How the level changes from birth to adulthood, and why the pubertal peak matters for interpretation

Published 26 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
At birth IGF-1 is low and IGF-2 is the dominant fetal growth factor. Through childhood IGF-1 rises gradually as growth hormone secretion increases. In puberty, sex steroids amplify growth hormone secretion and the liver response to it, and IGF-1 climbs to levels two to three times those of adulthood, peaking around mid-adolescence — earlier in girls than boys — and coinciding with the growth spurt. It then falls to the adult plateau in the twenties and declines slowly thereafter. Reference ranges are therefore stratified by age, sex and, in adolescence, pubertal stage, and a result read against the wrong stratum is meaningless.

The pattern and its drivers

Growth hormone secretion rises through childhood and doubles or more at puberty under oestrogen and testosterone, both of which act centrally. Oestrogen, from either sex, is the main driver of the pubertal growth spurt and of growth plate fusion that ends it. Nutrition modulates the whole curve: undernutrition lowers IGF-1 at every age.

The adolescent peak is the highest IGF-1 exposure of a normal lifetime.

Why stratification matters

A level normal for a fourteen-year-old would indicate acromegaly in a sixty-year-old and might indicate deficiency in a ten-year-old at a late pubertal stage. Laboratories report ranges by age and sex; the pubertal stage is added clinically. The 2011 consensus called for ranges derived from large, well-characterised populations for this reason.

Bone age is sometimes used instead of chronological age for the comparison.

Why it is here

Because the physiology of the molecule over a lifetime is part of what is established about it, and because the pubertal peak is the natural upper bound against which the longevity and cancer literatures implicitly compare. It describes no use of the pack.

IGF-1 LR3 is supplied by REVIVE LAB UAE for laboratory research use only, with identity and purity documented for the batch. It is not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing, administration or protocol guidance is provided.

What it costs

FormatStrengthPriceAvailability
IGF-1 LR3 Pack1 mgAED 650In stock

Delivery is AED 40 flat and free on orders over AED 700. Payment is cash on delivery anywhere in the UAE, or USDT (TRC20) in advance, which takes 5% off the order total.

Frequently asked

The pattern and its drivers?

Growth hormone secretion rises through childhood and doubles or more at puberty under oestrogen and testosterone, both of which act centrally. Oestrogen, from either sex, is the main driver of the pubertal growth spurt and of growth plate fusion that ends it. Nutrition modulates the whole curve: undernutrition lowers IGF-1 at every age.

Does REVIVE LAB UAE provide dosing guidance?

No. REVIVE LAB UAE supplies research materials and provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Every product is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or veterinary consumption.

How fast is delivery in the UAE?

Stock is held in Dubai. An order confirmed before 4 PM Dubai time is dispatched the same working day, reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi the same day and the remaining emirates within 24 hours. Delivery is AED 40 flat and free over AED 700.

IGF-1 LR3 Pack — in stock, dispatched from Dubai
HPLC-verified, lot certificate on every carton, 24-hour delivery nationwide. Browse the catalogue → All peptides UAE

Related reading

Supplied for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. REVIVE LAB UAE provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance.