L Glutamine:
The most abundant amino acid in the body. It is a conditionally essential amino acid, meaning that the body may not be able to synthesize all it needs when it is under physical stress.

Effects on HGH: Glutamine is the latest amino acid to generate excitement as a HGH-releaser thanks to a 1995 study by Thomas C. Welboume of Louisiana State University College of Medicine in Shreveport. Welbourne showed that a surprisingly small oral dose of about 2 grams of glutamine raised growth hormone levels more than four times over that of a placebo. Even more exciting, age did not diminish the response at least in this small study of volunteers, who ranged from thirty-two to sixty-four years.

Glutamine is the amino acid that is most used by the body, particularly during times of stress. The immune system and the gut practically live on glutamine. If the body does not produce enough glutamine, muscle loss and immune dysfunction can occur. The gut atrophies, meaning nutrients all kinds cannot be absorbed as well as before.

A 1993 study by Welbourne in animals showed that glutamine supplementation protects muscle mass and prevents acidosis, which occurs with strenuous exercise and causes muscle breakdown. According to Tudy Shabert, M.D., author of The Ultimate Nutrient Glutamine, supplementation with glutamine, especially in times of stress, would prevent muscle wasting. In a foreword to the book, Douglas Wilmore, M.D., of Harvard Medical School, points out that glutamine is a key to the metabolism and maintenance of muscle, the primary energy source for the immune system, and essential for DNA synthesis, cell division, and cell growth, all factors that are enhanced by HGH. It also crosses the blood-brain barrier into the brain, where it increases energy and mental alertness.

High levels of glutamine in the blood translates into greater health as a 1994 study showed. In a survey of thirty-three people over the age of sixty, those at the top of the scale of blood glutamine levels had fewer illnesses, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and were closer to their ideal weights than people at the bottom of the scale in this nutrient. The low-glutamine subjects had higher rates of arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease, while those who were high in glutamine said that they felt great.

L Arginine:
An essential amino acid (meaning that the body cannot create amino acid on its own, but must get it from the foods we eat).

Growth Hormone Effects: Arginine causes the secretion of growth hormone. In fact, a 15 to 30 gram intravenous infusion of arginine is used as a standard endocrinological test to provoke the pituitary into releasing growth hormone.

A study at the University of Turin, Italy, showed that even though people in their seventies had lower response than either children or young adults to arginine, the nutrient still boosted their blood levels of HGH to triple the average for their age group.

Arginine also helps to improve exercise performance, because it is one of the main ingredients, along with glycine, that the liver uses to make creatine. Supplements of creatine monohydrate are very popular in the bodybuilding community, because they raise the level of high-energy creatine phosphates within the muscle and nerve cells needed for high-intensity, short-duration exercises. So with arginine you get higher growth hormone levels and the raw material for increasing your energy.

Arginine appears to stimulate HGH by blocking the secretion of the growth-hormone inhibitor somatostatin. It also greatly enhances the effect of growth hormone-releasing hormone when they are given together.

Positive claims for arginine include increasing fat burning and building muscle tissue probably through the stimulation of growth hormone, increasing the weight and activity of the thymus gland, boosting immunity, fighting cancer, promoting healing of burns and other wounds, protecting the liver and detoxifying harmful substances, and enhancing male fertility (almost all of which are enhanced by CH). It also restores sexual function in impotent men. In a 1994 study by Drs. A.W. Zorgniotti and E.E Lizza of the department of urology/surgery at New York University School of Medicine, six of fifteen men who took 2,800 milligrams of arginine a day for two weeks had renewed sexual performance, specifically improved erection, yet none of the men on the placebo did. The researchers believe that arginine worked because it is a precursor of nitric oxide, which plays a key role in initiating and maintaining an erection.

L Pyroglutamate:
An amino acid naturally found in vegetables, fruits, dairy products, and meat. It is also normally present in large amounts in the human brain, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood.

Effects on HGH: Pyroglutamate has also been shown to be effective in alcohol-induced memory deficits, and more recently, in people affected with multi-infarct dementia. In these patients, the administration of pyroglutamate brought about a significant increase of attention and an improvement on psychological tests investigating short-term retrieval, long-term retrieval, and long-term storage of memory. A statistically significant improvement was observed also in the consolidation of memory.

In human subjects, Pyroglutamate was compared with a placebo in a randomized double-blind trial for assessing its efficacy in treating memory deficits in 40 aged subjects. Twenty subjects were treated with pyroglutamate and 20 with a placebo over a period of 60 days. Memory functions were evaluated at baseline and after 60 days of treatment by means of a battery made up of six memory tasks. The results show that pyroglutamate is effective in improving verbal memory functions in subjects affected by age-related memory decline.

L Glycine:
A nonessential amino acid.

Effects on HGH: Two studies found that this amino acid increased HGH in the serum.  In one, 6.75 grams at bedtime caused an three-fold increase, while a Japanese research team showed that 30 grams raised HGH levels ten times over baseline in patients who had gastric surgery. An oral dose of 250 milligrams in normal volunteers also showed a significant, but less pronounced, rise in HGH. They conclude that "the facts demonstrated that glycine is one of the stimulatory agents inducing the pituitary gland to secrete HGH." Glycine has also been found useful in increasing output in exercise workouts.

It may be useful in dampening hyperactive brain activity that produces spasms. In one study, 1 gram of glycine a day for six months to one year significantly reduced spasms in all ten patients with severe chronic spasticity in the legs, including seven with multiple sclerosis.

L Lysine:
An essential amino acid that affects bone formation, height, and genital function.

Effects on HGH: A 1981 study by Italian researcher A. Isidori, M.D., and his associates at the University of Rome found that the combination of 1,200 milligrams of lysine and 1200 milligrams of arginine pyoglutamate in fifteen male volunteers between the ages of fifteen and twenty was ten times more effective than taking arginine alone. According to the researchers, "we could demonstrate that the association of the two amino acids does result in the release of biologically active hormone able to affect peripheral cellular receptors and thus cell growth in general." The fact that lysine and arginine together were active in oral form, say the researchers, "is clearly of considerable importance in clinical and diagnostic practice, where it offers a more practical and physiological approach."

According to Roy Walford, there is evidence that a combination of lysine and arginine may increase thymic hormone secretion in older animals and humans, partially reversing the immunodeficiency of aging. Again this could be HGH-related. It also effectively reduced the recurrence of herpes simplex infections at dosages of 1.25 grams in a 1984 Mayo Clinic study.

L Tyrosine:
An amino acid precursor to epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine, three important brain neurotransmitters involved in mood, mental function and sex drive.

Effects on HGH: Tyrosine is also used by the thyroid gland for the production of Thyroxine, a vital hormone involved in regulating growth, metabolism, skin health and mental state. Clinical studies indicate that Tyrosine can be helpful in reducing the irritation, fatigue and depression of PMS sufferers.

Tyrosine is contraindicated for people taking anti-depressants containing monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, people with high blood pressure or skin cancer.

Lysine was heralded in early 80's as a treatment for mouth blisters and cold sores due to its effects on viral growth and reproduction. L-Lysine aids in the production of antibodies, hormones and enzymes, maintains the body's nitrogen balance, aids calcium absorption and is instrumental in the formation of collagen.