |
| Current usage | It has not been used anywhere in the world for decades now. | This is the only type of HGH currently used on medical prescription. |
Let's also learn about the natural changes in HGH levels.
There are studies that suggest that naturally high levels of HGH in the body (e.g., conditions like acromegaly ) or low levels can have some effects on memory later in life. But that is completely different from taking HGH in the right dosage as a treatment under the supervision of a doctor. In fact, if someone with HGH deficiency is not treated properly, cognitive decline can occur.
Is Alzheimer's disease contagious?
This is also a problem for many people. No. Alzheimer's disease is not contagious. You don't catch this disease just because you took care of someone with Alzheimer's, you were with them, you used something they used. It's not contagious like a cold.
What happened in that old HGH incident was the injection of contaminated biological material into the body. That's very unique and something that doesn't happen anymore.
The real risk factors for developing Alzheimer's disease are:
- Aging: The risk increases with age.
- Family history: The risk is higher if someone in the family has had it.
- Severe head injuries.
- Certain medical conditions: high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol.
- Lifestyle: Unhealthy diet, obesity, lack of exercise, and not getting enough sleep.
So should I stop HGH treatment?
No, absolutely not. If you or your child is receiving HGH treatment on the recommendation of a doctor, do not panic and stop treatment immediately after seeing news like this. Doing so will do more harm than good.
Nowadays, HGH treatment is given for very clear medical reasons. For example:
- Growth hormone deficiency
- Shortness caused by genetic conditions such as Turner syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome .
- Muscle wasting caused by HIV infection.
- Short bowel syndrome.
HGH treatment is a very important and safe treatment for people with these conditions. Therefore, the best thing you can do is to openly discuss any doubts or fears you have with your treating doctor. He or she will explain this to you in more detail and allay your fears.
If you or your child has been prescribed HGH treatment by a doctor, be sure to talk to him or her before stopping it. The synthetic HGH currently used does not pose a risk of Alzheimer's.
Take-Home Message
- Recently, there has been talk about a type of HGH derived from deceased individuals that was used decades ago (1959-1989). It is no longer used anywhere.
- The HGH used today is a very safe hormone produced in a laboratory (synthetic). It does not carry the risk of transmitting diseases such as Alzheimer's or CJD.
- Alzheimer's disease is not a disease that is transmitted from person to person in normal everyday life.
- If your doctor has recommended HGH treatment, continue it without fear. If in any doubt, be sure to talk to your doctor before stopping treatment.
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