Today, if you are an athlete, there is an enormous focus on getting bigger, stronger, and faster with whatever means is at your disposal. A plethora of steroids, growth hormones and an every increasing array of anabolic agents have arrived. However, with continued use the majority of these products hold very dangerous and tragic side effects. If you're aging and losing the strength and beauty of your youth you may have been encouraged to take growth hormone injections. There is no other substance known to man that has such far reaching ability to slow down the aging process. However, if we look for a common ground among steroids, growth hormone and other anabolic agents we come to the bottle neck, the funnel, through which all of these substances must pass in their affect on muscle tissue, endocrine, endocrine glands and even the blueprint of life itself, DNA. What is that funnel? It's insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).

IGF- 1 is also known as somatomedin C and is actually far safer, yet just as potent as growth hormone itself. In fact, the vast majority of strength increasing, muscle increasing, and anti aging effects of growth hormone are because of the ability of growth hormone to increase IGF-1. The problem is many people will pay as much as $15,000 a year to have a physician administer growth hormone and it is unfortunately something that must be continued once you have initiated it. If you don't you will return to the fast moving aging process. Growth hormone at this point in time must be administered by injection. There are a few sublingual products on the market that have minimal growth hormone increase response. Growth hormone itself, even if it is injected, only sticks around in the blood for a short period of time. It is absorbed by various tissues primarily the liver and it is here that it's converted to IGF-1. It is a known fact that if you take growth hormone orally it is broken down in the intestines by bile acids and is simply not absorbed. IGF- 1 is as potent as growth hormone itself in producing an anabolic, muscle building, and growth stimulating effect. IGF- 1 is also critical in preserving the nuclear DNA that is the blueprint of life and in fact, determines our maximum life span. It may turn out that IGF-1 is the safest and most effective way of increasing muscle mass and slowing down the aging process. The relationship between growth hormone and IGF- 1 is almost one to one. For this reason, the -illusive growth hormone, which only has a half life in the blood of 20 minutes, cannot be successfully and accurately measured through blood tests. Scientists, instead, will measure IGF-1 levels, which has a half life of 20 hours. Because blood IGF-1 levels are more unstained they are a much more practical indicator of growth hormone status.

WHAT IS GROWTH HORMONE AND WHAT IS IGF-1

Human growth hormone (HGH) is one of many of endocrine hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, melatonin, and DHEA, which decline in production with age. While some of these hormones can reduce the 3 effects of aging, only HGH and IGF- 1 go far beyond the scope of the other hormones not only to prevent biological aging but also to reverse a broad range of symptoms associated with aging and even certain diseases of aging. For the more youthful bodybuilding enthusiasts, only IGF-1 ultimately builds enormous muscle tissue. HGH builds muscle also, but only through its effect in increasing IGF-1. So if you are interested in building muscle tissue, increasing strength-endurance and turning back the aging clock by 20 or more years, be ye young or be ye old IGF-1 is the secret of the fountain of youth.

HGH, also known as somatotropin is the primary hormone produced and secreted by the pituitary gland. Its production peaks during adolescence which accelerates body growth. By the time a person reaches the age of 60 he or she may only secrete 25% of the amount of HGH secreted when they were 20-years-old. Most of the time growth hormone is released in a pulsatile fashion during sleep or following strenuous physical activity. It is quickly converted in the liver to a powerful growth promoting metabolite known as IGF-1. IGF-1 is the primary youth promoting factor of HGH. The decline of growth hormone with age is directly associated with certain aging signs like wrinkling of the skin, graying of the hair, decreased energy and sexual function, increased body fat, heart disease, weak and brittle bones, and much more.

The good news is that both growth hormone and IGF-1 can reverse these physical signs and restore energy levels, bone strength, hair color, more youthful appearing skin, and for most people reading this report, an increased, youthful muscle mass simultaneously significantly reducing body fat. Now, there is a natural form of IGF-1 derived from the animal genus Cervus that may be the answer that all bodybuilders and our senior citizens have been looking for, an answer that may even promote greater health and extend life.

HOW DOES IGF-1 INCREASE MUSCLE MASS?
It is interesting to note that when scientists gave muscle tissue IGF-1, the muscle tissue increased in size, whereas if growth hormone was given alone there was no increase in muscle mass. The reason for this is simple. Growth hormone must first be converted to IGF-1 in order for it to work. IGF-1 therefore, is the most important molecule in increasing muscle mass. IGF-1 achieves this goal in the following ways:

1. IGF-1 has been shown to increase the transport of the building blocks of proteins called amino acids into cells throughout the body. These amino acids, having reached the muscle cells, will regenerate muscle tissue following exercise. Thus, the first job of IGF-1 is to assure proper absorption of the building blocks of the muscle itself so that muscle protein synthesis can occur.
2. IGF- 1 is like insulin in that it increases that uptake of blood sugar known as glucose, this has recently been confirmed by researchers at East Carolina University. Doctors established that IGF-1 stimulates glucose transport in human muscle tissue.
3. IGF-1 along with insulin has the ability to slow the rate of protein breakdown. This is known as catabolism inhibition. It is therefore anti catabolic, which means it preserves muscle tissue.
4. IGF-1, like growth hormone but unlike insulin, shifts fuel utilization from carbohydrates to fat within the muscle cells themselves. Thus, your body will burn more fat including fat made from carbohydrates in your diet and other dietary fats. IGF-1 helps to establish lean muscle mass without a corresponding rise in fat tissue.

IGF- 1 has many other powerful positive influences on human metabolism. Some of these include:

1. Improved white blood cell production
2. Restores the immune promoting lymphoid tissue
3. Stimulates proliferation of both the B and T lymphocytes
4. Increases the uptake and degradation of the dangerous LDL (cholesterol)
5. Improves nitrogen retention (muscle preservation) and increases sodium
excretion 6. Improves parathyroid vitamin D interaction to produce dense bone matrix
7. Increases the urinary hydroxyl proline secretion

FOR THE ATHLETE BODYBUILDER NOTE THE FOLLOWING SUMMARY
The effects of IGF-1 include:
1. An increase in proliferation and growth of muscle cells
2. An increased uptake of amino acids into the muscle cells
3. An increase in the uptake of blood sugar (glucose) into muscle cells
4. Improved utilization of fat for energy with a decreased utilization of carbohydrates
5. Reduction of catabolism (Muscle breakdown ) following workouts


THE BODY BUILDERS DREAM

In the pursuit of large, well defined musculature, men and women have been searching for the magic bullet. IGF-1 is it. A number of world class bodybuilders having used IGF-1 have reported massive muscle increase of up to 20 pounds. In an article published in Muscle Media 2000 the author T.C. Luoma declared IGF-1 as possibly the most potent bodybuilding drug ever. At this point in time, there are no controlled studies supporting these claims. The antidotal evidence, however, is building up. Many bodybuilders are claiming they are experiencing drops of five percent body fat in one month while increasing lean body mass and strength at the same time. This simply means you burn fat at the same time you build muscle. Unfortunately, some claim there is no effect at all. This is probably because any time a drug hits the black market some of it is real and some of it is not.

Which one would you get? One that is counterfeit or a product that you know has a standardized level of IGF-1 plus other growth factors that may turn out to be just as important not only increasing muscle strength but increasing your health status as well. In considering using anabolic steroids and substances like human growth hormone or diuretics it is important to note all of these hormones have side effects. All of these products when put into combination with each other may turn out to have unwanted and dangerous side effects. Many times bodybuilders will use several different agents in order to achieve synergistic effect. With IGF-1 it doesn't appear to be necessary. In one study of healthy volunteers there was no additive anabolic effect in those who took a combination of IGF and growth hormone compared to those who took just IGF- 1 alone. The only synergistic effect that appears to be helpful with IGF-1 is strenuous exercise, exercise that will indeed help develop large, dense, well defined musculature. According to Phil Micans of the International Anti aging Systems in London who has distributed IGF-1 in several forms, IGF-1 is 10 times more potent than growth hormone as an anabolic agent. Problems exist in determining purity, efficacy, and potency. IGF- 1 dosages vary between 10 micrograms and 50 micrograms taken on a daily basis, if taken orally. However, understand that when it is ingested and has to go through the gastrointestinal tract only a fraction of that taken is actually absorbed. This absorption rate may vary from individual to individual depending upon the degree of efficiency of the digestive process. For this reason, a novel, new mechanism of absorption has been applied to the standardized cold processed deer antler extract. By combining the extract which contains a minimum of 2,500 nanograms per gram of IGF-1 with the lipospray sublingual deliver system there is an assurance of receiving and absorbing IGF-1 at a consistent level.


MAY ASSIST IN FAT LOSS

One of the big problems associated with losing weight, especially with calorie restriction, is a significant loss in muscle mass when there is a commensurate loss of fat. Any procedure that can preserve lean muscle body mass when fat loss is being experienced, would be most helpful and certainly improve the health of the patient during the weight loss procedure. According to Doctor Edmund Chein, patients who were obese and were given human growth hormone injections lost up to 12% of their body fat every six months. As an example, a patient that weighed 200 pounds could lose 24 pounds of fat every six months. We know that human growth hormone increases the fat burning mechanism of the body, but because it increases IGF-1, the IGF-1, in turn, not only preserves muscle tissue but increases muscle mass. IGF-1 may also improve the fat burning mechanism and improve hormonal weight loss effects without having to restrict calorie consumption. Studies have shown that the aging pituitary gland contains as much growth hormone as it did when the individual was younger. However, the ability to release the growth hormone is somehow blocked as the body ages. Something happens in the feedback loop between the release of IGF-1 in the liver and the hypothalamus in the brain. Ordinarily, a reduction in the IGF-1 tells the brain to direct the pituitary to make more growth hormone but this feedback loop breaks down with age. For this reason there should be no negative feedback loop problems associated with just taking IGF-1 since the mechanism in the aging person is already diminished. It would also indicate that IGF-1 should be taken in order to preserve muscle mass, increase energy levels, and maintain proper body weight.


IGF-1 CAN IMPROVE IMMUNE RESPONSE AND VICE VERSA

An interesting relationship between IGF- 1 and the immune system has been uncovered in recent research. The activity between all of the major immune cell types such as T-cells and B-cells, natural killer cells, and acrophages have been shown to be altered by growth HGH. Studies have shown that lymphocyte derived growth hormone is involved in the production of more Lymphocytes and that these, in turn, can actually produce IGF-1 within the immune system. Thus, not only the liver but white blood cells are capable of producing IGF-1. This provides a biochemical basis for a line of communication between the immune system and the neuroendrocrine system, thanks to the action of HGH.

For further information contact:

Othon Molina, Ph.d.c, LMT,
P.O. Box 1231 Kamuela, HI 96743
Cell: (808) 895-2688