Growth Factors
What IGF1 Does
IGF1 is one of our most important growth hormones, called 'the balm for our cells.' Discover how it supports bone density, muscle strength, and even heart regeneration.
Growth Factors
IGF1 is one of our most important growth hormones, called 'the balm for our cells.' Discover how it supports bone density, muscle strength, and even heart regeneration.
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IGF1 stands for Insulin-like Growth Factor 1. It is called insulin-like because the effects of IGF1 and insulin overlap in body tissues.
Their receptors are so similar that IGF1 can also bind to the insulin receptor and vice versa. Insulin is therefore not "evil", as is often assumed, but within a physiological range — like everything else in the body — it is actually health-promoting.
IGF1 activates cell-preserving, growth-promoting signaling pathways in tissues. In this way...
Not so insignificant, right?!
There are essentially two factors on which IGF1 concentration in the blood significantly depends. One is nighttime sleep — and the other is the amount of protein in food.
At night, during deep sleep, a different growth hormone is released from the pituitary gland, Human Growth Hormone, or HGH for short, also known as somatropin. It is responsible for us feeling refreshed, well-rested, and "put back together" in the morning. Aha!
But one of the main functions of HGH has a slightly longer-lasting effect: It stimulates the liver to produce IGF1 — restorative sleep thus not only works acutely, but also sustainably promotes "more balm for the tissues."
By the way, both are reasons why anti-aging clinics still inject HGH today...
As mentioned, it has been known for decades that proteins also positively influence IGF1 levels. Therefore: Good protein supply is a prerequisite for having enough IGF1 in your blood.
Of course, everything should be in moderation. Unfortunately, that is not always a given in our western society. Where God invented hormonal glands, He also invented receptors, by means of which the tissues can also "absorb" these hormones.
We know this from insulin: Insulin is important and health-promoting. Chronically elevated insulin, caused by the fact that tissues no longer take it up (insulin resistance), is disease-causing.
That's exactly why the equation involves not just increased IGF1 production, but also its decrease. That is, through a consumer. In most cases, the primary consumer is the muscle. Including the heart muscle.
Both skeletal muscle and heart muscle form significantly more IGF1 receptors when subjected to heavy stress. This also makes sense: A heavily stressed muscle must constantly be regenerated and rebuilt.
And then miracles happen. One such miracle happened to a PhD sports scientist who lost about 16% of healthy heart tissue through scarring after a heart attack caused by thrombosis. (cf. [source no longer available])
But he didn't give up. Instead, he exercised intensively. Through high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on a stationary bike. Starting at a training level equal to that of a beginner.
After just about three months, the tissue damage to the heart could be reduced by approximately 40% — new, healthy, contractile heart tissue had formed.
Today we know that the "heart responds to increased work stress with physiological hypertrophy, cardiac stem cell activation, and the formation of new muscle cells." Groundbreaking. (cf. [source no longer available], [source no longer available])
Until now, it was assumed that the lazy stem cells in the heart could not be mobilized at all. However, we now know that intense exercise drastically increases the formation of new heart cells.
Through increased IGF1 activity.
More on this in the linked Instagram post at the end of this newsletter.
Isn't that sensational? Here again it is shown that those who put in the effort are rewarded. Those who want to get something, get it.
One could start by learning something about high-quality protein. That was the topic of our recent article.
