Anti-Aging

Sermorelin And Ipamorelin: Anti-Aging Peptides

You may have heard about the plethora of dangers associated with injecting growth hormones for anti-aging. You may have also weighed the anti-aging benefits of growth hormone with the risks. Don’t take a chance on your health! There are safer ways to increase growth hormone levels in your body and reap the benefits. Namely, using sermorelin or ipamorelin or both.

In this overview, we will consider what is known about these compounds from the scientific literature. As a caution, there are no miracle drugs, and each of us, with our variations in metabolism and genetic profiles, processes medications in different ways. With that said, take a look at the scientific evidence on the benefits of anti-aging peptides.

Controlling The Release Of Growth Hormone

The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone. Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and growth hormone-releasing peptides (GHRP) such as ghrelin stimulate its release. Another hormone, somatostatin, inhibits the release of growth hormone. The regulation of growth hormone (GH) in your body is complex, but just this much of the pathway shows that two compounds stimulate growth hormone release and another inhibits its release. Together these three substances keep growth hormone (GH) levels under tight control. Injecting human growth hormone (HGH) overrides this feedback system and, by doing so, causes side effects and risks. Not to mention the fact that injecting human growth hormone (HGH) for anti-aging is illegal (Walker, 2007).

The pituitary gland is commonly called the master gland. It releases hormones that have many jobs all over the body, but as we age, its ability to produce and distribute these chemical messengers declines. After puberty, growth hormone (GH) levels decrease exponentially. Some studies report a 14% decline per decade and others up to 50% every seven years for adult men (Iranmanesh et al., 1991; Giustina & Veldhuis, 1998). Combine this with a decreased capacity to produce GHRH (in another part of your brain called the hypothalamus) and decreased responsiveness by the pituitary to GHRH, and you can see why growth hormone deficiency is inevitable with aging (Russell-Aulet et al., 1999).

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What Does Growth Hormone Do?

Growth hormone (GH) is at its highest levels up through the 20s and then begins to drop. Growth hormone stimulates the production and release of IGF-1 from the liver. IGF-1, while circulating in the blood, stimulates growth in all cells including muscle, bones, and organs. Increases in IGF-1 from increased release of growth hormone has the following effects:

Building muscle mass, which increases strength
Burning fat for energy, which increases energy levels and endurance and keeps weight under control
Increasing bone density
Promoting testicular growth and development and stimulating the production of male and female sex hormones
Increasing exercise capacity
Strengthening cardiac muscle
Thickening skin which can help prevent wrinkles
Affecting brain function and fluid memory (Devesa et al, 2016).

It is easy to see the correlation between the functions of growth hormone, the drop in growth hormone levels as we age, and the symptoms of aging. This is why research is ongoing to evaluate the potential of peptides as anti-aging molecules.

Abbreviations and terms:

GHRH: Growth hormone-releasing hormone. Stimulates the release of growth hormone (GH).
GH: Growth hormone naturally produced in the body and regulated by GHRH and ghrelin which stimulate its production and release and somatostatin which inhibits its production and release.
HGH: Human growth hormone. An injectable form of GH which acts as GH in the body and is not subject to natural regulation in the body.
Growth hormone secretagogues: Synthetic forms of GHRH and ghrelin that stimulate the release of GH from the pituitary gland and are subject to natural regulation in the body.

What Is Sermorelin? An Anti-Aging Peptide

Sermorelin is a growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) secretagogue. It is not a human growth hormone (HGH). Sermorelin contains the first 29 amino acids (building blocks of protein) in GHRH. In the 1970s, Nobel Laureates R. Guillemin and A. Shalley found that only the first 29 amino acids are responsible for stimulating the production and release of human growth hormone from the pituitary gland (Nobel Prize, 1977).

Sermorelin stimulates the natural release of growth hormone (GH) from a specialized bundle of cells in your brain called the pituitary gland (Walker, 2006). Unlike growth hormone injections, when you inject a growth hormone secretagogue, the body’s normal checks and balances for hormone levels remain intact. To demonstrate the effectiveness of sermorelin, University of Washington investigators evaluated the increase in IGF-1 after six months of nightly sermorelin injections. IGF-1 levels rose approximately 35% (Hersch & Merriam, 2008).

Sermorelin, through its ability to stimulate the release of GH and subsequently increase circulating IGF-1 levels, has the following potential anti-aging benefits:

Increased metabolism and energy levels, with decreased fatigue
Increased lean muscle mass, decreased deterioration of existing muscle, and increased ease of creating new muscle
Decreased body fat percentage
Improved immune response, injury recovery, and wound healing
Greater bone mineralization and bone density
Improved cardiac function/heart health
Better and more restorative non-REM, slow-wave sleep (Smith, 2005).

How Is Sermorelin Prescribed?

Sermorelin is used as a prescription medication to treat growth hormone deficiency in children. It is prescribed off-label to counteract the symptoms of anti-aging due to a decrease in growth hormone (GH) release over time. Sermorelin is injected subcutaneously (under the skin). It is typically injected at night to mimic the action of growth hormone-releasing hormone in the body.

Dosing

The typical recommended dosage for sermorelin to treat adult-onset decreased growth hormone production is 100 to 300 mcg per day. It can take three to six months to get the full benefit from sermorelin injections.

It is best to inject sermorelin at least 30 minutes before or after food consumption. Ideally, inject sermorelin at least two hours after eating dinner, so food does not interfere with the release of growth hormone and IGF-1. Staying well-hydrated is also strongly recommended. Foods with a high glycemic index cause spikes in insulin, which can reduce growth hormone (GH) production. Reducing your intake of foods with a high glycemic index can help you optimize your growth hormone levels and help you lose weight and decrease your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

What Is Ipamorelin? An Anti-Aging Peptide

Ipamorelin is a growth hormone secretagogue that acts on a different receptor than sermorelin providing an additive effect. Ipamorelin mimics ghrelin as sermorelin mimics GHRH. Ghrelin is produced in the stomach during times of fasting or hunger. It acts at both the hypothalamus and pituitary to increase growth hormone levels (Hersch & Merriam, 2008). Ghrelin increases hunger and therefore affects metabolism, inhibits stored fat breakdown, and stimulates the release of growth hormone.

Ipamorelin stimulates the release of growth hormone in a very selective way. Studies on the benefits of ipamorelin demonstrate the following anti-aging benefits:

Increase bone density (Svensson et al., 2000)
Increases body fat loss in obese adults (Kim et al, 1999)
Increased muscle mass (Andersen et al, 2001)

In summary, ghrelin is one of three hormones that regulate growth hormone release from the pituitary gland. The first is GHRH (sermorelin). Then there is somatostatin (which stops the release of growth hormone). Last but not least is ghrelin (ipamorelin), which also stimulates the release of growth hormone but using a different receptor (Tritos & Kokkotou, 2006)

Dosing

Ipamorelin is legally prescribed off-label to counteract the symptoms of anti-aging. Ipamorelin is typically prescribed combined with sermorelin. The recommended dosage for Sermorelin/Ipamorelin injection for anti-aging is one 200 to 300 mcg injection daily at bedtime. Clients often choose to buy Ipamorelin and Sermorelin as a combination for compounded benefits.

“While the effects of these two GHS differ clinically, they have synergistic effects on GH release, and therefore supplementation of both substances may be more effective than either alone in aging.” —Merriam et al., 2000

The Side Effects Of Sermorelin And Ipamorelin

All medications have the potential to cause side effects. Providing your health care provider with your complete medical history, all known allergies, and a list of all prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, including herbs and supplements, go a long way towards reducing the risk of side-effects from any medication. In addition:

Advise your health care provider specifically if you are taking any corticosteroids or thyroid medications. Untreated hypothyroidism is a concern when prescribing sermorelin and ipamorelin.
The side effects of subcutaneous injections can include pain, redness, or swelling at the injection site. Good injection techniques and careful attention to infection control can minimize the risk.
Rare side effects may include dizziness, flushing, headaches, itching, dry mouth, sleepiness, difficulty swelling, hyperactivity, and increased hunger.
As with all medications monitor for signs of an allergic reaction such as itching, rash, difficulty breathing, or facial or lip swelling.

For any concerning side-effect, especially an allergic reaction, seek immediate emergency care.

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DISCLAIMER

While we strive to always provide accurate, current, and safe advice in all of our articles and guides, it’s important to stress that they are no substitute for medical advice from a doctor or healthcare provider. You should always consult a practicing professional who can diagnose your specific case. The content we’ve included in this guide is merely meant to be informational and does not constitute medical advice.

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References

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Giustina A, Veldhuis JD. Pathophysiology of the neuroregulation of growth hormone secretion in experimental animals and the human. Endocrine Reviews. 1998;19(6):717–797. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9861545/
Russell-Aulet M, Jaffe CA, Demott-Friberg R, Barkan AL. In vivo semiquantification of hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) output in humans: Evidence for relative GHRH deficiency in aging. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1999;84:3490 https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/84/10/3490/2660505
Devesa, J., Almengló, C., & Devesa, P. (2016). Multiple Effects of Growth Hormone in the Body: Is it Really the Hormone for Growth?. Clinical medicine insights. Endocrinology and diabetes, 9, 47–71. https://doi.org/10.4137/CMED.S38201
Walker R. F. (2007). Primary locus intervention: a novel approach to treating age-associated hormone insufficiency. Clinical interventions in aging, 2(4), 495–497. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2686323/
Tritos, N & Kokkotou, E. (2006). The Physiology and Potential Clinical Applications of Ghrelin, a Novel Peptide Hormone. Mayo Clin Proc. May 2006;81(5):653-660 https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)61710-2/fulltext
Hersch, E. C., & Merriam, G. R. (2008). Growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone and GH secretagogues in normal aging: Fountain of Youth or Pool of Tantalus?. Clinical interventions in aging, 3(1), 121–129. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18488883/
Merriam GR, Kletke M, Barsness S, et al. Growth hormone-releasing hormone in normal aging: An Update. Today’s Therapeutic Trends. 2000;18:335–54. https://experts.illinois.edu/en/publications/growth-hormone-releasing-hormone-in-normal-aging-an-update

Svensson, J, Lall, S, Dickson, SL, Bengtsson, BA, Romer, J, Ahnfelt-Ronne, I, Ohlsson, C, & Jansson, JO. (2000). The GH secretagogues ipamorelin and GH-releasing peptide-6 increase bone mineral content in adult female rats, Journal of Endocrinology, 165(3), 569-577. Retrieved Sep 12, 2020, from https://joe.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/joe/165/3/569.xml
Kim, K.R., Nam, S.Y, Song, Y.D., Lim, S.K., Lee, H.C., Huh, K.B. (1999). Treatment with Diet Restriction Accelerates Body Fat Loss, Exerts Anabolic Effect and Improves Growth Hormone Secretory Dysfunction in Obese Adults. Horm Res 1999;51:78–84 https://doi.org/10.1159/000023319
Andersen NB, Malmlöf K, Johansen PB. The growth hormone secretagogue ipamorelin counteracts glucocorticoid-induced decrease in bone formation of adult rats. Growth Horm IGF Res. 2001 Oct;11(5):266-72. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1096637401902394
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