Exercise, how it can increase or decrease specific hormones and growth factors

A beatiful article on ScientificPhysicalTherapy.

Summary: The growth factor IGF-1 and the anabolic hormones growth hormone and testosterone stimulates protein synthesis and tissue regeneration. IGF-1 can be decreased by mild aerobic exercise at the lactate threshold which is approximately 50% VO2 max. This would be beneficial in cases where the patient has increased risk of cancer.

Exercising at levels higher than 60% VO2 max will increase IGF-1 and high resistance exercise will also increase IGF-1. Growth hormones are stimulated by high intensity exercise both short sprint exercise and resistance exercise if it provides high tissue stress.

Resistance exercises with high workloads are the most effective way to stimulate the release of testosterone. Clinically it may look like IGF-1, growth hormones and testosterone can only be stimulated later in the treatment program when the patient has progressed into higher resistance exercise protocols. It may however be possible for many patients even early on to stimulate the production of IGF-1 and the anabolic hormones by incorporating short interval maximal effort sprints on a cycle ergometer. This may be a way to increase the anabolic response and improve protein synthesis and tissue regeneration early on.