Dr. Rhonda Patrick

So by channeling how IGF-1 is used and making it less available to potentially stimulate cancer cells,

exercise acts as a protective shield.

Regular physical activity has long been shown to strongly reduce the risk of many types of cancer, and this may just be one crucial mechanism that accounts for that fact.

Furthermore, exercise enhances the immune system's ability to find and destroy cancer cells.

It lowers chronic inflammation, which is a known risk factor for cancer, and it improves insulin sensitivity, which can further influence IGF-1 levels.

So in short, higher IGF-1 levels aren't inherently dangerous.

It's the context that matters.

Exercise and a healthy lifestyle change the story entirely, showing us that IGF-1 can be a powerful ally for health, strength, and also longevity when guided by an active, balanced lifestyle.

This brings us to another important question.

If protein truly is inherently pro-aging, wouldn't we expect a population with a higher protein intake, athletes for example, to experience reduced life expectancy?

But this doesn't appear to be the case.

And in fact, the opposite is true.

Athletes who we can reasonably expect generally consume higher protein amounts and are known to have elevated IGF-1 levels consistently show longer lifespans and a better health metric.

On average, they live two to eight years longer than the general population.

They also die less of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

Let's circle back to the amino acid leucine.

Whether we're talking about optimizing muscle protein synthesis or controversies in the aging field surrounding IGF-1 and mTOR, leucine is at the heart of it.

Leucine is the critical signal driving robust activation of mTOR.

Animal protein has a lot of leucine, and whether you consider that a good thing or not actually depends on your views of IGF-1 and mTOR.

mTOR plays key roles in skeletal muscle growth by driving muscle protein synthesis and recovery.