Get StartedInsulin-like Growth Factor One (IGF-1), a protein that plays a vital role in not just our physical health, but our mental performance too. When we were babies our bodies produced IGF-1 in the largest quantities. But did you know that monitoring and maintaining optimal levels during adulthood is just as critical? IGF-1, produced in the liver, is the champion of cellular regeneration and repair. It's like the master key that unlocks enhanced exercise capacity, bone density, and muscle mass. But that's not all. It's also a guard, shielding us from heart disease risks. However, there's a flip side. Low IGF-1 levels can take a toll on our bodies, leading to increased body fat, anxiety, depression, decreased sexual function, and low energy. It can even impact our lipid panel.
Insulin like growth factor one. The IGF one is a protein that is produced in the liver through stimulation of growth hormone. You typically see higher IGF one levels during a couple periods in life right after birth. When you go from birth to about one year old, you see a tremendous amount of growth during time period and during puberty. And it's very important in cellular regeneration, it helps with recovery and repair. But what a lot of people fail to recognize is that adults need growth hormone, even after the egg at those time periods in their life, optimal levels of growth hormone and subsequent. The IGF one are important for exercise capacity, bone density, prevent fractures, muscle mass, and even can reduce your risk of heart disease and and heart failure in in the future. Low IgFone levels subsequently can lead to things like higher body fat, anxiety and depression decrease sexual function, low libido, low energy, less muscle, ensures that they can impact your lipid panel, which is probably one of the reasons why appropriate hydrophone levels are associated with a lack of heart disease These things low IGF one levels can lead to a high LDL and triglycerides. So it's very important to optimize these numbers. They Claire's book longevity, right, and he talks about how excessive levels can be risky. Like, he says, there's, like, a healthy range. Right? There is this concern that excessive levels might be associated with side effects like, growth of cartilage, diabetes, swallowing water retention carpal tunnel syndrome, although it hasn't been shown in the literature. Possible to cancer. Typically, what I recommend is to keep levels within the range that is found within the twenty or thirty year old. So two hundred to three hundred nanograms or deciliter. If you keep them within that range, you tend to avoid most of the side effects you see with higher IJF one levels. Most of my page ask as well how can you raise those levels, changing your lifestyle, by leaning up, regular exercise, getting more sleep, these are all associated with higher IGF one levels. There are some supplements that can help you increase your j f one. The most common are glutamine, arginine, lisin, orinthine, However, the only reliable way to really raise these particularly in patients that are older, forty fifty plus, is through hormonal optimization. Hormonal optimization out side of growth hormone, things like tests, thyroid, and DHA can raise IGF worm levels of actually seeing patients who come to me with low testosterone levels and we'll get on to your tee and their g f one levels will improve. In addition, I'm a big fan of a particular injectable amino acid l carnitine, utilizing this has also been shown with an increase in IVF one levels. L carnitine can be administered in two forms. You can inject it, like, intramuscular, or you can take orally. The injectable form is much more absorbable than the oral form. Oral form might get ten to twenty percent, where the injectable, you'll get eighty to ninety percent absorption.
