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Encyclopedia entry: growth hormone
- Article from:
- The Oxford Companion to the Body
- Author:
Copyright© The Oxford Companion to the Body 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information)
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growth hormone
also called somatotrophin, is secreted from the anterior part of the
pituitary gland
. It is a major product of the gland, which contains 5 mg of the hormone (about 10% of its dry weight). As the name implies, growth hormone is important in controlling linear growth and, together with the thyroid hormones and the sex hormones, is important in determining the final height and development of an individual. It also has a role in controlling metabolism of foodstuffs, so that lack of the hormone in children results in short stature with the whole body in proportion, whereas deficiency in the adult results in weakness and depression.
Growth stops when the epiphyses (ends) of the
bones