Limiting Refined Sugar After Workouts

by Phil Campbell

Limiting refined sugar for two hours after training maximizes the benefits of exercise-induced growth hormone. Why?

The answer to this question will be different for every individual. Here’s why.

First, we know that refined sugar in the diet makes the body increase extra insulin to combat the additional sugar in the blood. This increase in insulin causes an increase of another hormone called somatostatin. And somatostatin shuts down exercise-induced growth hormone released by high-intensity training.

"Somatostatin (SRIF) was discovered in 1973, in Roger Guillemin's laboratory as a Growth Hormone (GH) inhibiting neurohormone," (Somatostatin: a ubiquitous peptide, 1998, Epelbaum).

Researchers report that elevated insulin levels increase somatostain and this blunts the release of growth hormone. "In conclusion, our data indicate that in the obese, as in normal subjects, the GH response to GHRH is a function of insulin levels,"(Elevated insulin levels contribute to the reduced growth hormone (GH) response to GH-releasing hormone in obese subjects, 1999, Lanzi).

In another study, researchers report similar findings, "insulin exerts a negative effect on GH release," (Evidence for an inhibitory effect of physiological levels of insulin on the growth hormone (GH) response to GH-releasing hormone in healthy subjects, 1997, Lanzi).

In other words, if someone does the high-intensity Sprint 8 Workout and increases their body’s natural supply of anti-aging, (and anti-MIDDLE-aging, weight reducing, muscle toning, bone density improving) exercise-induced growth hormone, and immediately after the workout, eats a candy bar full of refined sugar, this will defeat the purpose of high-intensity training.

Weight Loss Strategy

An important fitness strategy is to keep the body’s natural increase of growth hormone working for two hours synergistically targeting body fat after training. And this training benefit will be lost, if somatostatin shuts down HGH growth hormone.

How many carbohydrates can I eat and not increase somatostatin after training? This becomes the key question. And the answer has several factors involved current fitness level, age, and the most critical issue...how much body fat? Why?

Syndrome X is what medical researchers call the impact of "insulin resistance" (this is everyone’s worst fitness nightmare). The more someone is overweight, the more resistant to insulin the body becomes.

Syndrome X makes the body over react to dietary sugar and carbohydrates — even some high-quality, natural carbohydrates like fruit. When someone really overweight says, "everything I eat turns to fat," they are telling the truth — and they are describing the impact of Syndrome X.

What this research means to you

It means that if you’re trying to lose body fat, you may not want to risk somatostatin release by limiting your sugar intake after an anaerobic, growth hormone releasing workout.

The take home

It means that if you’re trying to lose body fat, you may not want to risk somatostatin release, so limit your sugar intake after an anaerobic, growth hormone releasing workout.

Being overweight with excessive body fat, to a degree, makes the body a fat-producing machine. Adding muscle and losing body fat through high-intensity exercise will turn your body into a fat-burning machine.