Introduction:
Atherosclerosis is a condition with the hardening of arteries (blood vessels that supply the heart) due to plaque buildup. The high-risk factors are high blood pressure, tobacco use, lack of exercise, and a diet high in saturated fat. It is a gradual buildup of plaques in the blood vessels. Atheroma is a fatty substance that blocks blood vessels. A plaque is also called an atheroma, a sticky substance made up of cholesterol, calcium, and fat.
Growth hormone is a natural hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain that regulates fat metabolism. Studies suggest that growth hormone helps in preventing early atherosclerosis.
What Is Atherosclerosis?
An atheroma is a fibrofatty tissue built over the blood vessels that supply the heart and is also known as simply plaque or atherosclerotic plaque. These atheromas block the flow of blood, which is dangerous because it ruptures the blood vessel, leading to the formation of a blood clot. This block will take up more space inside the blood vessel, leaving little space for the blood to flow. The fibrofatty tissue is made up of cholesterol, proteins, inflammatory cells, blood cells, and calcium. The substance that hardens the atheroma is calcium. The main cause of atheromas is diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and a diet rich in trans fat, cholesterol, and saturated fat.
When the plaque gradually builds on the sides of the arteries, there is a thickening due to inflammation that reduces the oxygen and blood supply to the vital organs and extremities. The symptoms of atherosclerosis depend on the type of artery (blood vessel) involved. If a major artery is blocked, it leads to stroke and blood clots.
High cholesterol in the blood increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Cholesterol is a natural fatty substance produced by the liver. High cholesterol occurs due to eating too much-saturated fats, being physically inactive, and smoking.
What Is Growth Hormone and Their Role in Fat Metabolism?
The pituitary gland is a small gland in the brain that secretes many hormones that control various bodily functions and metabolism. The pituitary gland is divided into the anterior and posterior lobes. The anterior lobe of the pituitary gland secretes growth hormone. The daily growth hormone output from the pituitary gland is 0.2 to 1 mg daily, with a biological half-life of 20 minutes. The release of growth hormones is controlled by two hypothalamic hormones: Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and Growth hormone-inhibiting hormone (GHIH).
The following are the functions of growth hormones:
-
Stimulation of growth of cartilage, bone, and connective tissue.
-
Growth hormone is an anabolic protein that affects the translation of ribosomal attachment, increases the transport of amino acids into the cells, and stimulates red blood cell formation.
-
Growth hormone is considered a diabetogenic hormone because it produces hyperglycemia (high blood glucose). Growth hormone can increase the liver glucose output. It opposes the effects of insulin on skeletal muscle and adipose tissue because there is decreased glucose uptake by the tissues.
-
The growth hormone increases the mobilization of fats from adipose tissues and the circulation of free fatty acids.
-
The growth hormone also increases the hepatic oxidation of fatty acids to ketone bodies.
-
Increases milk production in lactating mothers.
The deficiency of growth hormones in immature individuals leads to stunted growth or dwarfism, characterized by immature faces, small genitalia, delayed skeletal and dental development, and delicate extremities and fatness. Growth hormones are produced from the beginning of birth and reach peak levels around puberty. When there is a pituitary gland problem, the growth hormone is not produced efficiently. Growth hormone production occurs more during birth and gradually declines throughout adulthood. The main reason for growth hormone deficiency in adults is a pituitary gland tumor. People with untreated growth hormone deficiency have high levels of bad cholesterol (low-density cholesterol). Low-density cholesterol is a crucial factor in the formation of atherosclerosis.
How Does Growth Hormone Help in the Prevention of Early Atherosclerosis?
Growth hormone deficiency leads to visceral adiposity (belly fat found deep down the abdominal cavity), lipid abnormalities, high blood pressure (hypertension), insulin resistance (resistance to insulin hormone), glucose intolerance, and cardiac abnormalities. Growth hormone also stimulates protein production, counteracts the insulin in the blood, and helps the body to remove phosphate, electrolytes, water, and sodium. Clinical trials have proved that in people with a growth hormone deficiency, growth hormone treatment has improved functional and morphological cardiac parameters. A deficiency of growth hormones can lead to high cholesterol. Growth hormone helps the body to destroy the lipid molecules and removes them from the blood.
The natural growth hormone is replaced with synthetic growth hormone, also known as recombinant growth hormone (HGH). The injections are found to lower bad cholesterol levels. Studies have shown that after six months of growth hormone treatment, there is a subsequent decrease in fat stores. The growth hormone decreases the fat stores by fat mobilization (the breakdown of stored fat into free fatty acids). It also stimulates the hydrolysis of triglycerides to free fatty acids. It decreases the conversion of fatty acids to triglycerides.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the synthetic form of human growth hormone. It is available only in an injectable form and can be bought only on a doctor’s prescription.
Conclusion:
Human growth hormone is a very important and powerful hormone that is necessary for many important bodily processes. There is no pill form available for growth hormone replacement. Since growth hormone is essential for fat metabolism, decreased or deficiency in growth hormones in adults can build up low-density cholesterol, which is bad cholesterol. Low-density cholesterol is considered as an important risk factor for atherosclerosis. So healthy lifestyle choices and diet are vital in managing heart disease. Hormone therapy can also help increase muscle mass and reduce body fat.
