Should Anyone Take an Antiaging Hormone?

Should anyone take an antiaging hormone? The unequivocal answer is, no. Antiaging hormone therapy is a tempting antidote to the normal effects of aging, but the risks outweigh the benefits. More important, so many other good antiaging therapies and nutritional supplements are available that it is simply not necessary to choose risky antiaging hormone therapy as the main line of defense. Proper diet, regular exercise, a regimen of nutritional and herbal supplements, proper use of antiaging skin creams and good stress management are more effective and less dangerous than antiaging hormones.

Sometimes the use of an antiaging hormone is warranted, but never for the purpose of antiaging therapy. Testosterone is a male hormone that is sometimes prescribed for men with erectile dysfunction, low energy, or muscle or hair loss caused by chemotherapy, loss of one or both testicles, or other chronic illnesses and medical conditions. Testosterone is also sometimes recommended for women as a treatment for poor libido and other sexual effects of menopause.

Estrogen is a female hormone that is sometimes prescribed on a temporary basis for hot flashes, irritability, and other severe side effects of menopause. Because of the risks associated with both testosterone and estrogen, their use (even for a medical condition) is limited, and always should be done under the supervision of a licensed physician who specializes in the relevant disorder.

Recently, Human Growth Hormone (or HGH) has gotten a lot of press as a popular antiaging hormone. Antiaging hormone therapy using HGH is usually done by injection, and is very expensive. HGH when used as an injected antiaging hormone can cost over $15,000 per year, although less expensive tablets are also available. HGH can only be prescribed by a doctor and finding a doctor who is willing to prescribe it as an antiaging hormone therapy is not easy. Treatment with HGH is controversial and little is known about the long term risks. Some preliminary evidence suggests that while HGH can build muscle and stamina and have other effects that appear to help maintain a youthful appearance in those taking the treatment, patients who receive regular HGH treatments may also die earlier than patients who don’t. So the trade-off may be fairly extreme: Stay young longer, but die much earlier.

Hormones are powerful substances that always produce a cluster of effects in the human body when given as a treatment for anything, be it disease, menopause, aging, or metabolic deficiency. Not all the effects of hormone therapy are positive. Testosterone can cause sterility. Estrogen can increase the risk of breast cancer in women. HGH can cause early death and has not been adequately studied as an antidote to aging. While HGH levels do decline as people age, there may be a good reason for this. Until HGH has been adequately studied, no one can know what that reason might be. Any kind of hormone therapy always has to be carefully chosen and then carefully monitored by a competent licensed physician to make sure the rewards are greater than the drawbacks.

In the case of antiaging hormones, the drawbacks have the potential to be so negative that it makes no sense to use these powerful substances just to feel and look younger. Plus, so many good, safe alternatives already exist that choosing one with such a high risk factor is foolhardy. Similar (and safe) antiaging results can be achieved by adopting a healthy diet, a regular program of exercise and meditation, a skin care regimen that includes some of the better antiaging cremes and cleansers, and a daily supplement routine that includes vitamins, herbs, and other easily tolerated capsules and extracts that are known to help offset specific effects of growing older. Taking excellent care of oneself is always the first line of defense against the ravages of age. Taking hormones should be the last.

Related links:

An Anti-aging Product Review of the Best Antioxidant Foods

Anti aging nutrients - The magic of biochemical reactions

The Wikipedia page about Hormone Therapy: Aging