Note: The treatments described in this article are for providing medical information but this is not medical advice. While there are studies that support the treatments described, the treatments are considered experimental and not the standard of care. For medical guidance, you should contact your physician or health care professional.
Before discussing how you can benefit from peptides, you should first know what a peptide is. Proteins are composed of long chains of amino acids. A peptide is a small protein with a short chain of 50 amino acids or less, some as few as three or four. The peptides that have been developed for clinical use usually work by affecting cellular reactions. These work on different pathways that control body functions including metabolism, tissue repair, digestion and fat burning. They work in several ways, mostly by signaling the cell to perform certain actions which improve function.
If you keep up with health care trends, you may be aware of peptides. It is a rapidly developing area of medicine as new peptides are being formulated that work on so many of the body’s pathways. If you are not familiar with peptides, it may be because there have not been many peptides that would be found in pharmacy chains. (I will discuss an exception below). This is partly because many of the peptides used are not easy to patent since many mimic compounds found in the body naturally.
Peptides can be taken in different ways, including topically as a cream for the skin, orally as a pill or capsule, or by injection, usually just under the skin. I find that most patients find the injections tolerable. They find that the great results are well worth the inconvenience of dealing with syringes.
I will describe several peptides to facilitate understanding them. This will give you a good idea of the range of benefits that peptides can provide. These are among the most popular peptides because of their versatility and wide range of benefits. The one thing they have in common is that they can all improve your quality of life.
A great peptide for tissue healing is BPC-157. The initials stand for Body Protection Compound. BPC-157 helps soft tissue heal, especially ligaments and tendons. That makes it useful for musculoskeletal injuries and arthritic joints as it is often weak ligaments that are the root cause of arthritic joints. I commonly treat these conditions with regenerative treatments including prolotherapy or platelet rich plasma (PRP). Using BPC-157 on the same day as a regenerative treatment enhances the results by signaling the treated area to heal more efficiently. There is a question among experts whether to place the BPC-157 at the injury site or just anywhere such as the abdomen. The good news is that BPC-157 works well either way. Speaking of the abdomen, BPC-157 also helps repair the gut lining so is very useful for many abdominal conditions including ulcer disease, acid reflux and colitis. It is hard to find a drug that can both promote tendon healing and gut repair with the same dosage. That is the beauty of peptides, especially BPC-157.
There are several peptides that stimulate the release of growth hormone. They are called growth hormone secretagogues. That’s the fancy doctor way of saying they stimulate the release (secretion) of growth hormone. Growth hormone is a vital peptide that promotes tissue healing, helps with sleep, weight loss, muscle tone and promotes overall health and well-being. Giving growth hormone directly has been used by some for healthy aging but there are several disadvantages. One is that excessive dosing can cause unwanted side effects. Also, it is very expensive. Depending on the dosing, growth hormone can cost $1500 monthly. My favorite growth hormone releasing peptide is a combination of CJC-1295 with Ipamorelin. With five doses weekly, there is an increase in growth hormone production which results in fat loss and improved ability to exercise. Tesamorelin is also a great peptide for growth hormone release but CJC-1295 with Ipamorelin is a more cost- effective option.
A well-known peptide that is available as a pharmaceutical product is semaglutide peptide, also known as Ozempic. Semaglutide is approved by the FDA for glucose control in patients with diabetes. One of the reasons for its popularity is that it promotes lipolysis, otherwise known as fat burning. Semaglutide definitely promotes weight loss but anyone utilizing it should be cautious because part of the weight lost is muscle loss. You can minimize and prevent that effect when working with a physician that understands that possibility and making diet and exercise changes that promote muscle building to offset that possibility. A known side effect of semaglutide is nausea. By combining it with BPC-157 and Vitamin B6, the nausea is minimized. That is why it is beneficial to work with an expert on peptides. There are plenty of short-term studies showing semaglutide promotes weight loss. I look forward to longer term studies to show sustained benefit.
One of my favorite peptides is MOTS-C. MOTS-C is a mitochondrial peptide that has been shown to promote weight loss while improving metabolism. The mitochondria in cells are known as the energy source in cells. That is where the nutrients you eat are converted to energy that enables you to do everything you do. Thus, MOTS-C gives you energy for your daily activities, including exercise, and helps with weight loss. This is another example of peptides providing a variety of benefits by improving cellular function.
The pineal gland in your brain plays a key role in the sleep-wake cycle. The pineal gland is most known for its production of melatonin. Besides helping with sleep, melatonin is a powerful antioxidant that is essential for maintaining cellular function. Another less well-known pineal hormone is epithalamin. Epithalamin helps regulate the hormonal system in the body, as the pineal gland is strategically located near the hypothalamus and pituitary, which are the brain’s hormone centers. Epitalon was synthesized as an analog of epithalamin. In addition to working in sync with melatonin to improve sleep, epitalon has been shown to increase telomere length, which correlates with longevity. Perhaps because of its hormonal effects, epitalon improves insulin sensitivity that reduces insulin levels and even triglycerides. This is another example of a peptide effecting many positive changes in metabolism leading to improved quality of life.
By learning about these 5 peptides, you can appreciate the range of metabolic benefits that peptides provide. As peptides stimulate natural cellular and body functions, there are minimal side effects. There are a myriad of other peptides available or being developed that provide similar metabolic support and others with more specific functions, such as improved skin vitality, increased hair growth for male pattern baldness and even improved sexual function. By improving a wide range of cellular functions that can both treat diseases in a natural way and help maintain health for disease prevention, peptides are one of the most dynamic and promising areas on the cutting edge of the future of medicine.
Dr. Slaten is a wellness physician specializing in regenerative pain treatments and lifestyle counseling. He is certified in advanced bioidentical hormone replacement. Please check this website www.go4peptides.com or contact him at (201) 882-1500 if you are considering or have any questions regarding peptides.
