These costs are not covered by insurance. Like insulin, whose molecules are broken down in the digestive tract when taken orally, hGH must be injected regularly to produce the effects seen in the studies. There's little proof that it works. Even when hGH had an effect, it wasn't necessarily beneficial. A study published in Annals of Internal Medicine in 1996 found evidence of increased muscle mass and reduced body fat in healthy older men taking hGH, but no evidence that the changes improved muscle function or strength or physical performance.
Some doctors believe that the gains in body mass are simply water retention.
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