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. 2000 Oct;23(4):219–225. doi: 10.1007/s11357-000-0021-x

Growth hormone and aging

Andrzej Bartke 1,✉, Holly Brown-Borg 2, Beth Kinney 1, Julie Mattison 1,3, Chris Wright 1, Steven Hauck 1, Karen Coschigano 4, John Kopchick 4,5
PMCID: PMC3455269  PMID: 23604867

Abstract

The potential usefulness of growth hormone (GH) as an anti-aging therapy is of considerable current interest. Secretion of GH normally declines during aging and administration of GH can reverse age-related changes in body composition. However, mutant dwarf mice with congenital GH deficiency and GH resistant GH-R-KO mice live much longer than their normal siblings, while a pathological elevation of GH levels reduces life expectancy in both mice and men. We propose that the actions of GH on growth, development, and adult body size may serve as important determinants of aging and life span, while the age-related decline in GH levels contributes to some of the symptoms of aging.

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