IGF-1 LR3

What is IGF-1 LR3?

As the name suggests, IGF-1 LR3 binds to the IGF receptors, present in many cells, which promotes cell proliferation, differentiation and overall cell growth. These receptors are present in the majority of the cells in our body, including bone, muscle, and cartilage.

Though we’ve been talking strictly about IGF-1 LR3, it’s important to note and make the distinction that IGF-1 exists as well. But unlike the LR3 variant, its bind with the receptors is much stronger which is why it remains in the bloodstream a lot less. Making the LR3 variant more readily available, for longer periods of time and much more stable.

Of course, when talking about growth and cell proliferation, human growth hormone is the undisputed king, but IGF-1 LR3 (though a bit less effective) is much safer and presents without the nasty side effects. Making it hugely potential in the realm of strenuous physical activities and top level athletes. 

IGF-1 LR3 And Cell Growth And Proliferation

At the beginning of the article we said that IGF-1 LR3 promotes cell division and proliferation. But why is this important? If we’re talking about muscles… there are two main ways of putting on more muscles - by cell division (when the number of cells increases) and by hypertrophy (making the cells bigger). IGF-1 LR3 works by boosting the cell division which makes your muscle gains more long lasting; as opposed to aiding hypertrophy.

Besides muscle cells, IGF-1 LR3 helps with cell division in kidneys, lungs, liver, heart and nerves. We can say it acts holistically on our entire body, rather than targeting a single tissue at the expense of others.

Another quality that makes this specific peptide so incredible is that it does not only help with cell division, it also promotes differentiation, which is why you will often hear scientists refer to it as a maturation hormone. 

Weight Loss And Fat Metabolism

Though IGF-1 is not a peptide that promotes fat loss, such as semaglutide for example, it does so indirectly by binding to both the IGF and insulin receptors. This leads to a decrease in overall levels of blood glucose which puts glycogen and triglycerides into overdrive. This action promotes energy consumption while burning off adipose tissue.

Speaking of this blood glucose level control, it brings about an interesting point when it comes to managing diabetes. Namely, Since IGF-1 LR3 decreases blood glucose, it also means it lowers insulin levels, and reduces the need for insulin treatment in diabetics. The research into diabetes is only preliminary, but it offers an interesting insight into the future and paves the way for any potential glucose management medication.

Other Benefits

Since the list of potential benefits of IGF-1 LR3 is relatively long, we’re going to go over some of the most common ones:

• Muscle recovery - in audition to building muscle, this peptide is also crucial in recovery as it shortens it, reduces the muscle damage and inflammation and basically makes the muscle ready for another round of heavy load sooner
• Anti aging and longevity - when it comes to IGF-1’s longevity properties, we again turn to its indirect effects as it promotes tissue repair and basically protects the tissue from injury. It will also effectively offset cellular aging, prolong cell life and might even reduce disability. 
• Myostatin inhibition - myostatin is a protein commonly found in muscles which prevents growth, i.e. hypertrophy. You might say why does a protein like this even exist, don’t we want our muscles to grow? Generally yes, but here we’re mostly talking about pathological conditions; conditions such as diseases where a person suffers from muscular dystrophy. In this case, we want to inhibit the protein myostatin, to prevent (or at least slow down) the progression of the disease, muscle degeneration and deterioration, and IGF-1 LR3 has the potential to help.

IGF-1 LR3 Proper Dosage

Due to its potency and relatively long half-life (20-30 hours), it’s important to pay close attention to the dosage, as it’s recommended to take it in smaller quantities and shorter cycles.

How small? Well, we generally divide users into a few different categories:

• Novice - people who are just starting out should not exceed dosage of 10 - 20 mcg per day. This is a good initial dosage and also the one you will easily oversee. You can track yourself and, should you notice no problems, bump it up to a moderate amount of 20 - 50 mcg per day.
• Moderate/maintenance - like we just mentioned above, this range is meant for the moderate, intermediate users who’ve used IGF-1 LR3 before, and want to move away from the novice usage but don’t want to move into extremes. 
• Advanced - those that want to push themselves to the extreme, can bump up their dosage to 50 - 100 mcg per day. 100 mcg per day is a dosage you should not go beyond, for safety reasons, though it’s rarely necessary to go beyond 70 or 80 mcg per day, even for the most advanced users.

When it comes to cycling, most researchers agree you can take IGF-1 LR3 no more than three times a week, in cycles of 4-6 weeks, after which you should take a break.