Foods That Stimulate Growth Hormones

Claims of the benefits of growth hormone , or GH, include greater muscle mass, increased libido, enhanced energy levels, reduced blood pressure, lowered cholesterol and improved cardiovascular and immune function. Little study has yet been done to confirm these claims. Nevertheless, many people seeking these benefits have turned to growth hormone supplements, especially upon learning that GH levels decline with age, only to find them associated with a host of possible risks and adverse side effects, including joint pain, edema, high blood pressure, heart failure, and the possibility of developing diabetes, A far safer and healthier approach to stimulating growth hormone production may be nutritional.

Foods to Avoid: Fats and Carbs

Somatostatin, or growth hormone inhibiting hormone, increases as insulin levels increase in the blood. Therefore, insulin indirectly lowers growth hormone secretion. Eating simple carbohydrates such as pasta and potatoes that increase insulin levels will decrease growth hormone production. Free fatty acids, as from oils and fatty foods, also lower growth hormone production.

Foods to Eat: Proteins

Amino acids, as found in meats and other natural protein sources, help to promote growth hormone secretion, although a 1993 study in the "International Journal of Sports Nutrition" found that low-dose supplementation of these same amino acids produced no measurable effect on growth hormone levels in male weightlifters. Other natural sources of protein include nuts, beans and legumes.

Fasting, Hunger and Low Blood Sugar

A lack of food may stimulate growth hormone, as well. According to Mark H. Davino, M.D., hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, promotes growth hormone production, and a 2000 study in "Endocrinology" found that an amino acid peptide called ghrelin produced in the stomach and hypothalamus during periods of hunger increased growth hormone secretion. While you wouldn't want to starve yourself to stimulate growth hormone, a conscious fast could produce enough of a low-blood sugar state to safely trigger growth hormone production. Always discuss with your doctor any fast you may be considering before you start it.

Calories

A "Journal of Neurendocrinology" study in rats, however, found that fasting decreased growth hormone secretion. However, the study went on to find that caloric intake following an extended fast, regardless of the form those calories took, stimulated growth hormone releasing factor, a precursor to growth hormone production. While this study was not conducted on humans, it may imply that consuming calories in any form after a fast may promote release into the bloodstream of growth hormone produced during the fast.