How to Increase Growth Hormone Naturally
Many people consider Growth Hormone the Holy Grail of Health and Youthful Living.
That's a highly debatable sentiment in my opinion, but I can't argue with the
fact that Growth Hormone burns fat and contributes slightly to muscle growth as
well. As we age, our Growth Hormone output decreases significantly and this is
yet another reason we put
on weight so much more easily. In fact, at 40 your body puts out only about half as much
Growth Hormone as you did at age 40! At age 80 you'll be down near 5% - ouch!
- making it one of most severe hormonal reductions that us guys get to go
through during the aging process.
How does Growth Hormone do its magic? As it turns out, it is your double-barreled
trusty friend that both spares amino acids (the building blocks of muscle) from
being burned as energy and at the same time promotes fat to be used for energy.
Sound like a fantasy?
So why isn't anyone and everyone past middle age on Growth Hormone? The
answer: $$$. Growth Hormone is still very expensive.
The other reason is that it is relatively easy to increase your Growth Hormone
output naturally. Here is how you do it:
1) Sleep. Hopefully, you have read my link on
Sleep and, if so, you already
know that sleep boost testosterone, neurotransmitters, memory and Growth
Hormone. This is one reason that experienced bodybuilders often say that
muscle is built more at night on the pillow not during the day at the gym.
2) Intense Exercise. Intense Exercise is the kind of exercise that leaves
you sweating and breathing heavily. As it turns out, you can dramatically
increase your Growth Hormone output for several hours after exercise if you do
it the right way. What is the "right way"? Read this link on
Interval Training to find out one way.
3) Creatine. Researchers discovered that Creatine, the well-known and well-studied
bodybuilding supplement, increased Growth Hormone output post-consumption even
in those who did no exercise. [1] However, there are a few things to keep
in mind about this study: it was extemely small with only 6 young men
involved. Three of the men experienced a very significant rise in Growth
Hormone but the other three much less so. So this many depend on
individual physiology and other factors. Nevertheless, it an intriguing
finding.
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4) L-Arginine. Large doses, say > 7-9 g/day, of L-Arginine increase Growth Hormone output
substantially.
However, I recommend extreme caution for large doses (> 3g/day) as discussed in
this link on Arginine. Dosages of about 2 g/day
should be safe.
5) Glutamine. Studies have shown that ingested glutamine at levels even as low as
2 g/day can increase Growth Hormone output. [3]CAUTION: It is possible that
increased ingestion of glutamine could raise body levels of glutamate, which is
a neuron-killing
Excitoxin. Furthermore, glutamine is used by cancer cells for
fuel and so theoretically - and this is strictly theoretical - glutamine
could be slightly mutagenic.
6) Insulin. Watch your insulin: insulin is negatively correlated with
Growth Hormone. [2] In other words, the more insulin floating around your
system, the less Growth Hormone that you are likely to have. The insulin
resistant state, where insulin levels stay perpetually high, of the
Metabolic
Syndrome is a Growth Hormone squasher as are high glycemic meals. Eating a
lot of sugars and starchy carbs that cause your blood sugar and insulin to spike
is anti-Growth Hormone. For this reason, be careful to not to eat a high
carb meal right before bed because nighttime is primetime for Growth Hormone
release. And, please, I urge everyone over the age of about
30 to read this link on the
Metabolic
Syndrome and find out to defeat insulin resistance.
7) Laughter. It appears Growth Hormone may be very sensitive to humor. In a
study dating back to the 80's, subjects had an average 87% increase in Growth
Hormone just from anticipating a humorous show. [4] A little laughter goes
a long ways as they say.
NEWS FLASH: A
study in late 2009 showed that a gherlin-like drug called MK-477 increases
Growth Hormone significantly to levels of a
"healthy young adult". [5] The health media is calling it a
Fountain of Youth - time will tell. Side effects seem relatively mild.
4) Am J Med Sci, 1989 Dec, 298(6):390-6, "Neuroendocrine and stress hormone
changes during mirthful laughter"
5) Annals of Int Med, Nov 4 2008, 149(9):601-611, "Effects of an Oral Ghrelin
Mimetic on Body Composition and Clinical Outcomes in Healthy Older Adults"