What increases growth hormone: ageing, sleep deprivation, lack of exercise, or increased Body Mass Index (BMI)?

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From the Research

Factors Affecting Growth Hormone Levels

  • Age: Growth hormone levels decrease with age, with a decline of around 14% per decade of adult life 1. Every 7 years of advancing age beyond 18-21 results in an approximately 50% decline in the calculated daily GH-secretion rate 2.
  • Sleep Deprivation: Sleep deprivation can suppress nocturnal growth hormone levels, but this effect is age-dependent and more pronounced in older adults 3. However, the total amount of GH secreted during a 24-hour period is similar whether or not a person has slept during the night 4.
  • Exercise: Regular intensive exercise in older male subjects is associated with higher growth hormone levels, and may counteract the normal decline in growth hormone with ageing 5.
  • Body Mass Index (BMI): There is a strong negative correlation between BMI and growth hormone levels, with a 50% decrease in GH secretion per day for every increase in BMI of 1.5 kg/m2 2. Increased BMI, particularly in the abdominal region, is associated with decreased growth hormone levels and increased fat mass 1.

References

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