Human Growth Factors are an increasingly popular method of increasing HGH levels without actually taking the growth hormone itself. These growth factors stimulate the actual production of HGH and may even mimic the effects, but by themselves, are not true growth hormone.
Unfortunately for medical science and the world’s aging population, the issue of HGH is still something that has yet to be acknowledged at large by the mainstream medical community, and therefore for many ordinary people, it is difficult to obtain real recombinant HGH. But HGH is here to stay one way or the other.
A very important development in the arena of human growth hormone research is the current focus on HGH releasing substances and Human Growth Factors. HGH releasers can be collectively termed as substances that promote the production and release of growth hormone from the pituitary, and this also includes hormone-like substances called Human Growth Factors. The approach with growth factors is an extremely viable method of getting your body to produce its own HGH naturally, and with much less risk of overdosing. But more importantly (for many), growth factors and HGH releasers cost only a fraction of what one would need to spend on obtaining real HGH.
The efficacy of human growth factors lies largely in the way they work. All hormones are proteins of one kind or another, and this is no different with human growth factors. When the proteins in these growth factors bind to the numerous receptors on the surfaces of millions of cells, something happens. The cells receive, internalize, and decipher instructions from these protein molecules to divide, heal, grow in size, or perform certain functions. Not all growth factors perform growth roles. Some may actually speed up cell apoptosis.
Cytokines and Growth Factors
There are a large number of growth factors that have been identified so far. Growth factors work via cytokines. Cytokines are protein molecules used by cells to facilitate communication between cells and keep them living for longer. There are several kinds of cytokines in the body depending on which cells produce them:
- Monokines from monocyte cells
- Lymphokines from lymphocyte cells
- Interleukins from leukocyte cells
Cytokines are essential for the immune system to function properly. But in anti aging research, cytokines from the interleukin group have generated interest because of their role in cellular division and proliferation.

Growth factors: The next best thing to HGH?
One of the best known of growth factors is IGF-1, which is already known for being the chief agent in bringing the benefits of HGH directly to the cells. But IGF-1 is not the only growth factor around; there are so many others, which science is only beginning to understand better. Each type of growth factor affects a certain type or set of cells, although their functions usually overlap. Cells themselves often will interact with multiple cytokines at the same time, further complicating the picture, but this is probably the body’s way of maximizing its resources.
Some growth factors in our body include:
- Epidermal growth factor
- Transforming growth factor beta or TGF-β
- Transforming growth factor alpha or TGF-α
- Nerve growth factor
- Basic fibroblast growth factor
- Platelet derived growth factor
- Epidermal growth factor
- Erythropoietin (EPO)
- Interleukin-1 (IL-1)
- Interleukin-2 (IL-2)
- Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
- Interleukin-8 (IL-8)
- Colony stimulating factor (CSF)
- IGF-1
- IGF-2
The importance of maintaining the cytokine receptors
Many cytokine researchers regard the receptors as being more important than the cytokines themselves. If the receptors on target cells are damaged or limited in number, no matter how much growth factors you have in your bloodstream, it’s not going to make much of a difference. That’s how important it is to keep the receptors healthy and functioning. From the top of my head, several nutrients that assist in maintaining receptor health (which you might want to consider getting more from your diet) are phosphorus, magnesium, chromium, calcium, and the essential fatty acids. In the case of HGH, keeping the receptors working properly is crucial to derive the maximum benefits from HGH supplementation, because of the reliance of IGF-1 on them.
Getting growth factors in your body: More diversity is better
It is not surprising that growth factors are highly abundant in maternal serum (in the womb) and mother’s milk (in colostrum). A thing about growth factors is that on their own, they are not as effective as a whole group of them working in synergy. Human growth factors always work synergistically. By combining a wide range of growth factors, only then can you derive benefit from their anti aging properties.
Human growth factors in themselves, present a new angle on aging which has yet to be explored in greater detail by medical science. It is a subject which we will be touching on again in future, because of its huge implications in anti aging, and its very close ties with the production and role of human growth hormone.