Being in the fitness and mental health field for years as a coach and mentor, I hear some people over forty complain about their discomfort with certain bodily changes. They complain about mood changes, a decline in energy, strength, muscle mass, and sex drive, as well as their lower ability to burn fat as they used to. Those are issues that can’t be ignored. They are not only physically uncomfortable and bothersome symptoms but emotionally distressing. In actuality, these symptoms are associated with lower secretions of growth hormone (GH).
Below we’ll take a deeper look into growth hormone and cover the following topics:
- What’s growth hormone?
- Growth hormone deficiency
- Benefits of growth hormone
- Growth hormone-raising exercises
- Supplements to raise growth hormone
- Lifestyle tips that improve growth hormone levels
- Foods that boost growth hormone
Growth Hormone
Growth hormone – GH (also known as human growth hormone -hGH- or somatotropin) is a peptide hormone made by the pituitary gland and secreted into the bloodstream. It stimulates growth, cell reproduction, cell regeneration, and overall human development. Additionally, GH is used for performance enhancement and as an anabolic agent.
GH influences other hormones as well. It stimulates the production of IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor 1) – a hormone similar to insulin involved in growth and anabolic states. It also affects testosterone – this hormone helps increase muscle mass, fat loss, energy, strength, and libido, and it’s involved in mood, and cardiovascular, bone, and brain health.
GH Deficiency
Unfortunately, hormone production declines over the course of the years. By age 55, growth hormone levels have declined to one-third of what they used to be between the ages of 18 to 35. Some people experience growth hormone deficiency even younger, which brings a wide range of symptoms. Severe deficiencies can reduce people’s ability to function – both physically and psychologically, deteriorating their quality of life.
Symptoms associated with GH deficiency:
- Decreased muscle mass
- Diminished strength
- Increased body fat
- Cholesterol abnormalities
- Issues in the blood and circulation
- Poor bone density
- Low energy and stamina
- Concentration and memory problems
- Lowers testosterone levels
Benefits of Growth Hormone
A recombinant form of hGH called somatropin is used as a prescription drug to treat children’s growth disorders, adult growth hormone deficiency, and growth hormone decline.
GH injections have several benefits:
- Denser bones
- Faster healing
- Increased muscle mass
- Help burn body fat
- Improved strength
- Lowered risk of heart disease
- Increased positive feelings and sexual drive
- Better ability to fight cell degeneration – important for antiaging and immunity
How to Increase Growth Hormone Levels Naturally
Fortunately, there are different ways in which you can increase growth hormone levels naturally as well. You can create huge metabolical changes by modifying your exercise routine, diet, and daily habits.
Growth Hormone-Raising Exercises
One of the greatest growth hormone boosters is exercise. Studies show that there is a linear relationship between the magnitude of the increase in GH release and exercise intensity. However, not all types of exercise affect your hormones equally. Research shows that endurance training /prolonged exercise, such as long-distance cardio, results in decreased resting GH, GH, and IGF-1 levels. Resistance training, on the other hand, results in significantly higher growth hormone stimulation.
Here are some of the protocols needed to elicit higher GH responses:
- Weight training using short rest intervals, heavy loads, and exercise intensity above lactate threshold for a minimum of 10 minutes.
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIITT): In this exercise strategy, you alternate between short periods of intense activity with periods of recovery – a 2:1 ratio of work (30-40 seconds) to recovery (15-20 seconds) is the most common.
Higher-intensity exercises and strength training are not only beneficial for your health and training outcomes but they help reduce the impact of aging. Just be mindful not to overtrain in order to avoid affecting GH negatively. You might benefit from checking out places like personal training gym, Elite Training so that you can get professional advice, support, and motivation. They’ll make sure you’re doing the right amount of training and exercise for your body, so you don’t need to worry that it’s too much, or too little.
Supplements that Help Raise Growth Hormone
Supplementation can aid to raise GH levels. The following are some of the supplements associated with higher GH release:
VITAMIN D
Vitamin D is essential for proper cell replication, immunity system, and mood, as well as for prostate, bone, joint, colon, and digestive support. Additionally, research shows that Vitamin D increases circulating IGF1, which as you learned, influences GH.
MELATONIN
Melatonin is a hormone that’s involved in sleep and blood pressure regulation. Additionally, studies have shown that melatonin supplementation increases basal GH release. You take 1–10 mg 30 minutes before bed, getting started with a lower dose.
ARGININE
Arginine helps to build protein, release nitric oxide in the blood, regulate blood pressure and blood sugar, and ease inflammation in the digestive tract. Additionally, arginine enhances exercise performance and boosts GH. A study showed that taking 1,500 mg of arginine significantly elevated GH during resting conditions.
GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA)
GABA is a non-protein amino acid that functions as a neurotransmitter. It has a calming effect on the brain and helps balance blood pressure and eases anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Research shows that ingesting GABA elevates resting and post-exercise GH by about 400%.
BETA-ALANINE
Beta-Alanine is a non-essential amino acid that can help reduce fatigue and increase muscle endurance and training volume. A study compared the effects of creatine and creatine plus beta-alanine on strength, power, body composition, testosterone, cortisol, growth hormone, and IGF-1. The group taking beta-alanine presented significantly greater improvements in strength, lean body mass, and body fat percentage.
CREATINE
Creatine is a natural supplement that boosts energy and athletic performance and helps build muscle and strength. It can promote brain health and the stabilization of blood sugar too. Research shows that 20 g of creatine enhances GH secretion.
L-DOPA
L-Dopa (or levodopa) is an amino acid produced from the amino acid, L-tyrosine. It’s a precursor of dopamine that plays a role in epinephrine and norepinephrine and has even been used to treat Parkinson’s Disease. Besides increasing dopamine in the brain, research shows that L-dopa stimulates growth hormone secretion.
GLUTAMINE
Glutamine is the most abundant free amino acid in human blood and is used in the biosynthesis of proteins. It is crucial for your immune system, as it fuels white blood cells, and for intestinal health. Glutamine also contributes to gaining muscle and performing physically. Research shows that 2 grams help increase GH levels.
ORNITHINE
Ornithine is a nonprotein amino acid important for conditions that involve an excess of ammonia – liver conditions or prolonged exercise. It has an anti-fatigue effect and even helps with hangovers. Paired with arginine, ornithine helps improve lean mass and power output. Studies show that taking ornithine 30 minutes after strength training increases GH.
Lifestyle Habits that Improve Growth Hormone
STRESS
Stress is a factor related to inadequate GH levels. The negative effects of stress are vast. It devastates your emotional health and disrupts bodily functions and systems. Additionally, it affects the production of growth hormone and many others.
FASTING
Fasting, or refraining from eating, has huge benefits. It helps to lose weight, decreases inflammation (which is associated with chronic disease), improves blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and is great for heart and brain health, as well as longevity. Fasting has even produced great results in delaying tumor growth in animals. Furthermore, research shows that fasting enhances GH secretion.
SLEEP
One of the factors that promote the natural boost of GH is sleep. Studies show that growth hormone is secreted during the delta wave part of sleep and follows your circadian rhythm. It is recommended to get a good night’s sleep since most GH secretions are released by the brain into the bloodstream while you sleep. This is the time in which your body repairs itself.
HEALTHY HABITS BEFORE BEDTIME
Since sleep is directly related to GH, it’s wise to instill habits that facilitate deep sleep. Eating can spike insulin levels which disrupts sleep patterns as well as the release of GH. This is why you should avoid food right before bedtime.
At the same time, sleeping with the phone, computer, or TV on disrupts circadian rhythms. Heavy alcohol and drug use disturb your sleeping cycles too. Try to eat at least 2 hours before you go to sleep and turn off the electronics in your bedroom.
Foods that Boost Growth Hormone
Now that you understand the types of training that increase the release of GH into your system, it’s time to address your diet. The food you consume plays another vital role in your hormonal system. But it’s not only about what you consume, it’s also about what you remove from your diet.
One of the compounds that negatively affect GH is sugar. The regular consumption of processed sugar, commercial sugary snacks, sugary drinks, and baked goods should be avoided because they increase blood sugar levels, decrease GH levels, and facilitate fat storage. Additionally, try to avoid sugar post-workout and before sleeping so you can obtain the GH boost that exercise and sleep can give you.
WATER
Water is not food but it’s an essential compound for survival. Hydration is necessary for proper hormone functioning.
COCONUT OIL
Coconut Oil is very unique since it contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), caprylic acid, lauric acid, and capric acid, which are easily converted to energy. Coconut oil has anti-viral, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal properties. Research shows that MCT increases circulating growth hormone.
RAW CACAO OR DARK CHOCOLATE
Cacao, unlike hot chocolate or a chocolate bar, comes directly from cold-pressed cacao beans and has no added sugar. It is high in healthy fats, magnesium, potassium, iron, and theobromine (a healthy stimulant like coffee). Cacao contains serotonin, phenylethylamine (a neurotransmitter known as “the love drug”), anandamide (a natural antidepressant), and tryptophan (which stimulates dopamine and HGH production).
You can get cacao’s benefits by consuming dark chocolate, adding cacao powder to a smoothie or for hot chocolate, or adding cacao nibs to smoothies, oatmeal, or kefir.
ARGININE-RICH FOODS
Arginine is one of the amino acids that boost GH synthesis. Arginine-rich foods include dairy, red meat, eggs, chicken, turkey, seeds, nuts, legumes, and brown rice.
WHEY PROTEIN
Whey protein is made from whey – the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. Whey protein combined with resistance exercise has been shown to have a significant effect on growth hormones and muscle strength.
COLOSTRUM
Colostrum is the milk secreted during the first few days after a mammal is born. Colostrum contains not only nutrients like proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins, and minerals but also bioactive components like antimicrobial factors and growth factors, such as insulin-like growth factors I (IGF-I).
IGF-I can mimic most effects of GH and GH’s effects on skeletal muscle are mediated by IGF-I. Studies show that colostrum increases blood IGF-I concentration, positively affecting GH.
RAW DAIRY
As you know whey and colostrum are dairy products high in nutrients. Other great dairy options that help boost HGH production are greek yogurt and kefir but you must consume high-quality clean sources to get all their benefits. Commercial milk processing (pasteurization, homogenization, and centrifugation) denatures bioactive proteins and RNA molecules and alters the bioavailability of fat-soluble components. It also contains antibiotics, pesticides, and synthetic growth hormones.
A better alternative is raw milk. It’s very nutritious because it has bioactive components, including whey proteins, transcription factors, immunoglobulins, omega-3 fats, and microRNAs. Raw milk consumption is associated with hormonal, gut, and lung health, and a lower incidence of asthma and allergic diseases. Check out a US listing of raw milk near you. If you can’t find raw dairy products, at least choose organic.
GRASS-FED ORGANIC BEEF
Beef is powerful, containing beneficial fatty acids (CLA- conjugated linoleic acid), iron, selenium, zinc, and vitamins B12, B3, B6, and E filthy. However, not all beef is the same. Conventional beef, unlike organic beef, contains harmful pesticides, genetic engineering (GMOs), bacteria, and antibiotics. Not to mention that the animals live in filthy confined factory farms and are fed corn and soy.
Additionally, there is grass-fed and grass-finished beef. Grass-fed animals are fed grass most of the year but can receive supplemental grain feed while grass-finished animals graze on grass in the summer and alfalfa in the winter. The best beef is the one labeled organic, 100% grass-fed, grass-finished, and free-range.
EGGS
Eggs help provide the good cholesterol needed for hormone production. Eggs are also loaded with vitamins, amino acids, DHA, and EPA that help promote HGH secretion. It’s best to buy free-range organic eggs instead of conventional ones.
ALGAE
Various algae that you find in the ocean are consumable and highly nutritious. They help alkalize and detox your body and have anti-inflammatory properties, high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, and essential amino acids.
These algae help amplify GH release as well. Some of the most powerful algae are spirulina, chlorella, or blue-green algae.
NUTS
Nuts provide a boost of L-Arginine to stimulate HGH and testosterone secretion. They are very convenient and easy to incorporate into your diet.
LEGUMES
Legumes are a great plant-based source of protein, fiber, and arginine. Fava beans are rich in L-Dopa and are a powerful option for increasing HGH levels.
MELATONIN-RICH FOODS
Melatonin-rich foods increase melatonin secretion at night. As mentioned, melatonin helps you sleep longer and deeper which is associated with enhanced HGH production. Melatonin-rich foods can increase GH release by up to 157%. Some of them include milk, eggs, fish, mustard seeds, tomatoes, nuts, grapes, tart berries, goji berries, pomegranates, watermelons, raspberries, and pineapples.
- Goji Berries: Goji berries are at the top of the HGH-producing food list. Goji berries contain vitamins, 22 minerals, essential fatty acids, and 18 amino acids.
- Watermelon: Watermelon is high in L-Citrulline amino, an amino acid that converts to Arginine and promotes GH.
- Pineapples: Pineapple is not only high in melatonin. It’s a great source of serotonin – a feeling-good neurotransmitter that can relax you and help you sleep. Having some pineapple at night 30 – 60 minutes before bedtime can increase GH and testosterone production.
CONCLUSION
In the quest to get the benefits associated with growth hormone, there are specific steps you should take. Following the suggestions above will help to boost GH. Incorporate the right foods, supplements, and GH-enhancing workouts, sleep enough, fast periodically, and deal with stress adequately to elicit hormonal responses that raise GH. In this manner, you will be more apt to gain more muscle, lose fat, remain strong, have a healthy sex drive, be in better spirits, and experience more antiaging properties.
To a Fitter Healthier You
The Fitness Wellness Mentor
