Conventional wisdom has long been telling us that saturated fats are no good for us. The word ‘fat’ of course comes with negative connotations and saturated fats are also known to be high in calories. Add in a link with high cholesterol and you have a few very good reasons to avoid putting saturated fat in your body.
Only it turns out that most of this information is wrong – and actually saturated fat is not only very good for us but also a very powerful tool for increasing HGH levels. Read on and we’ll look at why this is the case and why saturated fats should be an important part of any bodybuilder’s diet. If you’re currently eating your egg whites and throwing away the yolks… well then stop it.
Saturated Fat Isn’t Bad for You
The first thing to be aware of is the simple fact that saturated fat isn’t bad for you. Many of us think that it is, but in fact saturated fat has been shown in more recent studies to raise good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) rather than the bad stuff. Only trans fats negatively impact on cholesterol.
The other point to consider is that saturated fat doesn’t really contribute to weight gain. Although it’s high in calories, those calories take longer to get broken down by the body which means you end up with a slow and steady release of energy rather than a sudden spike leading to a surge of insulin and the fat storage.
How Saturated Fat Helps Growth Hormone
So what has this all got to do with growth hormone? Well first of all, saturated fat can actually be used to aid with weight loss by satiating appetite in the long term. As body fat causes you to produce less testosterone and growth hormone this can be very helpful.
Furthermore, saturated fat will help you to make better use of the protein in your diet. That’s because it helps you to absorb the amino acids more efficiently which triggers the production of testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor. If you are eating the egg white without the yolk then, you won’t be absorbing that protein as well as you otherwise would and you thus won’t be making as much use from it.
On top of all this, fats and cholesterol are actually used to create hormones – including anabolic hormones. They also support brain function (the brain is 60% fat) thereby helping you to feel more relaxed and to produce less cortisol and other stress hormones. Fat can even aid sleep which is when growth hormone production is at its highest and the pituitary glands are working the most.
All in all, more saturated fat in your diet will have the precise opposite effect as many people think it will. Rather than making you flabby and unhealthy it will help you to become leaner, healthier, more focused and generally a much better bodybuilder/athlete all around. Stop throwing away that yolk!
