L
Arginine: An essential amino acid (meaning that the body cannot
create amino acid on its own but must get it from the foods we
eat).
Growth Hormone Effects: Arginine causes the secretion of growth
hormone. In fact, a 15 to 30 gram intravenous infusion of arginine
is used as a standard endocrinological test to provoke the pituitary
into releasing growth hormone.
A study at the University of Turin, Italy, showed that even though
people in their seventies had lower response than either children
or young adults to arginine, the nutrient still boosted their
blood levels of HGH to triple the average for their age group.
Arginine also helps to improve exercise performance, because it
is one of the main ingredients, along with glycine, that the liver
uses to make creatine. Supplements of creatine monohydrate are
very popular in the bodybuilding community because they raise
the level of high-energy creatine phosphates within the muscle
and nerve cells needed for high-intensity, short-duration exercises.
So with arginine you get higher growth hormone levels and the
raw material for increasing your energy.
Arginine appears to stimulate HGH by blocking the secretion of
the growth-hormone inhibitor somatostatin. It also greatly enhances
the effect of growth hormone-releasing hormone when they are given
together.
Positive claims for arginine include increasing fat burning and
building muscle tissue probably through the stimulation of growth
hormone, increasing the weight and activity of the thymus gland,
boosting immunity, fighting cancer, promoting healing of bums
and other wounds, protecting the liver and detoxifying harmful
substances, and enhancing male fertility (almost all of which
are enhanced by CH). It also restores sexual function in impotent
men. In a 1994 study by Drs. A.W. Zorgniotti and E.E Lizza of
the department of urology/surgery at New York University School
of Medicine, six of fifteen men who took 2,800 milligrams of arginine
a day for two weeks had renewed sexual performance, specifically
improved erection, yet none of the men on the placebo did. The
researchers believe that arginine worked because it is a precursor
of nitric oxide, which plays a key role in initiating and maintaining
an erection.
L-Lysine:
An essential amino acid that affects bone formation, height,
and genital function.
Effects on HGH: A 1981 study by Italian researcher A. Isidori,
M.D., and his associates at the University of Rome found that
the combination of 1,200 milligrams of lysine and 1200 milligrams
of arginine pyoglutamate in fifteen male volunteers between the
ages of fifteen and twenty was ten times more effective than taking
arginine alone. According to the researchers, "we could demonstrate
that the association of the two amino acids does result in the
release of biologically active hormone able to affect peripheral
cellular receptors and thus cell growth in general." The fact
that lysine and arginine together were active in oral form, say
the researchers, "is clearly of considerable importance in clinical
and diagnostic practice, where it offers a more practical and
physiological approach."
According to Roy Walford, there is evidence that a combination
of lysine and arginine may increase thymic hormone secretion in
older animals and humans, partially reversing the immunodeficiency
of aging. Again this could be HGH-related. It also effectively
reduced the recurrence of herpes simplex infections at dosages
of 1.25 grams in a 1984 Mayo Clinic study.
L
Glutamine: The most abundant amino acid in the body. It is
a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning that the body may
not be able to synthesize all it needs when it is under physical
stress.
Effects on HGH: Glutamine is the latest amino acid to generate
excitement as a HGH-releaser thanks to a 1995 study by Thomas
C. Welboume of Louisiana State University College of Medicine
in Shreveport. Welbourne showed that a surprisingly small oral
dose of about 2 grams of glutamine raised growth hormone levels
more than four times over that of a placebo. Even more exciting,
age did not diminish the response at least in this small study
of volunteers, who ranged from thirty-two to sixty-four years.
Glutamine is the amino acid that is most used by the body, particularly
during times of stress. The immune system and the gut practically
live on glutamine. If the body does not produce enough glutamine,
muscle loss and immune dysfunction can occur. The gut atrophies,
meaning nutrients all kinds cannot be absorbed as well as before.
A 1993 study by Welbourne in animals showed that glutamine supplementation
protects muscle mass and prevents acidosis, which occurs with
strenuous exercise and causes muscle breakdown. According to Tudy
Shabert, M.D., author of The Ultimate Nutrient Glutamine, supplementation
with glutamine, especially in times of stress, would prevent muscle
wasting. In a foreword to the book, Douglas Wilmore, M.D., of
Harvard Medical School, points out that glutamine is a key to
the metabolism and maintenance of muscle, the primary energy source
for the immune system, and essential for DNA synthesis, cell division,
and cell growth, all factors that are enhanced by HGH. It also
crosses the blood-brain barrier into the brain, where it increases
energy and mental alertness.
High levels of glutamine in the blood translates into greater
health as a 1994 study showed. In a survey of thirty-three people
over the age of sixty, those at the top of the scale of blood
glutamine levels had fewer illnesses, lower cholesterol, lower
blood pressure, and were closer to their ideal weights than people
at the bottom of the scale in this nutrient. The low-glutamine
subjects had higher rates of arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease,
while those who were high in glutamine said that they felt great.
L
Glycine: A nonessential amino acid.
Effects on HGH: Two studies found that this amino acid increased
HGH in the serum. In one, 6.75 grams at bedtime caused an three-fold
increase, while a Japanese research team showed that 30 grams
raised HGH levels ten times over baseline in patients who had
gastric surgery. An oral dose of 250 milligrams in normal volunteers
also showed a significant, but less pronounced, rise in HGH. They
conclude that "the facts demonstrated that glycine is one of the
stimulatory agents inducing the pituitary gland to secrete HGH."
Glycine has also been found useful in increasing output in exercise
workouts.
It may be useful in dampening hyperactive brain activity that
produces spasms. In one study, 1 gram of glycine a day for six
months to one year significantly reduced spasms in all ten patients
with severe chronic spasticity in the legs, including seven with
multiple sclerosis.
L
Pyroglutamate: An amino acid naturally found in vegetables,
fruits, dairy products, and meat. It is also normally present
in large amounts in the human brain, cerebrospinal fluid, and
blood.
Effects on HGH: Pyroglutamate has also been shown to be effective
in alcohol-induced memory deficits, and more recently, in people
affected with multi-infarct dementia. In these patients, the administration
of pyroglutamate brought about a significant increase of attention
and an improvement on psychological tests investigating short-term
retrieval, long-term retrieval, and long-term storage of memory.
A statistically significant improvement was observed also in the
consolidation of memory.
In human subjects, pyroglutamate was compared with a placebo in
a randomized double-blind trial for assessing its efficacy in
treating memory deficits in 40 aged subjects. Twenty subjects
were treated with pyroglutamate and 20 with a placebo over a period
of 60 days. Memory functions were evaluated at baseline and after
60 days of treatment by means of a battery made up of six memory
tasks. The results show that pyroglutamate is effective in improving
verbal memory functions in subjects affected by age-related memory
decline.
L
Tyrosine: An amino acid precursor to epinephrine, norepinephrine
and dopamine, three important brain neurotransmitters involved
in mood, mental function and sex drive.
Effects on HGH: Tyrosine is also used by the thyroid gland for
the production of Thyroxine, a vital hormone involved in regulating
growth, metabolism, skin health and mental state. Clinical studies
indicate that Tyrosine can be helpful in reducing the irritation,
fatigue and depression of PMS sufferers.
Tyrosine is contraindicated for people taking anti-depressants
containing monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, people with high
blood pressure or skin cancer.
Lysine was heralded in early 80's as a treatment for mouth blisters
and cold sores due to its effects on viral growth and reproduction.
L-Lysine aids in the production of antibodies, hormones and enzymes,
maintains the body's nitrogen balance, aids calcium absorption
and is instrumental in the formation of collagen.
GABA
(Gamma-aminobutyric acid): A supplement designed to help decrease
body fat levels and increase lean muscle tissue by stimulating
the brain to secrete increased amounts of Human Growth Hormone
(HGH). GABA was discovered in 1970, as a synthetic compound capable
of passing the blood-brain barrier and useful as an anterior pituitary
stimulant. Later studies demonstrated GABA to be a potent neurotransmitter
and to be an effective potentiator of secretions of Growth Hormone
in athletes.
Effects on Growth Hormone: GABA has been clinically proven to
help the pituitary gland to secrete Human Growth Hormone in athletes.
A second important role GABA plays for athletes can be seen in
its analgesic producing effects. Athletes training and competing
using GABA can expect to experience less discomfort and generally
exhibit a higher threshold of pain tolerance.
Hypothalmus:
GHR is fortified with a purified powder form of the hypothalmus
gland. The manufacturer tested this additive for months before
adding this ingredient to the production line of GHR. The results
of this test were an even increase in the HGH levels of those
tested, with no side effects reported. Again, this is an all-natural
ingredient that derives from bovine and is similar in nature to
the Anterior Pituitary Peptides.