Diet and Health


 The Food We Eat and How We Live Influences Our Health 

Why A Plant Based Diet?

There are numerous studies and reasons why we should consider moving towards a plant focused diet.

Those who consume no meat or dairy products as their source of protein have lower Levels of IGF-1

What is IGF-1? 

GF-1 stands for insulin-like growth factor 1. It is a hormone with a similar structure to insulin. IGF-1 is a cell growth-promoter, important during childhood, contributing to brain development and muscle and bone growth. Growth hormone (GH) from the pituitary gland stimulates IGF-1 production in the liver; IGF-1 levels peak during our teen years and twenties, and then levels decline with age.

How does Food Affect Levels?

  • Circulating IGF-1 is also regulated by dietary protein intake.
  • Because animal protein is more biologically complete, it has high levels of all essential amino acids, so can trigger excessive body production of IGF-1,
  • Plant protein does not influence excessive production of IGF-1. There are plant compounds that influence blood sugar levels.
  • High-glycemic, refined carbohydrates can also raise IGF-1.

So What is the Ideal Adult IGF-1 Level?

  • For most adults, keeping IGF-1 below 175 ng/ml is desirable,
  • Below 150 ng/ml should be even more protective.

Some Interesting Facts

  • Levels over 175 indicate risk of cancer developing
  • Levels increase as you age and with it the risk of cancer.
  • Levels plateau at 85 years and then start to drop decreasing the likelihood of dying from cancer
  • Each year you create your entire body weight with new cells
  • Every day 50 billion cells die and 50 billion are born and this balance must be maintained
  • Cells don’t get larger as you grow, they become more numerous.
  • Adipose cells are fixed in number but get larger as they fill with lipids.
  • As an adult you have 40 trillion cells whereas a child has 10 trillion cells.
  • In adults extra cell growth can mean the development of tumours.
  • The body keeps this in balance by sending chemical signals to all cells with the main one being IGF- 1
  • Levels go up during childhood in order to power up cell division.
  • As an adult if your IGF -1  levels diminish in order to tell your body to stop producing more cells than it kills off.
  • If IGF-1 levels remain high at adulthood your cells will constantly receive the message to grow, divide and keep growing. Therefore the higher the levels the greater the risk of tumours.

 

How can we Down Regulate IGF -1 ?

  • Lower our intake of animal protein as they stimulate IGF-1 production
  • Intermittant fasting. Case of the doctor who went on a 5 day controlled fast starting at IGF-1 190 and at the end down to 187
  • Experiments conducted where groups of people eliminated all animal fats, dairy products, and eggs replacing all protein content to plant based proteins and within 10 days had reduced IGF – 1 levels by 20%.

DISCLAIMER : Hira Laboratories will not be held responsible for the use or misuse of any information written here or any products listed. We recommend that either a qualified herbalist or your animal professional carry out diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Herbal remedies must not be given not be taken in conjunction with other medication with out consulting a medical professional.

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