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Growth Hormone Stimulant Packs Healthy Aging

by Medindia Content Team on Jun 22 2006 6:37 AM

Researchers report that a new drug developed, which is still under investigation was proved to stimulate growth hormone, helping the elderly age in a healthy manner and also showed health longevity in a 100 year old women.

A steady growth in the aging research field was being portraited from the analysis reports delivered in the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology.

Robert Gibbs of the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy explained in a meeting why some people age quite successfully and comfortably and others can't.

When testing Pfizer's experimental drug capromorelin (a growth hormone stimulator) on 395 men and women aged 65 to 84, Dr. George Merriam of the University of Washington/VA Puget Sound Health Care System and his colleagues found they have lost grip strength and their walking speed slowed down.

If the hormone level is high as in youngsters, the muscle too, whereas in aged adults the muscle mass is low as the hormone.

Merriam said but after taking the drug, which proves to improve physical function they were able to walk straight - a sign of balance and coordination and put on weight by 3 pounds in 6 months.

Since FDA does not consider aging process as a disease, getting license and marketing rights are too difficult to reach, Merriam adds.

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In a study with 133 women volunteers aged between 20-43, 64-67, and 100-102 years, Dr. Agnieszka Baranowska-Bik and colleagues at the University of Poland found a high level of protein called adiponectin in the blood of women who aged over 100.

Women who crossed 100 years were found to be free of high cholesterol and blood sugar levels when compared to other elderly women. This may be due to higher blood levels of the protein, adiponectin or due to healthier lifestyles followed by those women’s – researcher exclaimed.

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