What is Deer Antler Velvet?

from Training & Conditioning:
Training & Conditioning : Momentum Media:

"[Deer] antlers are the fastest-growing substance on planet earth ... because of the high concentration of IGF-1," SWATS Co-Founder Christopher Key told Sports Illustrated. "We've been able to freeze dry that out, extract it, put it in a sublingual spray that you shake for 20 seconds and then spray three [times] under your tongue ... This stuff has been around for almost 1,000 years."

IGF-1 is a hormone that naturally occurs in the liver and circulates in the blood. The body produces IGF-1 at normal levels in response to growth hormone. When growth hormone signals the need for IGF-1 for muscle growth or repair, the liver produces it, then it binds to muscle cells, which in turn multiply and grow.

....

"Martin Miner, MD, co-director of the Men's Health Center at Miriam Hospital in Providence, R.I., says that despite all this, he doesn't believe that when taken orally, IGF-1 can have much affect on a humans ability to heal or perform athletically.

"It's similar to human growth hormone, and there's very little research on HGH in men," Milner told Boston.com. "What we do know is that HGH needs to be injected to have any effects. The body can't absorb enough of the hormone by mouth since too much gets broken down by the liver during digestion."

"I just cannot believe that one could consume high enough quantities of IGF-1 from an oral spray that it would increase healing or enhance athletic ability," Miner added. "I think this product is pretty much a lot to do about nothing."

'via Blog this'