IGF-1 still high after 3 months

This topic contains 8 replies, has 6 voices, and was last updated by denis carbs 5 years, 10 months ago.

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Grechy

11:05 am
23 Mar 15
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I’ve been on the 5:2 diet for three months now. Before starting the diet my blood IGF-1 level was 39 nmol/L. After three months my IGF-1 level has only dropped 9 nmol/L to 30 nmol/L. I’m currently fasting two days a week, from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm the next day. That is about a 26 hour fast. What else can I do to lower IGF-1? (1) Should I give it more time, i.e. don’t change my diet and retest IGF-1 after another 3 months, (2) should I fast for longer, (3) should I remove high protein foods from my diet on the fast days or (4) should I do something else?

VibeRadiant

11:27 pm
3 Apr 15
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Are you eating too much protein perhaps?

The guidelines says:
56 grams per day for the average sedentary man.
46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.

for example, skim milk has more protein than cream, you might not realize you are consuming more protein that you are.

Grechy

5:02 am
29 May 15
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Thanks for replying to my enquiry, VibeRadiant and sorry that I haven’t responded earlier. I’ve estimated that my protein intake was about 80 g/day. So I’ve reduced my protein intake to what your recommended, no more than 56 g/day for men. However, I’ve been on the lower protein intake for about three months now and my blood IGF-1 level has only dropped 6 nmol/L to 24 nmol/L. Currently, I’ve been fasting for two non-consecutive days a week. I begin a fast day, by fasting for about 16 h and having two 300 calorie meals for the remainder of the fasting period. I’m 45 years old, 173 cm tall and currently weigh 68 kg. I’m thinking of decreasing my sugar intake to 30 g/day. This is because, I’ve estimated that my current sugar intake is somewhat high at about 45 g/day. Does anyone know if reducing my sugar intake will lower my blood levels of IGF-1? If not what else could I try?

fitnfast

8:20 am
29 May 15
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Curious what a “good” level is? I don’t recall from the book or documentary.

galexinda

6:05 pm
29 May 15
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Here is a link to an article that may have some useful information

https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/Animal_protein_IGF-1_colon_cancer.aspx

How can we keep IGF-1 in a safe range?
Reducing IGF-1 levels by dietary methods is now considered by many scientists to be an effective cancer prevention measure. Minimizing or avoiding animal protein, isolated soy protein and refined carbohydrates can help to keep our IGF-1 levels in a safe range. Green vegetables, beans and other legumes, and seeds are rich in plant protein and they have cancer-preventive, not cancer-promoting properties.

diverdog

6:37 pm
29 May 15
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I just had my IGF-1 done as a baseline before starting 5:2. I was concerned because I eat a lot of protein usually 110-130 G per day. I’m a 64 YO man 5’10” 182 lbs and I do HIIT style exercise and lift weights regularly. My diet has lots of animal protein, good fats and carbs are mostly from non starchy veggies but I do eat bread / pizza once a week. I do not eat dairy. I always eat organic to minimize intake of pesticides, hormones and antibiotics.

I was very pleased to see that my IGF-1 score was 102 ng/ml. Normal is considered 41-279. So perhaps the amount of protein you eat is only one factor?

I am fasting on my off days from intense exercise so it works out to be 2 1/2 FD a week. On exercise days I am still eating 110-130 G of protein. On FD I am eating around 40G of protein consumed in one meal.

I plan on getting tested after three months or so.

Grechy

10:57 pm
29 May 15
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My dietitian said that I should aim for the height teens or low twenties and he would be somewhat conserved if my blood IGF-1 levels was close to the minimal, 12 nmol/L. However, Dr Mosley IGF-1 level was in the mid-teens and he was pleased with this result.
diverdog’s is averaging about 100 g of protein per day and his blood IGF-1 level is about 13 nmol/L. This doesn’t make sense. Does genetics play a role in this?

diverdog

11:22 pm
29 May 15
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Grechy, my protein intake was averaging ~120 G a day as the test was taken before I started fasting. I’m sure there is more at play with IGF-1 than just protein intake. Rarely is one variable solely responsible for test changes unless you control for all of the others. I’m sure genetics has an effect and perhaps the fact that I exercise intensely and my body uses protein for repairs has something to do with it.

Some of the other tests I’m tracking are:
Cholesterol 164
HDL 58
Calculated LDL 89
Triglycerides 84

denis carbs

4:37 am
23 Jan 19
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I am a bit late on this subject as it was posted back in 2015 ! But Grechy is taking sugar . Why not cut out all sugar.?