Hello Johnny,
I was able to obtain the chart Jeff references in the e-mail excerpted
above. Because of user restrictions, I cannot link to the entire
article (it is a subscription service), but I can provide the chart
under the Fair Use clause of the US Copyright Act:
IGF Chart
http://www.darkfriends.net/princessmoo/extras/IGF.jpg
The chart can be found in the Willimas Textbook of Endocrinology:
Williams Textbook of Endocrinology
by Robert Hardin Williams (Editor), P. Reed Larsen (Editor), Jean D.
Wilson, Melmed Shlomo, Daniel W. Foster, Henry M. Kronenberg
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0721691846/qid=1058814142/
Jeff notes that the mean (average) "normal" level of IGF-1 for a
healthy 21 year old male is 400 ng/ml. This may or may not be a
"normal" level *for you* - IGF-1 levels vary from person to person.
There is a range of values considered to be "normal" - for persons
aged 16 - 24, the normal range is from 182-780 ng/ml.
[ see chart: LEVELS OF CIRCULATING IGF-1 BLOOD SERUM LEVELS -
http://www.hgh-best-results.com/Research.cfm ]
"The ideal target for IGF-1 should be 280-400 mcg/ml (slightly higher
in females). Normally, this is the value for 20-25 year olds. We find
there is a wide variety of levels based on life-style and diet.
Generally the normal values drop about 10% per decade."
What Should The IGF-1 Be?
http://www.anti-aging.org/igf.html#What%20should%20the%20IGF-1%20be?
Jeff cautions that it is very important that you discuss your levels
with your physician, as they can be affected by your current
medications and supplements, as well as any conditions you might have.
The "why" of whether your level is appropriate for you depends
largely on those factors. There is no single "best" level, only
what's best for each individual.
Your current level of 229 is within the normal range.
Higher IGF-1 levels are not necessarily better. Investigating
further, I found that excessive levels of IGF-1 are actually quite bad
for you, having been linked to acromegaly (a condition linked to too
much growth hormone) and several forms of cancer:
"[...]excessive IGF-1 levels can make you very, very sick and yes,
they can actually kill you! High IGF-1 levels in children who are not
yet fully grown cause gigantism and excessive levels in adults are
associated with acromegaly. Acromegaly is not a fun thing with such
manifestations as fatigue, coarse facial features, headaches,
decreased vision, congestive heart failure, kidney stones, joint
pains, and of particular interest to young men, impotence and a lack
of sexual desire. It is said that acromegalics look more like each
other than like their own family members. As a matter of fact, some
pictures of bodybuilders on GH enhancers look suspiciously like the
classic depictions of acromegalics. Acromegalics also have higher
incidence of cancer especially colon cancer and pituitary tumors.
[...]
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health reported a connection
between cancer risk and high IGF-1 levels in 1995. In 1998 researchers
at the Harvard School of Public Health reported that a high IGF-1
level is the single most important risk factor for prostate cancer and
that high IGF-1 levels were present many years before the cancer was
actually diagnosed. Other researchers have found that high IGF-1
levels combined with high testosterone levels are a potent risk. High
IGF-1 levels have also been implicated as strong risk factors in
breast and colon cancers and now lung cancer is about to be officially
added to this list. Recent research has shown that artificially
increasing IGF-1 levels in mice accelerates the growth of cancerous
tumors."
GH Enhancers: Are They Worth the Risk?
http://www.yourhealthbase.com/growrewb.html
"In January 1998, scientists at the Harvard Medical School published
the results of a major study finding that people with elevated, but
still normal, levels of IGF-1 were at greater risk for several kinds
of cancer, including prostate cancer. Another study published in the
May 1998 issue of The Lancet linked IGF-1 to increased risk for breast
cancer in women."
EMS Biotech
http://www.ems.org/biotech/bovine_growth_hormone.html
"Overgrowth of bone and cartilage often leads to arthritis. When
tissue thickens, it may trap nerves, causing carpal tunnel syndrome,
characterized by numbness and weakness of the hands. Other symptoms of
acromegaly include thick, coarse, oily skin; skin tags; enlarged lips,
nose and tongue; deepening of the voice due to enlarged sinuses and
vocal cords; snoring due to upper airway obstruction; excessive
sweating and skin odor; fatigue and weakness; headaches; impaired
vision; abnormalities of the menstrual cycle and sometimes breast
discharge in women; and impotence in men. There may be enlargement of
body organs, including the liver, spleen, kidneys and heart.
The most serious health consequences of acromegaly are diabetes
mellitus, hypertension, and increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Patients with acromegaly are also at increased risk for polyps of the
colon that can develop into cancer."
Acromegaly
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/endo/pubs/acro/acro.htm
"Does IGF-1 promote cancer? In January of this year a Harvard study of
15,000 white men published in SCIENCE reported that those with
elevated
--but still normal --levels of IGF-1 in their blood are 4 times as
likely
as average men to get prostate cancer.[1] The SCIENCE report ends
saying,
"Finally, our results raise concern that administration of GH [growth
hormone] or IGF-1 over long periods, as proposed for elderly men to
delay
the effects of aging, may increase risk of prostate cancer."
Discussion at sare.com
http://www.sare.org/htdocs/hypermail/html-home/24-html/0386.html
It would appear quite important that IGF-1 levels are *not*
artificially raised, due to possible immunodeficiency, in addition to
the cancer and diabetes risks:
"High levels of IGF-1 are also associated with decreased immune
function, thus it may be unwise to raise blood levels of IGF-1 way
above normal levels, as was reported in the Science 1998 retrospective
study associating prostate cancer with IGF-1. The men in that study
men had three times the normal levels of IGF-1 in their blood, thus
although the men were near 60 years old, their blood levels of IGF-1
were near those of an 18-year-old.
Toxicity caused by too much hGH is a greater concern than cancer. In
the 1930s, Sir Frank Young produced permanent diabetes in dogs by
disrupting their internal balancing forces. He administered
consistently increased doses of approximately 600 to 1000 milligrams
(mg) of active GH over a 20-day time period to dogs that weighed
approximately 33 pounds. The dogs developed diabetes very rapidly, and
even after the growth hormone was no longer delivered to them, their
diabetes never went away. A permanent state of disruption occurred
that injured the pancreas and destroyed feedback control mechanisms.
In the early 1990s, clinical studies on injectable rhGH also caused
permanent insulin-dependent diabetes in HIV-infected individuals
trying to gain lean body mass. Other double-blind placebo controlled
studies with HIV-infected individuals injecting hGH and IGF-1 caused
more loss of lean mass, loss of weight and even death than occurred in
the placebo group. Higher than normal concentrations of these hormones
in the body obviously lead to imbalances that can be toxic and life
threatening."
Homeopathic recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), safety, toxicity
and questions about cancer
Barbara Brewitt, Ph.D., Seattle WA
http://www.biomedcomm.com/sci_edu/art_wellbeing_cancer.html
There are home test kits available for measuring IGF-1 levels - the
lab sends you a sampling kit, you return your specimin to them (a
saliva sample), and they will forward your test results and how to
interpret them back to you:
IGF-1 (somatomedin) Test Kit
http://www.meadlabs.com/igf1.html
HGG Hormone Summary
http://www.meadlabs.com/hormones3.html
A word of caution: these tests should be thoroughly explained to you
by your primary physician, and used for informational purposes only,
*not* self-diagnosis or self treatment. It's important for your test
results to be explained by someone who is familiar with your medical
history, so he can answer your specific questions about the "why" of
your results.
I hope this helps! Please don't hesistate to ask if you need further
assistance!
--Missy
Search terms: [ IGF-1 "normal levels" ] and several phone calls. |
