Research

Hormonal

Administration of growth hormone (GH) or IGF-1 reverses age-related cardiovascular deficits, including increased coronary blood flow, capillary density, and myocardial contractility, in aged animals and humans with heart failure.

If you are diagnosed with adult-onset growth hormone deficiency or have heart failure, GH replacement therapy may improve your heart's pumping ability and blood flow. However, this is a prescription medication with significant risks, including potential cancer promotion and diabetes. It is not recommended for healthy aging individuals without a clear deficiency, and long-term safety data is lacking. Consult an endocrinologist.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Growth hormone has been found to exert potent effects on cardiovascular function in young animals and reverses many of the deficits in cardiovascular function in aged animals and humans.
Abdus Salam Khan · Cardiovascular Research · 2002

Why this rating

The paper is a review of multiple studies, including animal models and some human clinical trials, but notes confounding variables and lack of long-term safety data.

Source

Growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-1 and the aging cardiovascular system

Abdus Salam Khan · Cardiovascular Research · 2002

DOI 10.1016/s0008-6363(01)00533-8

narrative_reviewCited 177×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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