ProBLEN B2G1

About HGH Releasers

By Lisa Wells, RN

HGH releasers

All the non-prescription HGH products that are digested; the capsules, tablets, and powders are called releasers. They may also be called secretagogues or precursors. Such products are dietary supplements that are regulated by the FDA's food laws.

The main ingredients in the HGH releasers are amino acids, and some also contain vitamins and herbs.

Ingredients in HGH Releaser Supplements

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. Bodybuilders and athletes have been taking the same amino acids for years, long before there were any HGH supplements, and they still take those same amino acids now.

We receive amino acids in food, especially meats, and in various health supplements and protein powders.

As previously stated, many of the releaser type products also contain vitamins. Other ingredients that may be found in releaser products are herbs such as ginkgo and ginseng.

We know that certain nutrients and herbs can provide benefits such as increased energy and improved memory so it may be that some of these ingredients are added to a product to make it appear to be more effective.

For instance, increased energy and improving memory are two of the most popular benefits of increasing human growth hormone in the body, so if the person taking such a product notices these benefits he may think that his HGH level is increasing, when in reality he is only experiencing the benefits of the other ingredients.

Seeing these improvements is great, however, the person taking such a product may be missing out on other benefits that can only manifest when the body has more growth hormone to work with.

Large Doses of Amino Acids Are Needed

Some amino acids have indeed been found to stimulate the release of growth hormone. However, the amount of each amino acid that would need to be digested would be so much that one or two capsules wouldn't hold it and so most digestible products do not contain the amounts of each amino acid that may be required for the stimulation of growth hormone release.

For instance, the recommended daily amount of arginine to take is 2 to 3 gms per day, that's 2000 to 3000 mgs per day.

The recommended amount of glutamine needed to stimulate the pituitary gland is 1.5 to 6 gms per day.

Also, in the clinical studies that showed successful stimulation of the pituitary gland to release HGH the amino acids were injected directly into the bloodstream (IV) of the patients, they were not given by mouth, and so it is doubtful that the results would be the same since the releasers go through the digestive tract.

Above I have included information about only two of the amino acids that may stimulate growth hormone release along with more information you should want to know about. You should also seek information about the other amino acids and ingredients found in any capsule or powder supplement you are considering.

The most common amino acids that are used in these products are:

L-Arginine Pyroglutamate
L-Glutamine
Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
Glycine
L-Lysine
L-Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
L-Tyrosine

*Before buying any product that is in capsule, tablet, or powder form find out how much of each ingredient it contains. Most do not contain the amounts needed to stimulate the pituitary gland.

The Dangers of Large Doses of Amino Acids

Taking large doses of amino acids can cause kidney and liver damage. Their breakdown can cause a buildup of ammonia in the liver, which is toxic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that once the body uses the amino acids it requires any excess amino acids will enter an oxidative cycle. During this cycle the kidneys must process and expel the excess from the body. This increased workload may possibly lead to kidney damage.

Nitrogen balance after processing amino acids is also related to kidney function. Harris R. Lieberman, et al. noted in "Nutritional Neuroscience" that the body's nitrogen balance is the result of amino acid intake minus the amount of nitrogen the body excretes. If too many amino acids are ingested, especially if it is an unbalanced over-consumption, the body will begin excreting more amino acids than it takes in, which leads to a negative nitrogen balance.

High doses of arginine can cause stomach upset and people with herpes virus should not take it because it can aid the replication of the virus. Also, people who take NSAIDS should be careful when taking arginine.

People who are sensitive to MSG (monosodium glutamate) should be careful when taking glutamine because the body converts it into glutamate. Those who take anti-seizure medications should not take glutamine.

In fact, anyone with liver or kidney problems should consult their doctor before taking any supplement that contains amino acids.

Pituitary Stimulation May Not Last

Besides the problems that can arise from taking large amounts of amino acids long-term it seems that any growth hormone stimulation obtained by using mega doses of amino acids may not be sustainable. The pituitary gland may become resistant to such stimulation within the first three months and so the amino acid dietary supplements may no longer work as well.

Even the makers of the well advertised product called SeroVital admitted that they did not know whether the stimulation they claim was obtained at 120 minutes following the first ingestion of their product is sustainable.

An Alternative to Mega Doses of Amino Acids

For over 24 years we have offered our homeopathic sprays that contain human growth hormone in homeopathic form. We are very proud of the success of our two products. Since we are always looking to offer the best comprehensive HGH and anti-aging therapies to a wide range of clients we are happy to introduce our new HGH Complex secretagogue supplement.

Rather than having to take large doses of amino acids that must be digested in the stomach our new sublingual spray product provides the aforementioned amino acids in safe homeopathic form. For this reason the risks and possible side effects that may be seen when digesting large amounts of amino acids will not occur.

Closing Thoughts

Of course we believe our HGH Plus IGF-1 & IGF-2 and HGH sprays that contain homeopathic human growth hormone are superior to any amino acid supplements. However, those who are taking one of our products that contain homeopathic growth hormone may take our HGH Complex along with that product at night and they may also take it during the time when they are cycling off those products. Please see our dosage instructions for more information.

ProBLEN HGH Sprays

Questions and Answers

My HGH Stack?

Question: I take a releaser combo with these ingredients:

Arginine Pyroglutamate: 3 grams
L-Lysine: 3 grams
Ornithine Alpha-Ketoglutarate: 3 grams (didn't know if I should use this or a different Ornithine)
GABA: 1 gram
Glycine: 3 grams
L-Glutamine: 3 grams
Tribulus: 1 gram
Niacin: 1/2 gram
Alpha GPC: 1 and 1/2 gram
L-Leucine: 3 grams
L-Dopa: 1 gram

Could you please let me know what changes you would make to these ingredients to improve my amino combo?

Answer: Wow, it looks like you have covered about all the amino acids and herbs that stimulate the pituitary gland.

I do have a few questions.

How are you cycling?
How long have you been taking this stack?
Are you monitoring your liver enzymes?

Follow-up question: I do five days on two days off and will probably take off two weeks every three months. I have only been taking it two 1/2 weeks now. No liver monitoring.

I have updated it with a delivery system to help get it in the blood stream.

2 grams of Glucose Polymer.
1/2 Gram of baking soda.
10 mgs of BioPerine

What do you think?

Follow-up answer: I am happy to hear that you are cycling, however, since you are taking such high doses of amino acids I recommend you have your kidney and liver function studies checked periodically.

Is this a doctor recommended regimen that was made specifically for you? The reason I am asking is because I don't want to get between you and your doctor.

I will just say that depending on what your blood tests show you may want to take more than the two weeks off at a time, since mega doses of amino acids can stress the kidneys and liver and can also cause a nitrogen imbalance.

Besides stressing the kidneys and liver I doubt your body would be able to get optimal use out of all those nutrients if you take them all in one dose.

You didn't tell me how you take them so I wanted to mention those recommendations.

I have heard of people whose liver functions (AST and ALT enzymes) have become dangerously high from taking large amounts of amino acid combinations to stimulate HGH release, and some of them were doctor prescribed, so please keep this in mind.

Follow-up question: No its not a Dr. prescription. I take them all at bed time. Should I drop the dose some of time? Which ones would you drop?

Follow-up answer: Although many protocols call for taking secretagogues at bedtime and it is more convenient, I believe that for the best results we should try to work with the body.

The body releases HGH at various times throughout the day, with exercise, and during the first 20-90 minutes of deep slow wave sleep. The bedtime dose is important but it should not be the only time you take your HGH therapy, in my opinion.

I personally would divide all the amino acids, niacin and L-dopa into two dose times and take half the daily dose before exercise and take the other half at bedtime.

One note about arginine and ornithine, the common recommendation is to take them two to one, meaning if you take 3 gms of arginine you take half that amount of ornithine (1.5 gms).

The GABA should only be taken at night since it can cause drowsiness.

I would not take the tribulus at night. I would take it divided up two or three times a day with meals.

Follow-up question: What do you think of the 1200 mg dose for Arginine Pyroglutamate and Lysine test? They say that lower dose works better.

Follow-up answer: I assume you are referring to the Italian test. I think the lower dose would work better, since another study showed no increase in growth hormone or IGF-1 levels when taking twice the 1200 mg dose.

That other study was done on men over 65, and we know that the amino acid combinations tend to work better the younger you are.

Follow-up question: I have one more question. My age is almost 59. Would the 1200 mg dose still be best for me at that age? Thanks for all your help.

I would think the lower dose would be better for you, otherwise you would need to try taking at least 3 gm of each and that would be so very hard on your kidneys and liver, not to mention your stomach, and even then you have no guarantee it would help.

In closing I must recommend you consult a qualified doctor regarding the HGH regimen that would be best for you and follow his/her advice.