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Human Growth Hormone On Capitol Hill
Human growth hormone, produced in the pituitary gland, helps regulate height and muscle growth in children and muscle and bone density in adults. The FDA currently restricts the therapeutic use of HGH, limiting its uses to a short list that includes treating patients deficient in the hormone, helping small infants who are behind in their growth, and treating chronic kidney disease. But “off-label” use of HGH by baseball players and many consumers targeted by companies marketing anti-aging treatments has the chemical in the spotlight, and the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform held a hearing yesterday to address the threats off-label HGH poses to public health.
According to the panelists, off-label can increase the risk of joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and even cancer. Specifics about HGH’s athletic benefits are still unknown because little clinical data exists on the subject and the few related case studies involve athletes using HGH in conjunction with steroids, making it difficult to link performance enhancement to HGH alone. Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) cited a 2007 Stanford study which concluded that “HGH could not be recommended as an anti-aging therapy.” Yet the market for HGH anti-aging therapies continues to grow, raking in two billion dollars in sales last year. Panelists also pointed out the lack of physician supervision for off-label users means they may not know the correct doses, leading to the risk of acromegaly–a serious condition resulting from too much HGH in the body.
Tackling the problem of HGH abuse is difficult in a sports culture fixated on shortcuts and competitive advantages. And reports of use among professional baseball players only compounds the struggle to end steroid use among young athletes. Dr. Alan Rogol, of the University of Virginia and Indiana University School of Medicine, emphasized the importance of raising public awareness about the abuse of performance-enhancing drugs with the results of a startling survey indicating that 3 out of 5 kids in grades 8 through 12 who were using steroids were willing to continue use even if they knew the drugs could shorten their lives.
In light of such statistics, HGH is a public health priority. Panelists suggested developing drug tests that can detect HGH use among professional athletes and further restricting access to the hormone. Today, the the Committee held a second round of testimony on illegal steroid use in Major League baseball.
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