How to lower IGF 1 ?

[kashman112]

Is there a proven way or supplement for lowering IGF1 ?
Besides the internet BS regarding diet .

 

[Nelson Vergel]

Tamoxifen. Why are you afraid of IGF1? Think you will get cancer?

 

[kashman112]

Tamoxifen. Why are you afraid of IGF1? Think you will get cancer?

I m a lowish SHBG individual . Nothing pretty much works for me . I feel bad on TRT after a couple of weeks and SHBG tanks further to low teens . Thyroid was not my problem and not the cause of my Low SHBG . However IGF 1 is always high , Off or On TRT . Most likely IGF1 is the root cause if my low SHBG . It s puzzle . Finasteride ruined me and the caused this hormonal nightmare in me since I was 22 . 3 years later and I m no better off . The only abnormal things in my bloodwork are low SHBG and high igf1 . Honestly I dont care about muscle or physical looks at all anymore . I just wanna to go back to being normal and stable mentally . Life has become hell for me and I cannot go on much longer like this .

 

[xqfq]

Metformin and/or berberine may increase your SHBG a bit if you haven’t tried it yet.

 

[eli]

Check my low SHBG T-Cream on scrotum dude, 1000000%. I know a few other low SHBG patients who feel great on that protocol, for the first time

 

[CROM]

Sounds like you’re saying you are 25 years old. What is your IGF-1 score? At 25 it might be out of range on a blood test but that doesn’t mean it’s clinically high for your age. As you get older it should fall into range.

I am 45. My IGF-1 is 225 when I am eating normal amounts of carbs. It went down to 210 on low carb. I’ve heard excessive carbs can raise IGF-1.

My SHBG is between 6 and 9. Diets, metformin, long-term low carb…nothing has worked to raise my SHBG. But I still feel good on TRT compared to before.

I take 70 mg of T per week and feel great. I feel better at 100 mg per week but can’t do it because I start getting acne problems. But what makes me feel even better is when I get 7 to 8 hours of sleep, low carb lifestyle, a healthy body weight, lifting heavy weights and going on long hikes. Makes me feel like a million bucks.

Maybe there are things you still haven't tried yet that might make you feel better.

Also, how much T were you taking. Even though I only take 70mg of T per week my E2 is at 46. Which for a low SHBG might start affecting erection problems and being more emotional. I started experimenting with micro doses of AI and already getting better woods and less emotion. At 70 mg per week it gets my Total T at 436 and free T at 115 (with a free T scale of 35 to 155).

 

[kashman112]

I tried 100 , 80 and 60 mgs per week . On all of them I crashed after 2 weeks was worse than Pre TRT . Shbg is 25 without TRT . It s crashes to low teens with ANY dose of TRT .

 

[bbex2014]

Start doing 3-5 day fasting every few months and eat in at 2-4 hour window daily and fast the other 20-22 hours. Fasting is the easiest way I know of to lower igf-1 and it’s free. And like xqfq said, metformin is very cheap and easy way to lower igf-1 as well.

 

[Vince Carter]

There's no reason to lower IGF-1 it is not the cause of any of your concerns, SHBG or otherwise.

 

[bbex2014]

I’ve heard a few docs mention that other than having the genetic predisposition for gyno, having chronically high igf-1 levels seems to have a potential correlation (take with a grain of salt as nobody actually knows). I def would not want chronically high igf-1 levels if you’re interested in longevity, but if you are more interested in performance, have your fun. Check out Dr Rhonda Patrick’s take on IGF-1: performance vs longevity

 

[bbex2014]

 

[Robotics]

Check my low SHBG T-Cream on scrotum dude, 1000000%. I know a few other low SHBG patients who feel great on that protocol, for the first time

how do you not transfer that to you partner, i would figure there is some transference no matter how careful you are

 

[DS3]

Sounds like you’re saying you are 25 years old. What is your IGF-1 score? At 25 it might be out of range on a blood test but that doesn’t mean it’s clinically high for your age. As you get older it should fall into range.

I am 45. My IGF-1 is 225 when I am eating normal amounts of carbs. It went down to 210 on low carb. I’ve heard excessive carbs can raise IGF-1.

My SHBG is between 6 and 9. Diets, metformin, long-term low carb…nothing has worked to raise my SHBG. But I still feel good on TRT compared to before.

I take 70 mg of T per week and feel great. I feel better at 100 mg per week but can’t do it because I start getting acne problems. But what makes me feel even better is when I get 7 to 8 hours of sleep, low carb lifestyle, a healthy body weight, lifting heavy weights and going on long hikes. Makes me feel like a million bucks.

Maybe there are things you still haven't tried yet that might make you feel better.

Also, how much T were you taking. Even though I only take 70mg of T per week my E2 is at 46. Which for a low SHBG might start affecting erection problems and being more emotional. I started experimenting with micro doses of AI and already getting better woods and less emotion. At 70 mg per week it gets my Total T at 436 and free T at 115 (with a free T scale of 35 to 155).

"I’ve heard excessive carbs can raise IGF-1."

That is interesting given the research establishing an antagonistic (inverse) relationship between insulin and growth hormone.

RESULTS:
We observed that serum levels of IGF-1 are positively associated with consumption of red meats, fats, and oils. In addition, serum levels of IGF-1 are independently and positively associated with energy intake from lipids and negatively associated with energy intake from carbohydrates. Finally, serum levels of IGFBP-3 are independently and negatively associated with energy intake from saturated fat.

Dietary fat and carbohydrates are independently associated with circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 and insulin-like growth factor-binding pro... - PubMed - NCBI

 

[DS3]

I tried 100 , 80 and 60 mgs per week . On all of them I crashed after 2 weeks was worse than Pre TRT . Shbg is 25 without TRT . It s crashes to low teens with ANY dose of TRT .

What is interesting about this is how you have correlated low SHBG with negative outcomes of TRT treatment. The only thing that low SHBG negatively affects is estrogen management, given that there will be more free estradiol in a low SHBG man than his higher SHBG counterpart.

When you say you 'feel' bad on TRT, explain your symptoms. They sound like they are rooted in psychological symptoms. Are we talking about anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, lacking libido, low energy, low desire, chronic ups and downs in mood, something else?

 

[Robotics]

What is interesting about this is how you have correlated low SHBG with negative outcomes of TRT treatment. The only thing that low SHBG negatively affects is estrogen management, given that there will be more free estradiol in a low SHBG man than his higher SHBG counterpart.

When you say you 'feel' bad on TRT, explain your symptoms. They sound like they are rooted in psychological symptoms. Are we talking about anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, lacking libido, low energy, low desire, chronic ups and downs in mood, something else?

I disagree. SHBG has more importance than just estrogen control, it is important for transport, and there are shbg specific receptors.

 

[Systemlord]

I feel bad on TRT after a couple of weeks and SHBG tanks further to low teens .

TRT lowers SHBG in almost everyone unless you are insulin resistant where diabetes is suppressing SHBG. You might be able to minimize the effect TRT has on SHBG by injecting daily doses (T cream) which has netted me higher SHBG repeatedly when compared to other protocols.

 

[DS3]

I disagree. SHBG has more importance than just estrogen control, it is important for transport, and there are shbg specific receptors.

Yes... transporting sex steroids in plasma and regulating the distribution between protein-bound sex steroids and free states.

So, what are you proposing would be the negative result of low SHBG in male patients on TRT?

Would higher free testosterone and testosterone metabolites (E2 and DHT) see higher unbound states in plasma with lower SHBG? Yes. And that is where estrogen control can become difficult, which is the primary issue seen among TRT patients with low SHBG.

"Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein possessing high affinity binding for 17 beta-hydroxysteriod hormones such as testosterone and oestradiol. It is probably synthesized in the liver, plasma concentrations being regulated by, amongst other things, androgen/oestrogen balance, thyroid hormones, insulin and dietary factors, it is involved in transport of sex steroids in plasma and its concentration is a major factor regulating their distribution between the protein-bound and free states."

Sex hormone binding globulin: origin, function and clinical significance. - PubMed - NCBI

 

[Cataceous]

Yes... transporting sex steroids in plasma and regulating the distribution between protein-bound sex steroids and free states.

So, what are you proposing would be the negative result of low SHBG in male patients on TRT?
...

Quoting "James" over at PeatT, I believe this is what else @Robotics is referring to:

However, new research shows that SHBG bound hormones are not only active, but that SHBG is itself a hormone with extracellular receptors ready to receive it. These receptors have been shown to modulate cAMP, which indirectly alters the sensitivity of the cell to the free hormones that enter it. ​

​

More importantly, internalized SHBG functions within a cell to promote AR activity. Free hormone entering cells is less active without adequate SHBG also entering the cell, because they are rapidly metabolized and effluxed from the cell the same way that free hormones in serum are rapidly metabolized.​

​

CW is just plain wrong, and we've known it has been wrong. Yes, free hormones are "available" to enter cells ("bio-available",) but their ability to signal AR activity depends on the availability and uptake of free SHBG in many cell lines. This has been proven in studies: too much SHBG, and too little free hormone enters. Too little SHBG, and hormones won't last within the cell long enough, and cAMP will be attenuated, negating many of the effects of the hormone.1​