HGH and Diabetes: What the Research Shows
Picture a 48-year-old man who has just been told his fasting blood sugar is creeping into the prediabetes range. He has also seen ads promising that HGH will melt belly fat and “reset” his metabolism. Since belly fat and blood sugar are connected, it sounds like a perfect fit. The research points in a very different direction.
Growth hormone and blood sugar are closely linked, but not in the way many sellers suggest. In this article, we will explain how growth hormone affects glucose and insulin, what that means if you have diabetes or prediabetes, and how to think about HGH supplements if blood sugar is a concern for you.
Growth hormone is a blood sugar raising hormone
Your body uses several hormones to keep blood sugar from dropping too low. Doctors call them counterregulatory hormones, and growth hormone is one of them, alongside cortisol, glucagon, and adrenaline. When growth hormone levels rise, the liver releases more glucose and the body becomes less responsive to insulin. Researchers now see this counterregulatory role as one piece of how diabetes develops and progresses [1].
That is why Cleveland Clinic lists insulin resistance among the known side effects of synthetic HGH, and why Mayo Clinic warns that HGH use in healthy adults can lead to high blood sugar and type 2 diabetes [2][3].
What happens inside the body
A 2020 randomized crossover study in healthy human volunteers looked at exactly how growth hormone causes insulin resistance. The researchers found that the effect was tied to lipolysis, the breakdown of stored fat into free fatty acids. As fat breakdown increased, muscle tissue became less able to use glucose, partly because a key enzyme in glucose burning was suppressed [4].
This explains a puzzle many readers ask us about. Growth hormone can reduce body fat, yet it can still make blood sugar control worse. Both things happen because the hormone is pulling fat out of storage and pushing the body to burn fat instead of sugar.
What the studies on healthy older adults found
When researchers pooled clinical trials of growth hormone injections in healthy older people, they found small changes in body composition, a bit more lean mass and a bit less fat. They did not find meaningful improvements in other health outcomes. They did find higher rates of side effects, and they noted a trend toward new cases of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose in people taking growth hormone [5].
Is HGH ever part of diabetes treatment?
No. Prescription growth hormone is approved for specific conditions such as diagnosed growth hormone deficiency, not for diabetes [2]. If anything, people with diabetes who are prescribed growth hormone for another reason need closer blood sugar monitoring.
Older versions of this article suggested that HGH could help treat diabetes. That was wrong, and we have corrected it.
What about HGH supplements?
Over-the-counter HGH supplements and sprays do not contain growth hormone. They use amino acids and other ingredients that are marketed to support your own growth hormone release. There is little evidence that they raise growth hormone enough to change blood sugar in either direction. Still, if you have diabetes or prediabetes, keep these points in mind:
- Talk to your doctor before starting any supplement, especially if you take insulin or other glucose-lowering medication.
- Watch for added sugars or sweeteners in chewables, powders, or flavored sprays.
- Do not reduce or stop a prescribed diabetes medication because of a supplement.
- Track your glucose readings for the first few weeks after starting anything new.
What actually helps blood sugar
The tools with strong evidence are not exotic. Regular exercise improves insulin sensitivity. Losing excess abdominal fat helps. Good sleep matters too, and as we explain in our article on growth hormone and sleep, deep sleep is also when your body releases most of its natural growth hormone. Those habits support both systems at once, without the risks that come with taking the hormone itself.
If you want to understand what HGH supplements are and how they differ from prescription HGH, our complete guide to HGH supplements walks through ingredients, research, and labels.
This article is for information only and is not medical advice. HGHSpecial does not sell prescription HGH or somatropin. Talk to your doctor before taking any supplement, especially if you have a health condition or take medication.
Sources
- Dong X, et al. Growth Hormone and Counterregulation in the Pathogenesis of Diabetes. Curr Diab Rep. 2022
- Cleveland Clinic. HGH (Human Growth Hormone): What It Is, Benefits & Side Effects
- Mayo Clinic. Human growth hormone (HGH): Does it slow aging?
- Hjelholt AJ, et al. Insulin resistance induced by growth hormone is linked to lipolysis and associated with suppressed pyruvate dehydrogenase activity in skeletal muscle. Diabetologia. 2020
- Liu H, et al. Systematic review: the safety and efficacy of growth hormone in the healthy elderly. Ann Intern Med. 2007
