Tom Perls

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Thomas Perls (born 1960) is the founding director of the New England Centenarian Study, the longest-running largest study of centenarians and their family members in the world. [1] The Study is worldwide in scope but most of the participants come from the United States and Canada and is funded by three National Institute on Aging grants: The Integrative Longevity Omics Study, Centenarian Project of the Longevity Consortium and the Long Life Family Study. The study is also funded, with great appreciation, by the William M. Wood Foundation and the Paulette and Marty Samowitz Foundation. Born in Palo Alto, California, Perls later moved to Colorado and now lives in Boston. He received his B.A. from Pitzer College in 1982, his M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1986, and his M.P.H. from Harvard University in 1993. [2] Perls is Professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and attending physician in geriatrics at Boston Medical Center. He is the author of over 160 peer-reviewed articles primarily in biodemography and genetics of exceptional human longevity and anti-aging quackery.

Generally, the study has found that centenarians and their children (in their 70s thru 90s) age relatively slowly and have decreased risk for aging-related diseases including Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and restrictive lung disease. Our studies are using different but synergistic approaches to discover the biological and environmental exposure and behavioral mechanisms by which these individuals age so well and live so long.

Perls is the author of the online "Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator". [3] Perls is a prominent critic of "hormone replacement therapy" including growth hormone and testosterone for "anti-aging" and "age-management". [4] He is author of the website hghwatch.com. [5] and he has testified before the U.S. Congress, [6] as well as provided written testimony for the U.S. Sentencing Commission regarding illegal distribution of growth hormone for anti-aging. [7] Perls is the author of several academic articles about the medical misuse and illegal distribution of growth hormone and anabolic steroids, including testosterone, for anti-aging and bodybuilding. [8] [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodybuilding</span> Control and development of musculature

Bodybuilding is the practice of progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's muscles via hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to as a bodybuilder. It is primarily undertaken for aesthetic purposes over functional ones, distinguishing it from similar activities such as powerlifting and calisthenics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Testosterone</span> Primary male sex hormone

Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscle and bone mass, and the growth of body hair. It is associated with increased aggression, sex drive, dominance, courtship display, and a wide range of behavioral characteristics. In addition, testosterone in both sexes is involved in health and well-being, where it has a significant effect on overall mood, cognition, social and sexual behavior, metabolism and energy output, the cardiovascular system, and in the prevention of osteoporosis. Insufficient levels of testosterone in men may lead to abnormalities including frailty, accumulation of adipose fat tissue within the body, anxiety and depression, sexual performance issues, and bone loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Growth hormone</span> Peptide hormone, that stimulates growth

Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in human development. GH also stimulates production of Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and increases the concentration of glucose and free fatty acids. It is a type of mitogen which is specific only to the receptors on certain types of cells. GH is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored and secreted by somatotropic cells within the lateral wings of the anterior pituitary gland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Androstenedione</span> Endogenous weak androgen

Androstenedione, or 4-androstenedione, also known as androst-4-ene-3,17-dione, is an endogenous weak androgen steroid hormone and intermediate in the biosynthesis of estrone and of testosterone from dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). It is closely related to androstenediol (androst-5-ene-3β,17β-diol).

Controversies regarding the use of human growth hormone (HGH) as treatment method have centered on the claims, products, and businesses related to the use of growth hormone as an anti-aging therapy. Most of these controversies fall into two categories:

  1. Claims of exaggerated, misleading, or unfounded assertions that growth hormone treatment safely and effectively slows or reverses the effects of aging.
  2. The sale of products that fraudulently or misleadingly purport to be growth hormone or to increase the user's own secretion of natural human growth hormone to a beneficial degree.
<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanozolol</span> Discontinued steroid for heart treatment

Stanozolol, sold under many brand names, is a synthetic androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American pharmaceutical company Winthrop Laboratories in 1962, and has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for human use, though it is no longer marketed in the USA. It is also used in veterinary medicine. Stanozolol has mostly been discontinued, and remains available in only a few countries. It is given by mouth in humans or by injection into muscle in animals.

The Okinawa Centenarian Study is a study of the elderly people of Okinawa, Japan. The study, funded by Japan's ministry of health, is the largest of its kind ever carried out. Over the years, the scientists involved have had access to more than 600 Okinawan centenarians.

The American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) is a United States 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the field of anti-aging medicine, and the organization trains and certifies physicians in this specialty. As of 2011, approximately 26,000 practitioners had been given A4M certificates. The field of anti-aging medicine is not recognized by established medical organizations, such as the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA). The academy's activities include lobbying and public relations. The A4M was founded in 1993 by osteopathic physicians Robert M. Goldman and Ronald Klatz, and as of 2013 claimed 26,000 members from 120 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenbolone acetate</span> Chemical compound

Trenbolone acetate, sold under brand names such as Finajet and Finaplix among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication which is used in veterinary medicine, specifically to increase the profitability of livestock by promoting muscle growth in cattle. It is given by injection into muscle.

Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where banned physical performance-enhancing drugs are used by athletes and bodybuilders. Athletic performance-enhancing substances are sometimes referred as ergogenic aids. Cognitive performance-enhancing drugs, commonly called nootropics, are sometimes used by students to improve academic performance. Performance-enhancing substances are also used by military personnel to enhance combat performance.

Professional bodybuilding or pro bodybuilding can refer to bodybuilding for an income and/or possessing qualifications such as an IFBB Pro, IFBB Elite Pro or Wabba International Pro Card.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Selective androgen receptor modulator</span> Class of pharmaceutical drugs

Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) are a class of drugs that selectively activate the androgen receptor in specific tissues, promoting muscle and bone growth while having less effect on male reproductive tissues like the prostate gland.

The use of anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs in American football is officially prohibited by virtually every sanctioning body.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anabolic steroid</span> Steroidal androgen that is structurally related and has similar effects to testosterone

Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are a class of drugs that are structurally related to testosterone, the main male sex hormone, and produce effects by binding to the androgen receptor. Anabolic steroids have a number of medical uses, but are also used by athletes to increase muscle size, strength, and performance.

Since their discovery, anabolic steroids (AAS) have been widely used as performance-enhancing drugs to improve performance in sports, to improve one's physical appearance, as self-medication to recover from injury, and as an anti-aging aid. Use of anabolic steroids for purposes other than treating medical conditions is controversial and, in some cases, illegal. Major sports organizations have moved to ban the use of anabolic steroids. There is a wide range of health concerns for users. Legislation in many countries restricts and criminalizes AAS possession and trade.

Growth hormones in sports refers to the use of growth hormones for athletic enhancement, as opposed to growth hormone treatment for medical therapy. Human Growth Hormone is a prescription medication in the US, meaning that its distribution and use without a prescription is illegal. There is limited evidence that GH doping improves athletic performance, although the perception that it does is common in the sporting community. Potential side effects of long term GH doping could mirror the symptoms found in sufferers of acromegaly, a disease in which the anterior pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone. These symptoms include swelling of the hands and feet, joint pain, fluid retention, and excessive sweating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trenbolone enanthate</span> Chemical compound

Trenbolone enanthate, known by the nickname Trenabol, is a synthetic and injected anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and a derivative of nandrolone which was never marketed. It is the C17β enanthate ester and a long-acting prodrug of trenbolone. Trenbolone enanthate was never approved for medical or veterinary use but is used in scientific research and has been sold on the internet black market as a designer steroid for bodybuilders and athletes.

A prohormone is a committed precursor of a hormone consisting of peptide hormones synthesized together that has a minimal hormonal effect by itself because of its expression-suppressing structure, often created by protein folding and binding additional peptide chains to certain ends, that makes hormone receptor binding sites located on its peptide hormone chain segments inaccessible. Prohormones can travel the blood stream as a hormone in an inactivated form, ready to be activated later in the cell by post-translational modification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Testosterone (medication)</span> Medication and naturally occurring steroid hormone

Testosterone (T) is a medication and naturally occurring steroid hormone. It is used to treat male hypogonadism, gender dysphoria, and certain types of breast cancer. It may also be used to increase athletic ability in the form of doping. It is unclear if the use of testosterone for low levels due to aging is beneficial or harmful. Testosterone can be used as a gel or patch that is applied to the skin, injection into a muscle, tablet that is placed in the cheek, or tablet that is taken by mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Androstanolone</span> Androgenic and anabolic steroid medication

Androstanolone, or stanolone, also known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and sold under the brand name Andractim among others, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication and hormone which is used mainly in the treatment of low testosterone levels in men. It is also used to treat breast development and small penis in males. Compared to testosterone, androstanolone (DHT) is less likely to aromatize into estrogen, and therefore it shows less pronounced estrogenic side effects, such as gynecomastia and water retention. On the other hand, androstanolone (DHT) show more significant androgenic side effects, such as acne, hair loss and prostate enlargement.

References

  1. ↑ "The new England Centenarian Study". Boston University. 2002. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Anderson, Porter (27 August 2001). "Thomas Perls: Longevity researcher". Cable News Network. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  3. ↑ Perls, Thomas. "Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator". Thomas Perls. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Anti-Aging Quackery: Human Growth Hormone and Tricks of the Trade—More Dangerous Than Ever". Oxford Press. 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  5. ↑ Perls, Tom (2006). "hghwatch" . Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Committee holds hearing on myths and facts about human growth hormone, B12, and other substances". U.S. House of Representatives. 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2013.
  7. ↑ "Sentencing of human growth hormone offenses". Thomas Perls. 2008. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Provision or Distribution of Growth Hormone for "Antiaging". Clinical and Legal Issues". JAMA. 2005. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "New Developments in the Illegal Provision of Growth Hormone for "Anti-Aging" and Bodybuilding". JAMA. 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  10. ↑ Perls, Thomas T. (2009). "Growth hormone and anabolic steroids:athletes are the tip of the iceberg=2009". Drug Testing and Analysis. 1 (9–10): 419–425. doi:10.1002/dta.87. PMID   20355224.


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