Human Growth Hormone. Like many of the health and fitness products that have been marketed during recent times, there is probably as much misunderstanding about this substance as there is actually understanding about it.
Of course the high profile stories revolving around athletes like Barry Bonds have helped to bring HGH to the forefront in the world of muscle building and performance enhancement, but let’s take a minute to look at what HGH is, how it can help support muscle growth and anti-aging, and how you can, or can’t get a supply for yourself.
First of all, HGH is made by your body. It is excreted by the pituitary gland in the brain and it helps to regulate the growth of your cells. Everything from your bones to your muscles is affected by the amounts of HGH in your body.
When you are young and still growing, this HGH production is quite significant, but as you age, the production slows down. The decrease in the production of HGH is one of the main theories surrounding our process of aging. As far as building muscle, HGH is key in this process as it signals the release of a hormone called IGF-1 which is which can directly affect protein synthesis with the muscles, thereby increasing their ability to grow. Not too hard to understand.The confusion comes when you jump out into the marketplace. Just about every health and fitness website or store offers a product that features HGH as an ingredient and it promises to be your super source of muscle building HGH.
Well guess what? You can only get HGH by prescription from your doctor. (Legally, anyway.) So how do these marketers get away with making bold claims about HGH in their products? Well, many of them are simply lying or there are such trace amounts of HGH included in the product that it would have little or no affect on your ability to build muscle or stay “young” at all.
For instance, the average 40 year old man produces about 400,000 nanograms of HGH per day. The legal dosage available for over the counter sale is 2000 nanongrams. You are basically wasting your money if you are purchasing HGH as a supplement. Sad, but true.
The fact is, some doctors can and do prescribe HGH regularly. The hormone can be effective for certain disorders, especially stunted growth in children. While it IS possible to obtain the hormone by prescription, you had better be ready to break out your wallet as prescription HGH can be incredibly expensive. Expect to pay between $800 and $2,500 per month. Even then, its ability to directly affect muscle growth and achieve the positive results you want are not guaranteed.
The fact is, you can increase your body’s natural production of HGH simply through intense exercise, making sure you drink plenty of water (dehydration severely restricts HGH production), getting enough sleep, AND eating a quality diet that provides plenty of protein and amino acids. This route is much cheaper, is proven to work, AND it doesn’t require a visit to the doctor.
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