Older men with high levels of IGF-I have an increased risk of developing cancer and dying from cancer, regardless of age and lifestyle, according to US scientists in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Insulin-like growth factor is a protein hormone with a similar structure to insulin. IGF-I is the main growth factor secreted by human growth hormone (hGH).
The content of hGH and IGF-I in the blood increases as the body grows and decreases with aging in both women and men. Many diseases accompanying the aging of the body are associated with the decrease in IGF-I levels.
Many people take growth hormone to boost their IGF-I levels and combat the effects of aging. Nevertheless, the authors of the study, scientists from the University of California, proved that older men with higher IGF-I levels are more likely to die from cancer than men with low levels of this hormone.
As part of their work, they analyzed the data of 633 men aged 50 and over. After comparing their blood levels of IGF-I with the death data, they observed that men with IGF-I levels above 100 nanograms per milliliter had twice the risk of dying from cancer than men with lower IGF-I levels.
Scientists hope that if these results are confirmed in further studies, the level of IGF-I in the blood can be used as a biomarker for determining the risk of cancer. (PAP)