Deer antler velvet is essentially a growth hormone called "insulin-like growth factor 1," or IGF Growth hormones, which are naturally produced by the brain and liver, regulate how our bodies grow. If the body doesn't produce enough growth hormones, dwarfism can occur; too much, and a person may get acromelagy, a type of gigantism.
See a human-body interactive. Doctors give growth hormones to young people with stunted growth, but they don't recommend it for athletes or bodybuilders, according to Spyros Mezitis, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. That's because many athletes take several times the recommended dosage, which can result in adverse effects, Mezitis said. For example, too much IGF-1 may cause tendons to become too tight and break or may disrupt how the body metabolizes fats and sugars.
A recent study found that taking IGF-1 supplements is linked to improving cartilage damage in joints due to repetitive trauma, Popovitz said. Even so, such studies are still very preliminary, and growth hormone research is still unproven, he cautioned. At the moment, deer antler velvet is available as an unregulated supplement. IGF-1 affects how the body repairs itself. First, the hormone aids in building up a matrix or base—essentially a building block of protein—that's needed for cells to grow.
Then, the substance increases the number of new cells that accumulate on that base, which get busy healing the injury. IGF-1 has shown promise for helping kids with stunted growth or people with dwarfism, as well as for healing cartilage or tendon injuries.
It should not be used without a doctor's care, especially as a performance enhancer. But as far as linebacker Lewis goes, since he's "looking to improve his recovery, I don't think he's necessarily doing anything wrong," noted Popovitz. The powdered form is now available in most western countries and marketed as a general tonic, an anti-stress aid and also as a medication for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
It's only available to buy outside the UK, but at least one supplier provides an address, contact details and states that they ship to the UK. Laboratory and animals studies have shown that pilose, a protein found in antler velvet, has an anti-inflammatory effect. Antler velvet is also rich in chondroitin sulphate , collagen and glucosamine sulphate.
The properties and make-up of the compound could make it a useful treatment in a variety of types of arthritis. No major side-effects have been reported in previous studies on humans lasting six months.
Androgenic male hormone type side-effects have been noted in animal studies. You might like these. Let's connect Follow for the latest in natural health, clean beauty, eco living and more. Join our community Stay updated with the latest in natural health and wellness. Email Address. In another randomized, double blind, placebo controlled experiment Broeder, , 38 males, all of whom were experienced weightlifters, entered a 10 week strength training program. Those who took deer antler velvet experienced an increase in peak torque and average power relative to the placebo group.
They also experienced unexpected improvements in aerobic performance. Other studies reported an increase in heart strength and volume of blood pumped, while cardiac output, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, pulse pressure, central venous pressure and other parameters remained unchanged.
Researchers theorize that the deer antler velvet may improve blood supply to muscles or act as an anti-inflammatory, allowing athletes to recover faster from training sessions. In an experiment Gerard, conducted to study muscle damage and repair, 20 males ran for 35 minutes on a downhill treadmill. The participants, who were not trained runners, were pre-treated with deer antler velvet or a placebo 14 days prior to the run. The subjected treated with deer velvet showed that their creatine kinase levels, a marker of muscle damage, was significantly lower than the control group.
Also, muscle soreness on average was reported to be gone 24 hours before subjects in control. Deer antler velvet's effects on cell growth and repair have been investigated in several areas. Deer antler velvet may be a natural source of hormones for those seeking aid to muscle growth and development.
The two hormones are very closely related. The pituitary gland produces HGH, which travels to the liver and other surrounding tissues where it begins the synthesis and stimulates the production of IGF IGF-1 promotes both muscle hypertrophy growth and hyperplasia formation of new muscle cells. Herein lies an important distinction between IGF-1 and anabolic steroids.
Although anabolic steroids increase muscle cell growth, it does not create new muscle cells. In childhood, IGF-1 is important for growth the highest levels in humans occur during puberty. In adults, it has anabolic effects. IGF-1 aids growth and stops cell death in normal ranges. The hormone stimulates growth in most cells of the body, including skeletal muscle, cartilage, bone, nerves and skin. It increases the number and size of cells. This makes IGF-1 very important for building muscle and for reducing muscle loss due to aging or disease.
It should be noted that because IGF-1 stimulates growth of all types of cells without differentiation, people with cancer or people who are prone to cancer should never take IGF-1 as it can very negative effects.
IGF-1 also plays a role in recovery and fat loss. It speeds cell repair and muscle regeneration. It reduces body fat by stopping insulin from moving glucose through the body, resulting in the body using fat as a source of energy instead of glucose. A study conducted by Suttie and Haines in found that animals fed high levels of active deer antler velvet extract grew significantly faster than a control group.
The animals also experienced increased liver weight and a higher bone calcium content. In a randomized, placebo controlled test in , researchers at the University of Alberta, Canada, placed 18 males from the Edmonton Police Force into a 9 week strength training program. The results showed that deer antler velvet increased the strength and endurance of the subjects relative to the control group.
The researchers found that use of deer antler velvet significantly increased blood plasma testosterone levels. Similar clinical studies performed on players from the University of Alberta football team also showed that deer antler velvet supplementation increased the levels of testosterone, and built and toned muscle. Research has been conducted on the potential use of deer antler velvet for healing of wounds. In Russia Arapov, , Pantocrin was administered to patients with surgical and internal wounds.
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