Increase Human Growth Hormone Naturally

When you read these 3 words, Human Growth Hormone (HGH), what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Injections? A buffed-up body builder? A silver haired sugar daddy trying to delay his body clock to keep up with his 20-something year-old lover? Lol! Sure enough these might be the stereotypical images that pop up into our minds at the mere mention of HGH, however, what many people do not know is that this all-important hormone that is produced in the Pituitary gland within the brain is vital for many areas of Holistic Health in the body of both young, old and all people in between, and there are natural ways to boost it where necessary!

HGH plays a key role in growth, body composition, cell repair, and metabolism. It is more commonly known to increase muscle growth, strength, and exercise performance, while helping the body recover and heal from injury and disease. Low HGH levels may decrease your quality of life, increase your risk of disease, and also make you gain body fat.

Optimal levels of HGH are especially important during weight loss, injury recovery, athletic training, and treatment of some diseases (Cancer patients are advised to steer clear of any HGH supplementation as it promotes cell growth of ALL cells). It has especially become an all-important focus outside of the usual body-building arena of late as the quest for the fountain of youth has spurned an ever-growing market of consumers influencing the now popular “Anti-aging medicine” genre in both the conventional and Natural areas of medicine.

HGH Levels in men by age

Before the age of thirty, normal HGH levels in the body can range from 500-1000 ng/ml. With each subsequent decade, this amount can decline anywhere from 10 to 15 percent, as illustrated in the chart below.

Image Source: National HRT (https://www.hgha.com/hgh-levels-in-men-by-age/)

Interestingly, your diet and lifestyle choices can have a significant impact on your HGH levels.

Here are 7 ways you can boost HGH it naturally:

1. Lose body fat - The amount of fat you carry on your belly is shown to directly relate to your HGH production

2. Intermittent Fasting – Studies show that fasting and intermittent fasting can lead to a major increase in your body’s HGH production (see my very first blog article on Intermittent Fasting)

3. Reduce your sugar intake – this should be practiced to prevent most disease… however in the case of HGH, an increase in insulin secretion has been linked to a reduction in HGH. A ketogenic diet or Paleo-type diet has proven beneficial in reducing insulin.

4. Don’t eat a lot before bed-time - Your body naturally releases significant amounts of HGH, especially at night. Because most foods cause an elevation in insulin levels, some experts suggest avoiding food before going to sleep at night.

5. Take a GABA supplement - As a well-known calming agent for your brain and central nervous system, it's often used to aid sleep. Interestingly, it may also help increase your HGH levels. One study found that taking a GABA supplement led to a 400% increase in HGH at rest and a 200% increase following exercise. The increases however were short-lived.

6. Exercise at High Intensity - Exercise is one of the most effective ways to significantly raise your HGH levels. The increase depends on the type of exercise, intensity, food intake around the workout, and your body’s own genetic influences.

High intensity exercises increases HGH the most, but all forms of exercise are beneficial. These exercises include heavier resistance training of your major muscle groups, not accessory muscles (1), which has shown to significantly increase HGH in men after only 10 mins of training! (2)

7. 11 Foods to increase HGH (and some Testosterone as well)

• Goji berries - with 18 amino acids, 22 minerals, fatty acids, vitamins, and Sesquiterpenoids (phytonutrient), goji berries provide the perfect nutrients for HGH stimulation.

• Pineapple - A bonus is that pineapple also boosts testosterone production at night.

• Fava beans – Rich in L-Dopa, also increase testosterone and Dopamine

• Organic Virgin Coconut Oil – Can spike a surge of HGH in 30-90 minutes. A great booster!

• Grass fed Beef – contains bio-active amino acids, carnitine, and Co-Q10 to help stimulate a significant amount of HGH.

• Yoghurt- unpasteurized, organic yogurt contains L-glutamine to boost HGH levels.

• Eggs – Boost both HGH and Testosterone

• Raw Cacao- Superfood high in Tryptophan to help you sleep and recover better, boosts HGH and Testosterone

• Nuts- high in L-arginine, nuts not only help increase HGH but also improve fat-burning for weight loss and increase vasodilation for a great muscle pump in the gym.

• Watermelon- contains L-citrulline, an amino acid that the body converts to arginine to increase HGH secretion and has a similar effect to the nuts mentioned above.

• Glycine – found naturally in bone broth, or beef gelatine and collagen supplements has shown to improve gym performance and provide short-term spikes in HGH (3)

As you can see, HGH contributes much more to the body’s overall health and wellness than merely building muscles and helping us look younger. If you pay attention to your daily lifestyle and dietary habits and make some necessary changes, maybe you won’t be tempted to go down the path of artificial hormone replacement therapy, and instead, naturally age gracefully, with more energy, all-round health, and the satisfaction in knowing you worked hard for it all yourself!

As always if you have any questions or feedback on this topic, or would like to discuss ways of incorporating these methods into your diet and lifestyle, contact me to arrange a consultation through my contact page or email deenajanenutritionist@gmail.com

In health and love

Deena x

*All information in this article is for education purposes only. Speak to your natural health or general practitioner for more personalised health information before making any drastic changes to your diet and lifestyle.