Human growth hormone (HGH), also known as somatotropin, is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland and plays a key role in growth, body composition, cell repair and metabolism. It is critical to maintaining bones, muscles, organs, tissue and heart function and also helps you recover from injury. Growth hormone raises the concentration of glucose and free fatty acids and stimulates the production of IGF-1, which stimulates growth in a variety of tissues including bone.
Age, diet and lifestyle choices can significantly impact your HGH levels. In our early 30’s our HGH levels begin to decline, and as a result so do our bodies. Lean muscle declines, cells malfunction, our metabolism slows, memory declines and our energy level falls. Optimizing our hormone levels can help slow the signs and symptoms of aging, resulting in increased strength and endurance, improved cognitive function and greater overall health. We can’t stop getting older but we can try to make diet and lifestyle choices that can have a positive, rather than detrimental, effect on HGH production.
The following 11 recommendations can help boost HGH production.
- Proper nutrition
Eat sufficient amounts of clean protein such as lean meats, eggs and cottage cheese. Try to eat low glycemic carbohydrates such as fruits and vegetables and reduce the amount of high glycemic carbohydrates you eat. Include healthy fats in your diet such as nuts, olives, coconut oil and fish oil. The best time to eat protein is 2 hours before your workout and immediately following your workout.
- Lose body fat
Your production of HGH is directly related to the amount of body fat you carry. Too much abdominal fat will dramatically reduce the amount of HGH your body produces. This takes you back to the first recommendation, eat a proper diet and manage your caloric intake. It is important to maintain optimal levels of body fat.
Women Fit 21-24% Athlete 14-20%
Men Fit 14-17% Athlete 6-13%
- Reduce sugar intake
Spikes in your insulin can reduce HGH production. Refined carbs and sugar raise insulin levels the most, so reducing your intake may help optimize growth hormone levels. Consuming sugar like fructose within 2 hours of working out will decrease your production of HGH so to optimize HGH production from your workout you can still have that protein shake but mix it with water and skip the high glycemic carbohydrates such as a banana.
- Sleep!
Not getting enough sleep can lower the amount of growth hormone your body produces. About 90% of your production of growth hormone is done at night during REM sleep. Studies have shown poor sleep can reduce the amount of growth hormone your body produces.Strategies for sleeping:
- Meditate before bedtime
- Avoid blue light exposure before you go to bed. If are going to read on an electronic device make sure it has a nighttime mode.
- Keep your bedroom at a comfortable temperature
- If your feet are cold wear socks
- Take melatonin
- Don’t consume caffeine late in the day
- Wear earplugs
- Intermittent fasting
Fasting is a relatively new trend but one study found that by fasting for 3 days increase HGH levels by 300% and fasting 7 days increased levels by 1,250%. Fasting helps increase growth hormone levels by decreasing body fat and by keeping insulin levels low. Insulin is released when you eat so if you don’t eat, you don’t release insulin.
When you wake up in the morning you are in a fasting state. By delaying when you eat until mid-morning or noon your HGH will be elevated.
- Supplements
The following supplements have been shown to increase HGH levels in humans however, the gains are short term only.
- L-Arginine
- L-Lysine
- L-Glutamine
- L-Glycine
- L-Tyrosine
- GABA
- Melatonin
- High intensity training
Research has shown the body increases HGH production with intense training. Working out for a shorter period of time, 45-55 minutes with high intensity is more effective than longer workouts. Training for more than 90 minutes with actually cause a decrease in HGH and testosterone production and increase cortisol, a stress hormone.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is promotes health and well-being as well as stimulating HGH secretion. An exercise intensity above lactate threshold, or 75-85% maximum intensity, for a minimum of 10 minutes will result in the greatest secretion of HGH. Brief periods of rest between exercises, approximately 1 or less, also helps stimulate growth hormone secretion.
- Don’t eat right before you go to bed
Your body releases 90% of its growth hormone at night. Eating before bed can cause a rise in insulin levels and may potentially block the release of some of the HGH.
- Liver detox
A person with poor liver function will not experience the full benefits of HGH. To ensure you are receiving the full benefits, you may want to consider going on a liver cleanse.
- Vitamin C
Researchers have shown there is a correlation between reduced vitamin C concentration and decreased growth hormone production. Consuming more vitamin C may help increase HGH secretion.
- HGH therapy from the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic
The first 10 recommendation have been shown to help increase HGH secretion but are only short-term solutions. The best way to optimize human growth hormone levels is by taking HGH injections.
There are oral supplements available on the market claiming to increase growth hormone levels but there is no HGH oral supplement that actually contains human growth hormone and ingesting these supplements with do nothing to increase your level of human growth hormone.
The only way to add more HGH to your body is by injection with a doctor’s prescription. Unfortunately for those living in the United States, HGH is the only FDA approved drug that cannot be prescribed off-label.
The Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic, the most experienced Age Management Clinic in Latin America, prescribes pharmaceutical grade synthetic HGH. We have four locations, making it easy for you to access high quality care. We have offices in Escazu, Costa Rica; Tamarindo, Costa Rica; Tijuana, Mexico; and Panama City, Panama.
Growth hormone production begins to decline in your 20’s and early 30’s resulting in decreased energy, reduced muscle mass, weight gain, dry skin, thinning hair, wrinkles and sexual dysfunction. Based on specialized testing, individual risk assessment and a personal health history, the experts at the Anti-Aging and Wellness Clinic can develop a customized health plan for you that will slow down the aging process and help you achieve your optimal health. Contact us today.