Growth Hormone Stimulators Help Older Adults

yeahright

yeahright

Well-known member
Pay attention to the press conference cited in this article. It should have some relevant information.
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Growth Hormone Stimulators Help Older Adults

NEWSWISE/Medical News

06-21-06

Growth Hormone Stimulators Help Older Adults

Source: University of Washington Health Sciences and UW Medicine

NEWSWISE Medical News, 21-Jun-2006 --

A compound that stimulates the secretion of growth hormone can help older adults improve their physical function and lower their body fat percentage, according to study results that will be presented Wednesday, June 21, at the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology in Pittsburgh. The results will be presented by Dr. George Merriam, professor of medicine at the University of Washington and a physician with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Merriam helped coordinate endocrine aspects of this multi-site study, along with Dr. Heidi White of Duke University and researchers at Pfizer, Inc.

Nearly 400 adults from 65 to 84 years old were enrolled in the study, and were divided into groups receiving a placebo or one of four different levels of an oral growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), which stimulates the secretion of human growth hormone. Researchers measured the participants' fat and lean body (muscle) mass, as well as their performance in physical tests like stair climbing and a heel-to-toe walk. The participants also received blood tests for levels of growth hormone and a compound called IGF-1, a hormone which responds to growth hormone and mediates some of its effects.

Participants receiving the GHS treatment saw a significant increase in lean body mass - about 1.5 kilograms, or 3.3 pounds. The GHS treatment led to improved physical function over the six- to 12-month study period. Participants also had higher levels of growth hormone and IGF-1 in their bloodstreams. Patients receiving the GHS treatment had minor side effects, including increased fatigue, insomnia, and fasting glucose levels.

Growth hormone is vital in childhood growth, and production of the hormone peaks during puberty. However, it continues to affect physical function throughout our lives, and it regulates metabolism and body composition. As adults move into middle age, growth hormone production begins to taper off. Many of the effects of aging - increased abdominal fat, reduced muscle mass, and decreased physical function - look very similar to the symptoms of growth hormone deficiency in younger people. As those aging effects set in, many older adults find it difficult to care for themselves, and they lose quality of life and often turn to long-term care.

"If we had something that could reduce that drop-off in physical function, we could improve the quality of life for older adults, and help cut the cost burden of long-term care," explained Merriam. "What we'd like to do is take the steep curve of physical function decreasing with age, and make that a much shallower decline or even a plateau, so people will retain more physical mobility and strength as they age instead of deteriorating."

Researchers studying the aging process believe that growth hormone and IGF-1 may be two of the key compounds that regulate the effects of aging, and that stimulating production of the hormones could help stave off those effects. Other studies have shown that treatments can increase the levels of growth hormone and IGF-1, and can help improve a patient's body composition. However, this study is the first to show not just a stabilization of physical function, but an improvement.

"This is a proof of concept that GHS can help with body composition and physical function," Merriam said. "These are very encouraging results, and we should examine further whether GHS can help in the long term to mitigate some of the negative effects of aging." He added, however, that many steps remain to determine whether this concept could be turned into an effective and safe treatment. The GHS used in the study was discovered and developed by Pfizer Global Research and Development, and is only available for research purposes, not as a prescription or over-the-counter drug.

In addition to the University of Washington and Duke University sites, this study included researchers at Stanford University, the University of Arkansas, Johns Hopkins University, and the Veterans Affairs health care system. The research was supported by Pfizer, Inc.

NOTE: This research will be featured in a press briefing on Wednesday, June 21, at the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology in Pittsburgh. Reporters also may participate in the press briefing via conference call. For more information about the meeting and the press briefing, visit:Invalid Link Removed

A targeted newswire featuring breaking medical news stories from over 200 leading academic and research institutions including: Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Harvard, and the Mayo Clinic.
 
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The GHS tested was capromorelin.

Pfizer Global Research & Development, Groton Labs, MS8220-3004, Groton, CT 06340, USA. [email protected]

New tert-butyl, picolyl and fluorinated analogues of capromorelin (3), a short-acting growth hormone secretagogue (GHS), were prepared as part of a program to identify long-acting GHSs that increase 24-h plasma IGF-1 levels. Compounds 4c and 4d (ACD LogD values >or=2.9) displayed extended plasma elimination half-lives in dogs, primarily due to high volumes of distribution, but showed weak GH secretagogue activities in rats (ED(50)s>10 mg/kg). A less lipophilic derivative 4 (ACD LogD=1.6) exhibited a shorter canine half-life, but stimulated GH secretion in two animal species. Repeat oral dosing of 4 in dogs for 29 days (6 mg/kg) resulted in a significant down-regulation of the post dose GH response and a 60 and 40% increase in IGF-1 levels relative to pre-dose levels at the 8- and 24-h post dose time points. Compound 4 (CP-464709-18) has been selected as a development candidate for the treatment of frailty.

PMID: 12392732 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
 
yeahright said:
Thanks very much for the added detail.
Click to expand...


I thank you. The article you posted piqued my interest. This particular GHS could be a major break through. I'm going to keep an eye on it.

PS. Thank you for the points.
 
Stimulating hormone production may help older folks
By Warren King
Seattle Times medical reporter

A drug that stimulates growth-hormone production might someday help older adults live independently longer, research by a University of Washington scientist and his colleagues suggests.

The researchers found that stimulating hormone production improved physical functioning in older people. After taking the drug, they were able to walk faster and with better balance and to climb stairs faster, among other things.

"In general, people on the drug had a lot more energy, they had more get up and go," said Dr. George Merriam, UW professor of medicine and physician for the VA Puget Sound Health Care System.

Participants in the study, ages 65 to 84, also had increased muscle mass after taking the drug.

Merriam presented the research findings Wednesday at the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology in Pittsburgh.

Growth hormone is naturally produced by the pituitary gland to regulate growth and is especially vital during childhood and puberty. It continues to regulate metabolism and body composition through life, but production drops by half by middle age and 70 percent or more in old age.

About 10 million people in the U.S. age 65 and older now need assistance with at least one daily living activity such as walking, dressing, bathing, using the toilet, eating and getting out of a bed or chair, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. That ranges from about 11 percent of those 65 to 79, to more than half of those over 85.

Nearly 400 men and women with relatively mild physical problems participated in the research by scientists at the UW, four other universities and Pfizer. They were eligible if they had fallen at least twice in the past year, had lost grip strength or had trouble with tasks such as errands, cooking, making the bed, dressing or putting away groceries.

Participants were given a placebo or a tablet form of a "growth hormone secretagogue" (GHS), which stimulates growth-hormone production.

Over the six to 12 months of the study by UW scientists and others, participants who received the drug were able to walk faster heel-to-toe, such as required in a sobriety test, and climb stairs faster. One other study with the drug has shown physical improvement after injections of the drug. Others studies have shown participants could stabilize physical function, but not improve it.

Patients in the UW study receiving the drug also averaged an increase of about 3 pounds in muscle mass. And blood tests showed their growth hormones reached higher levels each day than those who received the placebo. Some patients had side effects of insomnia and increased blood sugar.

Merriam said the improvements didn't revolutionize the participants' lives. But the results are encouraging, he said.

"The results suggest that GHS treatment has promise in prolonging the capacity for independent living, but I can't say we're there yet," Merriam said.

Growth-hormone injections have long been given to children who have deficiencies of the hormone. Some have also promoted them as anti-aging treatments, despite limited scientific evidence of their effectiveness. And some athletes have abused the hormone in hopes of improving their performance.

Side effects of the injections can include swelled feet and legs, abnormal joint growth, arthritislike symptoms, high blood pressure, muscle pain, headaches and bloating.

Merriam said use of GHS, which promotes natural growth-hormone production, is a better approach because the pituitary will stop production when the body has enough. "You have a checks-and-balance system," he said.

But Merriam said proving that the drug will have sufficient benefits to warrant approval by the federal Food and Drug Administration would be difficult at this stage. Small gains in physical functioning would not qualify, he said, and tests on many thousands of people would be needed in the future — hurdles that drug companies are now reluctant to face, he said.

Pfizer, which financed the UW study, earlier investigated marketing the GHS tablets as a "frailty" drug. But the company discontinued the research because the FDA indicated it would have to show improvement on many levels to treat such a broad-reaching condition. Now Pfizer is searching for other, smaller-scale problems that it might help.

Other institutions participating in the research were Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Arkansas and Duke University.
 
I'll add one i read:

Hormones May Hold Clues to Healthy Aging
Studies suggest adjusting them may help extend youth, but one expert urged caution

HealthDay

Wednesday, June 21, 2006


WEDNESDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- Specific hormones may play a key role in longevity and healthy aging, two new studies suggest.

Researchers found one hormone, adiponectin, at higher-than-average concentrations in 100-year-old women, while another study found that stimulating the body's production of growth hormone brought a youthful pep back to people in their 60s to 80s.

Both studies were presented Wednesday at the 6th International Congress of Neuroendocrinology, in Pittsburgh.

In the first study, Dr. Agnieszka Baranowska-Bik and colleagues from the University of Poland studied 133 women from 20 to 102 years of age, including 25 women who were 100 to 102 years old. The researchers were particularly interested in the women's levels of adiponectin.

Adiponectin is made by fat tissue and may be an important determinant of longevity. It is a peptide protein with anti-inflammatory properties that helps keep blood vessels clear of fatty deposits. Adinopectin also plays an important role in metabolism, particularly in the regulation of cholesterol and sugar.

Low levels of adiponectin may contribute to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes or plaque deposits in the arteries. This combination of conditions is also called metabolic syndrome.

"We found significant differences in the centenarian women compared to other groups," Baranowska-Bik said. "We found that our centenarian women were healthier than the other women."

"The most important finding was that adiponectin levels were significantly higher in centenarian women," Baranowska-Bik added. "This may be connected with metabolic status and also with getting old and longevity."

The Polish team found that the "100-plus" group of women, in addition to having significantly higher levels of adiponectin, also had much lower levels of both insulin and the fat hormone leptin. They also scored better with respect to insulin resistance and total cholesterol.

Moreover, compared with the obese women, the oldest women had significantly fewer signs of high blood pressure and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome. "In addition, these women had significantly lower incidence of high cholesterol and insulin resistance, which are the symptoms of metabolic syndrome," Baranowska-Bik said.

The second study dealt with improving physical functioning in older adults by increasing the body's production of growth hormone.

Aging results in a lower level of growth hormone that, in turn, brings on steady declines in muscle mass, strength and exercise capacity. This can lead to a level of frailty that brings an end to independent living.

Lead researcher Dr. George R. Merriam, of the University of Washington/VA Puget Sound Health Care System, said his team sought to determine if hormonal and functional declines were related, and if boosting growth hormone levels might help halt or reverse that decline.

In their study, Merriam and his colleagues studied the effect of the growth-hormone stimulator capromorelin on 395 men and women 65 to 84 years old. Capromorelin is an investigational medication developed by the Pfizer drug company.

All of the participants had some mild limitation in their physical functioning. During the year of the trial, some patients received capromorelin, while others were given a placebo.

Merriam's group found that, compared with a placebo, capromorelin, at any dose, caused an increase in growth hormone production. In clinical terms, this treatment resulted in an increase in muscle mass, improved heel-to-toe walking, and better stair-climbing ability.

"After six months people on the active drug showed improvement in tandem walking, and they continued to show improvement at 12 months," Merriam said. "At 12 months there was also a significant improvement in stair-climbing in the treatment group."

But whether capromorelin will be available commercially anytime soon is problematic, Merriam said.

"It's very difficult to get a drug for normal aging on the market, because the FDA does not consider aging to be a disease and therefore sets the bar very high," he said. "I would not consider these results conclusive. Drugs in this category may have hope for improving physical function and thereby hopefully prolonging older people's ability to live independently."

One expert is cautious about supplementing hormone levels to fight aging, because scientists simply doesn't yet understand the consequences of long-term use of these agents.

"The problems with all the hormones is that they have other effects," said Rafael de Cabo, an investigator at the Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology, part of the U.S. National Institute on Aging.

There can be many possible unintended effects, de Cabo said. "Before you can even think of giving these to humans, you have to be sure it is safe and doesn't have other implications," he said.

"Any time you try to tweak the neuroendocrine system, all the knobs are interconnected, so if you move one up or down there is an immediate response from the rest of them," de Cabo said. "It is not a golden bullet or an easy shot to fix the metabolism by a single compound."
 
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