The name is short for Insulin-like Growth Factor One (somatomedin
C). It is the body’s principle growth factor.
When growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland and enters
the blood stream, most of it is taken up by the liver. The liver then
uses the HGH to produce what are called growth factors. IGF-1 being
the predominant one. It is this substance that is then responsible
for many of the effects usually attributed to HGH. These growth
factors are then released into the blood stream and become
responsible for the changes usually associated with growth hormone.
IGF-1 works primarily to build and maintain lean muscle mass, rid the
body of excess fat, and strengthen bones and the central nervous
system.
One of the most exciting benefits of IGF-1 is its ability to
repair peripheral nerve tissue that has been damaged by injury or
illness.
There is a feedback loop between the growth hormone in the
pituitary and IGF-1 in the liver that regulates the increase of HGH
levels at night and the increase of IGF-1 levels during the day. This
physiological process is the reason many body-builders prefer to
combine the two products with a goal of increasing protein synthesis
while reducing protein breakdown.
Those few body builders that have obtained real recombinant IGF-1
report muscle gains of 20 lbs. and more. The magazine Muscle Media
2000 headlines IGF-1 as “Possibly the Most Potent Body-Building
Drug Ever!” The article claims that body builders report a 5% drop
in body fat in a month! Increases in lean body mass/strength are
described as “incredible.”
Not only is IGF-1 responsible for stimulation of muscle mass
formation, but it works in conjunction with HGH to bring the cells in
our body the raw materials they need for renovation and repair.
IGF-1 has also been shown to repair nerve damage, which not only
occurs from accidents, but also from poor nutrition, stress, disease
and pollution. Since our nervous system powers all the other systems
in the body it is important that we receive the proper nutrients for
this, which includes IGF-1.
According to researcher Eric Dupont, Ph.D., “Growth hormone is
the general and growth factors are the foot soldiers.”
Since HGH and IGF-1 work so closely together in the body they
could be an unmatched team when used together as a homeopathic
system. They work together in a synergistic manner enhancing each
others abilities, and although they both do many of the same things,
there are also functions each of them performs that the other does
not.
The price for IGF-1 is currently very high, but the homeopathic
version is able to alleviate a good portion of this cost, and brings
with it the added benefit of safety.
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