Hormones are chemical substances produced in the body that have a variety of controlling effects on other parts of the body. As youngsters, growth hormone is crucial for the overall growth of the body and bones --- without it, well, we'd all be dwarves. As we head into our twenties, growth hormone diminishes gradually until at ninety we may produce none whatsoever.

Pope John Paul has attained advanced age and is showing the effects of a long life. His growth hormone levels are probably low. Could the Pope and others like him be more spry and energetic if they took growth hormone?

Growth hormone can be boosted in a number of ways: direct injections of synthetic growth hormone, food supplements or drugs that trigger release of growth hormone from the brain to flow throughout the body -- sleep and exercise also trigger that same release.

But there are questions about whether growth hormone is valuable once we stop growing, questions about the best way to boost it if it is valuable in promoting health and questions about its safety.

Joan Mathews Larson has a doctorate in nutrition and is the author of "Depression-Free, Naturally" which has a chapter on hormone replacement strategies.

According to Larson, "The growth hormone can actually and does actually grow organs rather than watch them continue to shrivel -- the brain, the heart."

Larson believes that replenishing growth hormone and other declining hormones has made her practically feel like a kid again. Larson first tried the expensive injectable growth hormone, but got poor results. She now takes natural amino acids that help the body to release its own growth hormone. These are called "secretagogues" because they trigger the body to secrete a hormone.

Critics worry that substances that encourage growth may encourage the growth of cancers, especially breast and prostate.

Physician Howard Fillit, executive director of the Institute for the Study of Aging, remains skeptical about the value of growth hormone and the whole "anti-aging medicine" that sparked its use.

"To some degree lots of studies, but nothing has been proven to the degree that traditional science would like -- that shows that anti-aging medicine works," Fillit said.

Fillit says who needs growth hormone when there are simple alternatives.

"There are lots of studies that I think are very good that show that exercise, mental and physical exercise, more on physical exercise than mental exercise, plays a very important role in maintaining function in old age," Fillit said. "People can exercise, they can keep at it."

And significant exercise does, in fact, increase growth hormone a bit. So does getting a good night's sleep. Howard Fillit recommends exercise that emphasizes the big three: strength training, flexibility training and endurance training. And he says even if someone is old and frail, they can start small and work their way up.

Larson doesn't deny the value of exercise, but believes, "It doesn't really matter how you exercise, there will be fat gathering in certain places, different in men and women. The growth hormone takes that fat and totally eliminates it and turns it into muscle. So, you don't really lose cause muscle weighs -- you don't lose a lot, but you lose the fat."

Fillit finds more benefit in exercise than growth hormone -- without the risk.

"There's data to show that people will get so much more in terms of feeling good, functioning better, preventing things like hypertension, heart disease -- if they have diabetes, it helps you with your glucose control -- preventing falls, mental health in terms of processing speed," Fillit said. "It's been shown to be a good antidote for depression -- in scientific studies that are published in the medical literature. So, exercise is so much more beneficial and proven beneficial than -- you know, it's easy to go to the doctor and get a pill, get a shot, and pay 20 to 30 thousand a year for that stuff."

The injectable growth hormone and associated medical costs can run into the tens of thousands of dollars making it very impractical.

By contrast, Larson says good brands of growth hormone triggering supplements can be bought for as little as $350 a year, but some people pay several times that much.

And there's a whole new drug industry of pills that will cause the brain to release growth hormone. Biochemist and nutritionist Luke Bucci has done research on growth hormone secretion and has followed this coming trend, now just a few years away. He believes this will be the wave of the future and will revolutionize health care for just about everyone over forty -- and will drive down health care costs.

Fillit says people are better off using their heads instead of hormones.

"The brain is like a muscle, it needs stimulation, so studies have shown education, life-long learning, occupational complexity, (and) continued mental exercise is very important for keeping your brain sharp and increasing that number of connections and maybe even preventing Alzheimer's disease or delaying its onset because you have a greater brain reserve," said Fillit.

Bucci generally favors food supplement approaches, but suggests that a combination of supplements, physical exercise, mental stimulation and these coming pharmaceutical products could strike a real blow against aging.

Even Larson says it would help to have a good doctor to monitor and provide guidance.

"You should approach it in a very scientific manner. You should find out the levels of your hormones and from there you can create the level you want," said Fillit. "It's really not much of a risk done with a physician who knows what he's about."

Fillit, however, wants to see the proof of solid benefits before recommending growth hormone treatments -- otherwise stick with his healthy lifestyle recommendations.

Questions do remain about the possible long-term effects of all the varieties of growth hormone, but with a looming health crisis spurred on by an aging populace, growth hormone could figure in as part of the answer for the future.

For now, for those already in advanced age like the Pope, staying active mentally, physically, socially and spiritually may be the best medicine available.

Howard Fillit, M.D., is Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Aging in New York City:

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