Growth hormone-releasing hormone and aging

Summary

This review examined the rationale and evidence for using GHRH analogs, particularly sermorelin (GRF 1-29), to address age-related decline in growth hormone secretion (somatopause). The authors reviewed clinical data showing that chronic GHRH/sermorelin administration can restore pulsatile GH secretion and improve body composition, sleep quality, and functional outcomes in older adults.

Key Findings

• Chronic sermorelin administration (once or twice daily subcutaneous injection) restored youthful GH pulse amplitude in elderly subjects while preserving the normal pulsatile pattern and feedback regulation
• Sermorelin treatment improved body composition in older adults, increasing lean body mass and decreasing abdominal adiposity over 3-6 month treatment periods
• GHRH-based therapy was considered physiologically superior to exogenous GH administration because it preserves negative feedback mechanisms and normal GH pulsatility, reducing the risk of supraphysiological IGF-1 levels