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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts


How Much Do You Know about Growth Hormones?

By Chris Woolston
CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE

Ever since the mid 1960s, doctors have been harnessing the power of human growth hormones to improve the lives of children with growth-stunting diseases such as chronic renal failure and Turner syndrome. In recent years, the hormone has attracted a whole new group of customers, including athletes looking for a competitive edge and older people looking for a fountain of youth. How much do you know about human growth hormones? Take this short quiz to find out.


1. A doctor cannot prescribe growth hormones to a short child unless the child has a clearly defined medical condition.

True
False

2. Human growth hormone that is produced naturally in the body is essential for good health even after a person has passed puberty.

True
False

3. What competitive advantages can athletes gain by abusing human growth hormone?

a. Increased speed
b. Increased strength
c. Increased endurance
d. There are no proven benefits

4. Some people abuse growth hormones by taking them without a prescription. Which of the following is NOT a common side effect of long-term human growth hormone abuse?

a. A transient form of Type 2 diabetes
b. Carpal tunnel syndrome
c. Wild mood swings
d. Hypertension

5. Supplements containing the amino acid arginine will greatly enhance natural production of human growth hormone.

True
False

6. Injections of human growth hormone can help middle-aged and elderly people "turn back the clock."

True
False

7. People who received human growth hormone treatment before 1985 may be at risk for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

True
False



First published Dec 18, 2003


Last updated Jul 24, 2007


Copyright © 2003 Consumer Health Interactive, a CVS Caremark company