The predominant
Growth Factor
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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