Insulin

Insulin has a direct relationship with sex hormones, and sex hormones have a direct relationship with insulin.  DHEA, estrogen, progesterone and thyroid hormones are all very important for the regulation of glucose (blood sugar) in one’s body.

Diabetes and insulin resistance are constantly on the rise being the a hub of many other associated diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease…all leading to the term Metabolic Syndrome or Syndrome X.

Insulin, often thought of with its relationship with diabetes is a major clog in the wheel of health, beginning with glucose, or the sugar in the blood.

When ones blood sugar is mis-managed by eating too many carbohydrates, sugar stays in the blood and is not deposited in the cells efficiently to be used for energy.  As the sugar (glucose) continues to circle freely in the blood stream the body’s response is to begin kicking out more and more insulin to take the glucose our of the blood stream and into the cells or even in the liver for storage in the form of glycogen.

With the continued out pouring of insulin, the body becomes resistant to its presents, and it suddenly takes more and more insulin to give the same response.  Eventually the cells that create the insulin become destroyed, and worst case scenario the individual becomes dependant on insulin therapy.

Melatonin

Melatonin is not just for sleep and you might be surprised all the different ways melatonin can affect your health.

Melatonin can be measured, and as one ages, levels normally decrease.  As you will see levels of melatonin being too low or too high do have consequences, so if you are supplementing, measured levels can be of benefit.

Melatonin is created through a pathway from the amino acid, tryptophan.  Tryptophan does require adequate B vitamins to help the conversion to melatonin.  So if one does not eat an adequate supply of B vitamin rich foods or do not take extra supplementation, one’s body might be deficient in melatonin.

Another interesting point to mention is that melatonin has found to be lower in patients with heart disease than in healthy people; and if you supplement and your levels become too high you can end up suppressing estrogen and testosterone in your body.

Human Growth Hormone (HGH)

HGH has beginning gaining increasing interest over the last few years from the benefits of ‘anti-aging’ to weight loss as well as the fears of increasing certain cancer factors.

One thing is for sure is that HGH is one of the key factors in maintaining our metabolism as we age.

HGH is produced in the pituitary gland and is the most abundant hormone produced in the pituitary, and it reaches its peak in the body during adolescence.  This makes sense since it helps to stimulate growth in the body, although there is an increasing amount of other evidence that the benefits of HGH does not stop with growth.

In adulthood, HGH is usually produced in short bursts during deep sleep which would lead us to believe that deficiencies in healthy sleep could lead to deficiencies in HGH production.

Benefits of HGH 

  • Critical for tissue repair, muscle growth, and healing
  • Critical for brain function, physical and mental health
  • Supports bone strength
  • Benefits enzyme production, blood sugar regulation, sexual function, energy and metabolism
  • Can help DNA cells to repair due to suffering free radical attack

Downside to HGH

HGH triggers IGF-1 (insulin growth factor). Increases in IGF-1 are correlated with the potential to stimulate cancer-cell growth, which have lead many health care practitioners to shy away from the injection form.

Natural Alternatives

Alpha GPC and Transtropin D (an amino acid blend) have both shown to increase endogenous growth hormone, and Transtropin D has actually shown to decrease IGF-1 which aside from decreasing the cancer growth factor might possible benefit with issues of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.