You've heard about human growth hormone being used by athletes. It's also created naturally in people. The right diet and exercise can encourage creation of HGH, helping you feel younger, stronger and more invigorated.

There has been increase in the use of and talk about Human Growth Hormone (hGH) as a way to stay younger, stronger and more active as we age.  However, supplements are rarely as good as they sound when they are first introduced to the market, especially when it’s a product that the FDA has not approved.

The hormone hGH is actually created naturally in the brain by the pituitary gland. The pituitary is found in the anterior (front) portion of the pituitary gland, which believe it or not is only the size of a pea and yet regulates all other endocrine glands and hormones of the body.  As its name suggests, growth hormone has largely been associated with the function of growth. Until recently scientists believed that puberty was a cut-off point, with human growth hormone (hGH) playing no part in growth or any other function after that. Recent evidence suggests, however, that human growth hormone (hGH) is involved in many physiological processes throughout life, including the turnover of muscle, bone and collagen, the regulation of fat metabolism and the maintenance of a healthier body composition in later life.   These functions are vital to health and wellness making hGH vital to health and wellness.

Recognizing the importance of maintaining a proper hGH balance in the body is the first step, learning how to maintain it is the second.  There are three main components to naturally regulating proper growth hormone:

1.  There are some lifestyle changes which have been well recognized to improve production of hGH. If you follow the “go to bed late, wake up early” schedule, you are sabatoging your efforts at producing the hGH your body needs.  The highest secretion of hGH occurs during the hours of sleep before midnight. This may explain the old wives' tale that one hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours after.

2.  Diet is the second lifestyle change that needs to be addressed to maximize hGH production.  Insulin blocks hGH production, so anything that can be done to keep insulin levels low will be very helpful. Keeping carbohydrate intake low will assist in keeping insulin levels low. Amount of food eaten at each sitting is also critical. In general, people who eat smaller meals are healthier and live longer than people who eat as much as they can at each sitting. Eating after 6pm inhibits hGH production. With this in mind it now makes sense to eat your largest most substantial meal for breakfast followed by a hearty lunch and dinner of light carbohydrates with vegetables, salads and fruits.

It makes sense then if insulin represses the release of hGH and hGH is vital for health and wellness and hGH is mainly secreted at night, do not eat carbohydrates at night before bed.

3.  Exercise stimulates production of hGH. The ideal time to exercise is first thing in the morning on rising when one should do whatever is possible without causing muscle weakness or delayed fatigue. Interestingly the best exercise for optimal hGH production is weight training. According to ACSM, American College of Sports Medicine, every muscle in the body should be trained with resistance training two times per week.
Above you have read the natural methods to increase hGH in the body and to optimize the health results of the hormone but of course, where there is a will there is a way and where there is monetary gain there is a will.  Science has found a way to create an injectable or liquid version of hGH produced outside the body that can be taken as a supplement.

BUT WAIT, IS IT WORTH IT?

The most common side effect of the use of hGH is acromegaly, a condition that begins with the overgrowth of facial bone and connective tissue, leading to a changed appearance due to protruding jaw and eyebrow bones. This condition also leads to an abnormal growth of the hands and feet with an increased growth of hair all over the body. Contrary to increasing your life, this condition will shorten life expectancy considerably.

Mentioned here are just some of the known side effects of the undue use of hGH:

• Acromegaly (as described in detail above)
• Premature death (in case of acromegaly)
• Heart enlargement (due to prolonged use of HGH. Can't be reversed)
• Low blood sugar with risk of going into a diabetic coma
• Excessive hair growth all over the body
• Excessive water retention
• Liver damage
• Thyroid damage

As usual, it is this writer’s opinion that supplements should be taken as a last resort and only as medically recommended.  The first choice should be a healthy diet and wellness program.

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By Christina Leon, Staff Writer