Q&A: James Jamieson, creator of pro hGH, IRONMAN Magazine Oct '98

GH Stak, a.k.a. Pro-hGH Symbiotropin, is a revolutionary natural growth hormone-boosting supplement that's taken the anti-aging movement, and now the bodybuilding world, by storm. It contains a number of amino acids and compounds that are clinically documented to increase GH production in the body naturally and safely, along with a patented delivery system that protects those aminos from degradation by stomach acid. Here are a number of questions on GH Stak, with answers from James Jamieson, a prominent pharmacologist and its developer, and Dr. Lawrence Dorman, who practices in Independence, Missouri, and administers the supplement to many of his patients.

Why has Pro-hGH changed its name to GH Stak?

Many companies provide the product to the medical community, and the manufacturer wanted to reserve the name Pro-hGH Symbiotropin for that segment. GH Stak is the name to look for in the bodybuilding world.

When is the best time to take GH Stak for maximizing growth hormone secretion?

A good time to take it is before bed—assuming you haven't eaten anything for at least three to four hours. This augments the natural peak release of GH, which occurs during the initial 90 minutes of sleep.

If snacking before bed is unavoidable, the morning is the next best time to use [GH Stak]. The nightlong fast results in desirably low insulin levels. To maximize the morning dose, you should avoid food and dietary supplements for one to two hours after using [GH Stak] and, if possible, do your cardiovascular or weight-training workouts during that period. This can also accelerate the fat-burning process.
Can I use GH Stak before I train in the afternoon if I want to enhance the GH release from my workout?

Yes, but you should exercise within an hour of taking the [GH Stak], and, once again, you must have an empty stomach—that means no eating for at least three hours before you take it. This allows a synergistic effect between the known GH-releasing effects of exercise and the GH enhancement induced by [GH Stak]. Also, for best results, you shouldn't eat anything for one hour after taking the supplement.
So I shouldn't even drink a protein drink during the three hours before I use GH Stak?

No, taking in other amino acids, like a whey protein supplement, during the three hours prior to ingesting [GH Stak] will completely negate its GH activity due to competitive interference with brain uptake from other circulating amino acids. If you take it before your workouts, do take a protein supplement and carbohydrates after you train—so long as your workout lasts an hour or more. In a clinical environment the best results have occured when patients ate fruit or other healthy carbohydrates about an hour after taking [GH Stak]. That optimizes the interaction of growth hormone and insulin to maximize the increase in muscle mass because insulin escorts glucose and proteins into the cells.

How is GH Stak better than other GH stimulators on the market?

The primary ingredient in [GH Stak] is pituitary peptides, similar in structure to the drug versions. Only a few chemists in the world know how to produce these peptides. The supplement also contains other ingredients, including chaperone molecules, that enhance both the effectiveness and delivery of the supplement in the body. No other GH-boosting formula has this technology. In addition, [GH Stak] contains several known GH-releasing amino acids, such as arginine, glutamine, GABA, glycine, lysine and tyrosine. It's a very powerful combination. The amino acids contained in the product are far more efficient in promoting GH release than if you took the same aminos independently because of the superior delivery system incorporated into [GH Stak]; i.e., the chaperone molecules.

Why is the effervescence factor of GH Stak, similar to that in Alka-Seltzer, important to the product's effectiveness?
The effervescence promotes rapid assimilation of the factors contained in [GH Stak]. The active factors, such as the anterior pituitary peptides, are fragile, and the longer they're exposed to hostile environments such as stomach acidity, the greater the risk of degradation. The effervescence helps to neutralize some of those potentially hostile exposures and is another reason [GH Stak] is far superior to other GH stimulators.

In our book Growth Hormone: The Methuselah Factor James cites L-glutamine as a prime example of this superior form of delivery: “The study on L-glutamine that produced the most significant elevation in GH administered the amino acid in a carbonated-drink solution. How could carbonation make that much of a difference in the effectiveness of this amino acid in GH release? I had tested effervescent delivery with L-dopa and other substances in the past and found it to be highly effective in combination with chaperone molecules. With carbonation I was able to produce rapid and efficient delivery of sensitive compounds. In this case I discovered that effervescent delivery assists in the delivery of all amino acids in [GH Stak] so that a greater and more consistent response can be derived with lower doses.”
What does the research say about GH Stak?

An unpublished study that included both elderly people and three young, healthy bodybuilders showed that one bodybuilder had an 8.5 percent increase in measured IGF-1 levels after just one day of using the supplement. Another bodybuilder in the study had a 12.5 percent rise in IGF-1 after a day, while the third showed a 36.6 percent increase in IGF-1 after six days. IGF-1 is one of the most anabolic hormones produced by the body.

Also noteworthy is the fact that clinics that dispense GH as a means of youth restoration offer the supplement as an alternative for those who are needle-phobic. In fact, many doctors are using it exclusively.

What about the suggestion that high levels of IGF-1 promote prostate cancer?

If high levels of IGF-1 actually promoted cancer, then people would have to stop exercising immediately because exercise is a potent IGF-1 stimulus. In reality, the opposite is true. IGF-1 is actually an immune-system booster and has a preventive effect against cancer and other diseases. It's also linked to improved wound healing, which further substantiates it as a potent immunostimulant.

Here's a quote from R. Arnold Smith Jr., M.D., of the North Central Mississippi Regional Cancer Center that further verifies those immunostimulant findings in direct association with cancer treatment: “We have instances where the addition of [Pro-hGH Symbiotropin, a.k.a. GH Stak] to interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy allowed us to restore debilitated previous recipients of combination chemotherapy and allowed continued use of IL-2 and was associated with continued shrinkage of the cancer.”

Are there any interactions between GH Stak and any of the popular testosterone precursors now on the market?

Androgen precursors, such as androstenedione, take totally different biochemical pathways than does [GH Stak]. Androgen precursors are converted by liver enzymes into testosterone, while [GH Stak] promotes peripheral IGF-1 synthesis and release. Some findings do suggest that a rise in GH may help boost the effectiveness of other anabolic hormones in the body, such as testosterone, and vice versa. The synergistic effect of replacing a variety of deficient hormones cannot be overstated.

Also, zinc, magnesium and potassium deficiencies can all negatively affect circulating IGF-1 levels, so it's important to take sufficient amounts of those minerals.
How can GH help build bigger muscles?

While GH has been shown to develop connective tissue, it also increases lean muscle mass due to improvements in muscular protein intake. In other words, growth hormone promotes amino acid uptake from the intestines into the blood and from the blood into the muscle tissue for use in protein synthesis, which is highly anabolic and conducive to muscular growth.
One study that demonstrated the effect was done in 1989 by Dr. Franco Salomon in London. Growth hormone given to deficient adults over the course of six months resulted in an increase in lean body mass of more than 10 percent. There was also a bodyfat reduction of 7 percent, which substantiates the hormone's fat-burning potential.

Lawrence noticed those effects in many of the patients to whom he administered [GH Stak]: “We have observed consistent increase in muscle mass and significant decrease in bodyfat. The process often begins within the first week of [supplement] therapy, in which patients have experienced weight loss of up to seven pounds. The majority of overweight patients maintain a loss of two to three pounds per week, and at the same time the increased strength, energy and endurance allow them to perform higher-intensity workouts—thereby increasing muscle mass and raising the base metabolism. Bodybuilders who have previously used GH injections have reported more rapid increase in muscle mass and definition with [GH Stak].”

Since younger people usually have higher IGF-1 levels than older people, what's the advantage of a product like GH Stak for them?

Even younger people using it will show improvements in muscle strength and endurance. Since IGF-1 strengthens connective tissue, such as that found in joints and ligaments, using the product will also offer a degree of injury protection.
Here's what Lawrence found with his patients: “Many were able to recover from muscular injuries and pain from exercise much more efficiently. We observed increased range of motion in the joints and increased muscular strength. The most fascinating and consistent reports were those of healing and reduced pain from old injuries. These examples include a patient who described pain in his shoulder that would wake him up at night and continue throughout the day—a 20-year-old injury that had caused constant pain that subsided after eight weeks of [GH Stak].”

Can using GH Stak lead to side effects similar to those that occur with GH injections?

Carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful wrist impingement, is often a common side effect of GH injection therapy. With [GH Stak] it occurred only with too high a dosage, and then only in women. As to why the effect occurs only in women, it hasn't yet been determined. But it is extremely rare, however, and only happens if the product is misused. No other negative side effects have been observed.

Remember, [GH Stak] consists of all-natural ingredients, which significantly reduces the likelihood of side effects. It stimulates the release of the body's own growth hormone, enhancing the existing pulsatile secretions, whereas injections utilize synthesized growth hormone that takes the place of those secretions.

Why the five-days-on/two-days-off schedule with GH Stak?
Taking breaks from using the product every few days maintains its effectiveness while also preventing any side effects. The brief rest periods also help maintain receptor efficiency, thus preventing the receptor downgrade that commonly occurs with growth hormone injections.