Does SeroVital Raise HGH? Is It Safe? (2024)

SeroVital has been a favorite among people looking to naturally raise human growth hormone (HGH) -or some call it the fountain of youth hormone. Maybe you've seen the TV commercials with Bold and the Beautiful star, Kym Douglas? The company says the supplement is “clinically tested, and backed by 15 patents.” But, in spite of its popularity, you may be wondering does it really work? Does it reverse the aging process? Is growth hormone really a youth hormone? In this review, you'll discover the ingredients and the research on SeroVital to help you determine if it's safe for you. Testimonials are good but to really know if it's a scam or not, you need to know about the clinical investigations on this supplement.

SeroVital Ingredients

Taking 4 capsules provides you with the following ingredients

What Does All This Mean?

The supplement is composed of a proprietary blend of 6 ingredients. The first 5 ingredients are amino acids. The 6th ingredient (Schizonepeta) is an herb. All 6 of the SeroVital ingredients add up to 2.9 grams (2900 mg). While we are not told the specific dosages of the 6 ingredients, since lysine is listed first, it makes up most of the proprietary blend. Schizonepeta makes up the least as it is listed last.

Video Review

Here's a video about some of the ingredients in SeroVital.

Watch on my YouTube channel if you prefer.

Does SeroVital Contain HGH?

The supplement does not contain human growth hormone (HGH). Instead of directly providing the hormone, the SeroVital contains ingredients that are said to naturally raise growth hormone levels. Ingredients that do this are called secretagogues. They are supposed to help you secrete the HGH hormone. The company says the ingredients can boost your natural HGH production by an average of 682%.

How Many Patents?

SeroVital is backed by 15 patents. Here they are if you care to look them up

SeroVital Research

The company says the supplement is backed up by 4 clinical studies. Unfortunately, the 4 clinical papers are not listed on the SeroVital website. Customer service could not provide this information when it was contacted. Here is a breakdown of the two investigations that could be located.

Study 1

This investigation, titled Elevated Growth Hormone 120 Minutes a Single Low Dose of Amino Acids in Healthy Subjects was conducted in 2012. The results of the study were presented at the Obesity Society meeting in 2012. Here's a summary of the study

The investigation included 16 people (12 men and 4 women) and was pretty straightforward. One week, the people took SeroVital, and the following week they took a placebo. Researchers tested HGH levels in the blood at different times to see if the hormone went up. They tested HGH at 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90, and 120 minutes after the supplement (or placebo) was taken.

What did they find? Researchers found that average HGH levels rose 8x higher 120 minutes (2 hrs) after the SeroVital supplement was taken. They said this was equal to a rise of 682% in HGH levels. This was not seen when people took the placebo.

Problems & Questions

While good results were found, there are some things worth considering.

1 The study was not peer-reviewed. Rather, it was presented at the 2012 Obesity Society meeting. While this is good, it's not the same thing as publishing the study in a medical journal.

2 It was a small investigation. This investigation only had 16 people. To be fair, many supplement investigations have small numbers of people too.

3 What did the HGH rise mean? This study did not prove SeroVital erased wrinkles, burned body fat, or built muscle.

4. HGH was still in the normal range. Two hours after taking SeroVital, the average (mean) HGH level rose from 0.17 ng/ml to 1.33 ng/ml. The normal HGH level for adults can range from 0.4 ng/ml to 14 ng/ml for men and women. So, while HGH levels did increase, people were still within the normal range. It is odd that growth hormone levels declined in those taking the placebo.

Study 2

This investigation was presented at the 2019 Endocrine Society's annual conference. Here, 45 women and men in their 60s who displayed symptoms of low normal HGH levels were given SeroVital for 24 weeks (6 months). They did not change anything else. The only difference was they took the supplement.

What did they find? Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is the molecule responsible for much of the effects of growth hormone. Researchers noted IGF-1 levels were elevated when people took the SeroVital supplement. It was also reported that the people lost weight, felt less stressed, and showed “improvements in cardiometabolic markers.”

Problems & Questions

Impressive results but there are some things to think about.

1. It's not peer-reviewed. Like before, this investigation seems to have been presented at a scientific conference. That's not the same as a peer-reviewed study that undergoes the riggers of being scrutinized by other scientists prior to getting published in a medical journal.

2 There was no placebo group. It would have been better SeroVital was compared to a placebo.

3 Did they measure HGH levels? From a press release of this study, it's said people were showing symptoms of low normal HGH levels. But, did they test growth hormone to see if their levels were really on the low side of normal? Maybe they did but this isn't clear from the press release. It is said IGF-1 levels increased from what they were at the beginning of the study, so maybe they did?

4. What were the “Cardiometabolic markers?” Just saying cardiometabolic markers improved is vague. What cardiometabolic markers are they referring to? Is it blood sugar levels, insulin, hemoglobin A1c, good or bad cholesterol? And were any of the improvements clinically significant?

There may be other investigations in addition to these but they could not be located.

Can Men Use SeroVital?

There's no reason why men can't use SeroVital. It can be used by both genders. Both of the clinical studies summarized above involved men and women. It's noteworthy that another supplement -called Growth Factor 9- contains the same ingredients, has been marketed to men.

What About SeroVital Powder?

For those who don't like swallowing pills, you can get this supplement in powder form too. The SeroVital Rapid Dissolve powder contains the same 6 ingredients as the original version in the same dosage too. There is no difference between the powder form and the capsules.

Who Makes SeroVital?

The company is called Sanmedica International, LLC. The company is located at 5742 W Harold Gatty Dr Salt Lake City, UT 84116-3777. To contact the company call customer service at 800-435-1409. Another number is 801- 517-7007. While the company is not accredited with the Better Business Bureau, they do have an A+ rating. See the BBB file for more insights.

Where Do You Buy SeroVital?

Because the supplement is popular, you can purchase it at many locations such as Ulta, Vitamin Shoppe, GNC, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Kohls, Costco Wholesale, and Target as well as many other stores. You can also obtain it at eBay and Amazon too. Shop around to get it for the best price.

How Much Does SeroVital Cost?

The supplement is not inexpensive. Here are the prices listed on the official website:

• $99 if purchasing 1 box only
• $79 if you subscribe to receive auto-shipments
• $229 for 3 boxes ($76 per box)

Here it is on Amazon too

How Do You Take It?

For the best results, the manufacturer suggests you take SeroVital on an empty stomach and not eat anything for at least 2 hours. So, you could take it in the morning and not eat for two hours or take it at least two hours after your final meal at night.

SeroVital Side Effects

So, is SeroVital Safe? Most of the ingredients are amino acids that are easily found in foods. As such it's not likely most people would experience negative outcomes from taking this supplement. That said, here are some considerations and cautions to keep in mind. This list is not complete so talk to your doctor for the best advice for you.

• Start with less than recommended for the first week
• Stop taking SeroVital at least 2 weeks before surgery
• Ask your doctor if its ok if you take any medications
• Pregnant or breastfeeding – ask your doctor
• In theory, arginine may exacerbate herpes cold sore virus flair-ups. While the lysine in SeroVital may counteract this, it's not been studied.
• Schizonepeta, also known as Japanese Catnip contains a compound called pulegone, which some think may deplete glutathione levels and be toxic to the liver. However, reports of liver failure from schizonepeta use by itself can not be located. So, if this happens, it may be rare. Schizonepeta is the last ingredient in SeroVital so it does not contain much.

Can SeroVital Raise Blood Pressure?

There is no evidence SeroVital raises blood pressure – either systolic or diastolic pressure. This makes sense given that it contains arginine and lysine. Arginine is a well-known vasodilator due to its ability to raise nitric oxide levels. Some research also shows lysine can reduce blood pressure too.

Does SeroVital Cause Cancer?

Growth hormone (and IGF-1) causes cells to grow. Is it possible HGH might increase the growth of cancer cells too? Maybe. Some research has linked HGH therapy to colon cancer and breast cancer. While more research is needed, it's important to remember taking human growth hormone (the drug) is not the same thing as taking amino acids which raise growth hormone levels.

To be clear, there is no evidence SeroVital causes cancer. In light of the lack of research on this, people with cancer are encouraged to speak with their doctor for the best health advice on this topic.

Can SeroVital Cause Weight Gain?

None of the SeroVital research studies that could be located mentioned people gaining weight from the supplement. For now, it's probably safe to assume the supplement does not cause people to gain weight. None of the ingredients in the supplement would be expected to increase BMI or body fat. On the flip side, the studies also did not report increases in muscle mass either.

While one SeroVital study did report that people experienced “improvements in body weight,” some online testimonials have stated it didn't work. More research is needed to conclusively determine if the supplement is an effective weight loss aid or not.

SeroVital vs. Advanced SeroVital

There is an advanced version of this supplement. The main difference between Original vs. Advanced SeroVital is the advanced supplement also contains additional ingredients like collagen, konjac fiber, hyaluronic acid, and green coffee extract. Both supplements require you to take 4 capsules a day. There are AM and PM pills. The advanced supplement contains quite a number of ingredients so see the review of SeroVital Advanced for a detailed discussion.

SeroVital vs. GenF20

GenF20 is another popular HGH booster supplement. One commonality between them is both contain the amino acids, arginine, lycine, and glutamine. But that's where their similarities end. GenF20 contains several other ingredients including Tribulus Terrestris and deer antler velvet. Having more ingredients does not mean GenF20 is superior. Unforfortnatley, no studies have compared these supplements to each other.

See the GenF20 Review

SeroVital Pros & Cons

Does SeroVital Work?

There's no doubt the supplement has research suggesting it raises growth hormone levels. For those interested in biohacking their way to higher levels of this so-called youth hormone, that may be enough. However, even if this is true, does that mean SeroVital can smooth out wrinkles, boost your mood and energy levels or improve bone density or muscle strength? That's the idea of course, but it's going to take better studies to know for sure.

Here it is if you want to see what others are saying.

What Do You Think?