Your body can operate like a well oiled machine when it has the right balance of hormones. For you to achieve hormonal balance takes some work but it can reward you with so many benefits. Your body is made up of all kinds of different hormones that should be in balance but there are 4 hormones that have a major effect on your body, especially when it comes to slowing aging. so let’s have a look at those 4 hormones.
Melatonin
Melatonin is your body’s timekeeper, promoting deep sleep. The pineal gland, which is light sensitive, secretes melatonin, which in turn regulates your biological clock, and it also helps to keep your immune system strong. Did you know that your gastrointestinal system and your retina also produce melatonin? As we age we produce less melatonin. By the time we are in our mid 30’s the pineal gland has begun to calcify and melatonin production diminishes. As a result our body goes from operating in a repair and rejuvenation mode to an aging and degeneration mode. That’s why it is so important to maintain a optimal level of melatonin.
The connection between melatonin and aging was demonstrated in a study where melatonin was added to the drinking water of laboratory animals, which resulted in a 30% increase in life expectancy. The older animals became healthy and more vigorous after drinking water containing melatonin.
In another experiment, pineal glands from younger mice were transplanted into older mice who then lived much longer than expected. The reverse was also conducted where the pineal glands of these older mice were transplanted into younger mice who then died much sooner than expected.
HGH or Human Growth Hormone
Sadly, HGH has earned a bad reputation – many people think that if they take an HGH supplement they will turn into some some over developed muscle machine – think Andre the Giant. Unfortunately, because of this fear, which is not true, they are missing out on the benefits of HGH that include looking and feeling younger, as well as staying trim and fit.
Children are packed with HGH – this hormone is responsible for promoting growth during childhood. But by the time you are 30 the amount of HGH your body is producing has declined to a meger 20% of what it produced when you were a child, so the body isn’t able to continue to repair the damage that is occurring to occur, and as a result we see accelerated aging.
HGH is produced in the pituitary gland and it benefits your cardiovascular system, brain, immune system, bones, blood, and tissue. While you are asleep, HGH enters your blood stream, especially while you are in a deep sleep. It is also produced if you exercise on an empty stomach. It is then transported to your liver where it is converted to IGF-1 (an insulin growth factor), which is a messenger molecule that travels throughout your body to stimulate the growth and production of cells.
HGH deficiency symptoms include loss of muscle strength, thinning bones, wrinkles, increased body fat, lowered immunity, decreased heart function, decreased stamina, depression, anxiety, fatigue, decreased libido.
A study of overweight women on HGH found a loss of more than 4.6 pounds of fat, mostly in the abdomen while lean body mass increased. More than twenty-eight thousand studies on the hormone have shown that supplementation with HGH is the closest we have to a fountain of youth.
Around 30 years of age is generally a good time to start HGH replacement. It can reverse the signs of again by as much as 15% per year, even more in some cases. Nothing else does that. It has many benefits, and will also reverse the symptoms of aging we talked about.
HGH injections are available with a prescription through your doctor when you have significantly reduced HGH levels, but for most people HGH supplements are adequate, and do not require a prescription.
Pregnenolone
Pregnenolone fights fatigue, boosts memory and does much more. Pregnenolone is made in the adrenal glands, liver, ovaries, and testicles. It may also be produced in the brain, and a number of brain functions such as concentration, memory, and mood are affected by pregnenolone.
The body is able to change pregnenolone into DHEA or progesterone depending on the needs of the body. Both of these hormones can then produce androstenedione, which is a precursor to the sex hormones that includes testosterone and other androgens, estradiol and other estrogens. The process where other hormones are created from pregnenolone, which is made from cholesterol, is usually referred to as the hormonal cascade.
Pregnenolone is considered an essential hormone. When you are young your body produces about 14 mg per day. As your body ages, that production declines until around age 75 when your body is producing 40% of what it produced when you were 35. As your Pregnenolone production decreases so do the hormones it creates.
Several studies have found that oral pregnenolone reduces fatigue and increases endurance, but where it really shine is in memory enhancement. It accomplishes this with the prevention of the deterioration of the brain’s neurotransmission system and promoting the release of the neurotransmitter acetycholine. Pregnenolone promotes the increased growth of brain cells, and the more brain cells, the greater the ability to retain memories.
DHEA
DHEA is actually considered the ‘mother hormone.’It is made in your brain and in your adrenal cortex, and it is actually one of the body’s most plentiful hormones. However, as we age DHEA production decrease and by the age of 70 we are producing only 10% of what we produced when were were 20.
Diminishing levels of DHEA are linked to a number of degenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, and many cancers. Current research shows that low DHEA levels cause many age related disorders and that oral DHEA supplements can slow the aging process. Adequate levels of DHEA can improve the body fat ratio, restore muscle mass, increase testosterone levels, improve memory, and boost your immune system. It is useful in fighting obesity, auto-immune disorders, senile dementia, chronic fatigue syndrome, osteoporosis, and depression. DHEA also promotes flexibility in the body and raises endurance levels.
DHEA helps you reach and maintain your ideal weight. It lowers cholesterol and insulin levels which in turn protects against arteriosclerosis. It keeps the immune system strong, preventing cancer, ,and it protects your brain neurons, which in turn protects you from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
I just came back from vacation and one of the hotels we stayed at had melatonin infused chocolates on the night stand. I got the best night of sleep I have ever had. Everyone should try it.