FAQ

Youth Formula and gHP Sport are dietary supplements. They do not have a specific effect on any disease and no claims can be, or are made, with regard to this. Optimizing the potential for regeneration and repair of every one of the body\’s trillions of cells however can only be beneficial.

Soya beans are the source of the crystalline free form amino acids used in Youth Formula and gHP Sport but the purity of the amino acids from the extraction process is such that there is no residual allergen in the product. As amino acids are the building blocks of protein in all of us we cannot be allergic to those, otherwise we would not be alive and our cells could not function.

Youth Formula and gHP Sport are dietary supplements, not medical products. They have the potential to assist the body to release its own growth hormone and thereby IGF-1. This can encourage cell regeneration and repair. All cancer patients should complete their course of regular therapy and be in remission or “cured” before taking Youth Formula or gHP Sport. In Dr. Chein\’s studies, his group in which HGH and IGF-1 Levels were elevated within the norm for their age actually had a lower than anticipated rates of cancer. Even if there were an undiscovered cancer, growth hormone levels within the normal range would not encourage growth.

We recommend that diabetics monitor their blood sugars regularly for the first 3 weeks on the supplement as there can occasionally be an initial slight rise in sugars followed by stabilization and an improved sense of well being.

The only people we do not recommend taking Youth Formula or gHP Sport are those who have no need of it, like children under the age of 18, or pregnant women. Those on a restricted protein diet should not take the supplement.

Youth Formula and gHP Sport are NOT medical products, but rather dietary supplements.  

Any references to gHP also relate to Youth Formula.

Individuals cannot be allergic to the amino acids unless they have an inbuilt error of metabolism, which would show up in infancy. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and the amino acids in the Youth Formula product are a composite of eight of the amino acids, which are normally present in the body. These are the identical amino acids that you consume when you eat any kind of protein in your diet. If one were allergic to these, then one would be allergic to oneself, so that would not be possible.

There are no animal derived ingredients in any of our products. The amino acids in particular come from Soya bean sources and we are very particular with regard to not include any pituitary extracts of any source whatsoever. Our products are produced to Kosher standards from Kosher/Pareve certified ingredients to ensure that they are the finest and purest available.

This product was specifically formulated in such a way as to have no interaction with any prescription drug. Regardless of the type of blood pressure medication someone might be on, there is no reason they cannot also consume either supplement.

The reason that Youth Formula or gHP Sport can be so effective is that the blood vessels in our circulatory system are nothing more than a three-layered complex, one of which is smooth muscle. As we age the muscles become less effective, thicken, and make our vascular linings much less pliable, thereby raising our blood pressure.

When we elevate our own growth hormone with Youth Formula, various signaling proteins are released, primarily from the liver, which encourage cellular repair/replacement throughout the body including our blood vessels. Newer healthier cells in our vascular linings are more pliable and efficient, thereby naturally lowering blood pressure.

When one begins to consume the Youth Formula product, cellular repair/replacement very predictably ensues. As the process proceeds, there will often be a temporary increase of interstitial (between the cells) fluid. This is Mother Nature\’s way of exposing more cell membrane surface thereby allowing enhanced nutrient entry to the more efficiently repairing cell, also allowing for an increase in intracellular metabolites (waste products from the repair process) to exit the cell. This temporary increase of fluid around the cells can slightly elevate BP for a period of time”“typically less than 4 to 6 weeks and our advice is to continue to carefully monitor your BP on a twice daily basis (early and late).

The short answer is “No”.

However more recently we have been asked whether or not there is any risk of starting or worsening cancer when taking a secretagogue like gHP.

A recent study in the Lancet suggested patients with breast cancer had previously high IGF-1 levels. If these results are confirmed, the association between a raised IGF-1 and the later development of breast cancer could be important and might lead to the development of an early diagnostic screening test.

A similar study reported in the journal “Science” showed a possible link between previously high levels of IGF-1 and the later development of prostate cancer. Once again it has been suggested that in the future it may be possible to use elevated IGF-1 as an early marker for possible prostate cancer. This makes sense as both breast and prostate tissue convert your own growth hormone into IGF-1. It may be that an early cancer will increase this conversion and raise IGF-1 levels before the disease can be found using current orthodox medical tests. However, it would be wrong to assume optimizing your own growth hormone and IGF-1 release within normal levels will cause cancer.

This would not appear to be the case for several reasons.

1. IGF-1 levels fall with age, yet the incidence of cancer increases in the elderly. This goes against the idea IGF-1 causes cancer.
2. Animal and human studies indicate growth hormone and IGF-1 stimulate the immune system and improve NK (natural killer) cell activity. NK cells provide one of the body\’s defenses against cancers.
3. The FDA has actually approved the use of HGH in HIV/AIDS as it has been shown to improve immune function and survival.
4. Giving HGH has been shown to improve the survival of children who were HGH deficient after treatment for malignant brain tumors.
5. French research on 5,546 patients over 31 years found HGH did not increase cases of leukemia, lymphoma or cancer.
6. Dr. Ritzen in Sweden studied cancer rates in HGH treated patients and estimated that in 150,000 patient-years of treatment between 1988 and 1992, the incidence of cancers was the same or lower than that of the general population.
7. Dr. Chein reported a case of prostate cancer, which went into remission while HGH was being used and wonders if there may be a connection. Although HGH was only part of an overall treatment package the PSA (prostatic specific antigen ““ a measure of prostate gland activity) dropped from over 50 to a normal 3 ““ 7 range.

So is there a risk that taking a secretagogue like gHP may precipitate or worsen a cancer?

In our opinion, the short answer is “NO”.

Obviously, if you take Youth Formula or gHP Sport it may well elevate your own growth hormone levels. The growth hormone may work directly on the cell but the majority is converted into IGF-1, which signals all the cells to repair and regenerate. This is the key to anti-aging ““ anything that elevates your own growth hormone and IGF-1 may help the body to reverse the effects of age.

Youth Formula and gHP Sport appear to work by inhibiting the inhibitory hormone Somatostatin, thus allowing the pituitary to naturally release growth hormone already stored in it. In other words, Youth Formula and gHP Sport release the hormonal brake or imbalance that causes aging.

Youth Formula or gHP Sport does not force the pituitary to produce excess, uncontrolled growth hormone. Furthermore, the body\’s own feedback mechanism is not interfered with and IGF-1 levels do not exceed a level of approximately 350ng/l, which is normal for say, a 35-year-old.

By contrast, using HGH injections could well elevate IGF-1 levels way above normal and would bypass any natural feedback control mechanism. This is particularly likely to occur if HGH injection therapy is not regularly monitored ““ yet another reason why the use of synthetic HGH injections is not the best way to fight aging. Secretagogues are safer as they cannot produce abnormally high IGF-1 levels. As physiological levels of IGF-1 cannot be exceeded there will be no risk.

However, we do recommend anyone with a history of cancer, particularly of the prostate, should always consult their personal physician before taking a secretagogue or receiving HGH injections. In addition, it is common sense and good practice for women to check their breasts regularly and for men over 50 years of age to undergo a regular prostate exam and PSA, whether or not they are using a secretagogue.

With cancer we do not recommend that anyone with cancer take the product until all medical treatments, (radiotherapy, chemotherapy etc.), are completed and they are declared to be fully in remission or effectively cured.

A human growth hormone secretagogue such as Youth Formula or gHP Sport does not raise IGF-1 levels into the danger area which is the upper quartile of the normal range or above. We have designed the product specifically so the body\’s natural feedback loop remains intact and therefore the natural normal levels for the individual will be obtained but no greater.

This product is an amino acid complex designed to encourage the pituitary gland to release, in a “spike”, your own growth hormone. When we set out to determine if amino acids could accomplish this task we relied on decades of research that generally concurred that the proper combination of amino acids (stack) in a highly pure form taken in the right amounts (dose) and consumed at the appropriate time would, indeed, elevate growth hormone levels.

The reason gHP seems to be the only amino acid product that gets injection-like results is because this product is the only precursor product that contains the precise amounts of amino acids that produce this effect. Early on, we determined that a crystallization process, produced the purest form of the amino acids, finally giving us the result we were looking for.

The gHP product is best taken on an empty stomach with water. Wait for at least two hours from the last time you ate food before taking your gHP. After consumption wait 30 minutes before eating. Although you may not receive the maximum benefit if you still have food in your stomach, it is far better to take your gHP even though you have eaten, than to miss taking them.

Some people, though, open their capsules and mix the contents with light yogurt for convenience but it can also be taken with protein (eggs, cheese, protein drink) or with fats (flax seed oil, etc). The reason for taking it on an empty stomach is because the amino acids are absorbed directly through the stomach within about 20 minutes and many foods, particularly sugars, would interfere with the absorption resulting in a lesser effect.

MEN ““ Men release most of their growth hormone in the first 90 minutes of sleep. Men take all six capsules before going to sleep. See exceptions below.

WOMEN ““ Women release their growth hormone throughout the day and night, and recently it has been shown that taking all six in the morning produces excellent results for women.

You can use either, but unless you are a professional athlete, the Youth Formula would work as well as the gHP Sport. The ingredients in both are identical; the only difference being that the gHP Sport has NSF certification. Both products are manufactured in a facility that guarantees that there are no products with banned substances produced there. This is critical for gHP Sport, which goes through additional rigorous testing for us to be able to have the NSF logo on the label. NSF certification guarantees that gHP Sport is safe for professional athletes to take with no fear of testing positive for banned substances.

We have placed a warning on the bottle with regard to heart attacks as a precaution and requirement from Health Canada although the amount of Arginine in gHP is just a fraction of what Health Canada considered being a problem.

Please note: this warning is not a requirement on gHP labels on product, which is for USA sales.

RE: the recent controversy with regard to the use of the amino acid L-Arginine following a heart attack.

The January 4th 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, published a paper by Steven P Schulman, M.D. of Johns Hopkins Medical Institute, Baltimore, and colleagues with regard to a clinical trial in which a group of 153 men who had their first heart attack were given the standard post heart attack drugs, plus either a placebo or L-Arginine, 3 grams 3 times a day. The highlights of the trial were as follows:

Of the 153 patients, 77 were 60 or older, and roughly half were divided into the placebo group and half into the Arginine group. What the researchers were trying to determine was whether or not Arginine could improve the elasticity of blood vessels and the heart, to improve clinical outcomes. What was noted was the following:

1. 6 of the patients in the treatment group died, compared with none in the placebo group, which was statistically significant.
2. For the reasons given above, the trial was halted at 6 months.
3. There was no consistent pattern of problems in the 6 deaths, so whether or not the L-Arginine was actually contributory or not, even at the high doses used, is in question.
4. The dosage of Arginine used in this trial, (3 grams 3 times a day) versus the amount of Arginine in the Youth Formula or gHP Sport product is very much higher, to the tune of 833% higher.
5. It is highly unlikely that the amount of Arginine in the Youth Formula or gHP Sport would have any effect, whatsoever, on post-myocardial infarction outcomes (heart attacks). There was no consistent pattern to the events and the amount of L-Arginine in our SomaLife products is not clinically significant when it comes to this kind of event.
6. Of the several hundred thousand people that have consumed Youth Formula or gHP Sport, there have been no reported problems even in those who have had heart attacks, but nevertheless Health Canada recommends that L-Arginine should not be used following a myocardial infarction in those individuals.

Liver and kidney disease and low protein diet.

The amino acids in Youth Formula or gHP Sport will not cause renal damage but the total amount of amino acids will add to the total nitrogen load and should be taken into account in a low protein diet. E.g. if the diet is a 60G protein diet then the 5.2G of amino acids in the 6 capsules needs to be subtracted from the 60G leaving 55G from food sources, although a few grams either way would not matter. If the low protein diet is less than 60G then we would make other suggestions. Remember that all 20 of the amino acids that make up a protein are not contained in Youth Formula or gHP Sport although the body can make others from those that it does contain but some of the essential amino acids need to be acquired from diet.

In pregnant women the placenta is producing extra growth factors and the pituitary is fully occupied with the pregnancy. During breast feeding one would not want additional growth hormone or IGF-1 getting through to the infant as the body is already regulating their growth. The pituitary gland is already producing significant quantities of hormones, as are target and other organs during pregnancy and lactation. Potentially changing nature\’s balance under those circumstances is not recommended.

Children do not need extra growth hormone as they are already producing lots. It is only as growth hormone starts to decline after age 25 that we need to boost it.

With regard to the quantity of ingredients that we claim on the label, there are in fact regulatory bodies that require certain standards and these are through the Food and Drug Administration in the US where there are specific labeling requirements and also now in Canada through the Office of Natural Health Products.

Independently of this, every single batch of Youth Formula, gHP Sport, and all of the other products is randomly tested once manufactured to ensure quality consistency and content.

Capsules of gHP are randomly selected from each batch of Youth Formula and gHP Sport produced and indeed each batch of all of the other SomaLife products produced. These are sent to an independent testing laboratory for analysis and assay to ensure that the correct quantities of all of the ingredients are present.

From time to time random testing is done with volunteers who are what are known as “known responders” to ensure consistency and reliability of response as we do have these individuals\’ responses going back over time. The test group does take gHP continuously in between the testing which actually enhances the reliability of the results, as we know that they continue to respond even after 10 years, and there is no tachyphylaxis or diminished response over time.

The original testing of course was done with many people with a lot of individuals who had never experienced gHP before, to obtain a spectrum of response results.

The most important thing is the independent analysis and assay to ensure the consistency, purity, quality and content of the Youth Formula, which will then ensure that those who do respond (95% plus of individuals) will have the correct formula to respond to.

A human growth hormone secretagogue such as Youth Formula or gHP Sport does not raise IGF-1 levels into the danger area which is the upper quartile of the normal range or above. We have designed the product specifically so the body\’s natural feedback loop remains intact and therefore the natural normal levels for the individual will be obtained but no greater.

It will have no effect adverse effects on prostate or testosterone levels. It cannot reactivate prostate cancer. Ongoing surveillance of prostate cancer is important though as it can recur and our position remains: that because of the theoretical possibility for growth hormone to cause cell growth, that individuals with cancers should not take Youth Formula until their cancer is fully resolved and only on the advice of their health care professional.