What Peptides Do
Top 5 Frequently Asked Questions About Peptides
The field of science is an ever-expanding venture for knowledge into some of our most pressing questions. And what more critical issues are there than the studies grounded in medicine, biology, and chemistry that delve into improving human physiology and health. In recent years, biochemists have conducted hundreds of clinical studies looking into peptide therapy; promising results provide much hope and optimism for providing greater physical wellbeing for those looking to take advantage of naturally occurring biochemical building blocks of life.
As the field of peptide therapy burgeons with success, it very well may have eluded you (amongst many others as well). Such medical advancements can often remain invisible in the backgrounds of our lives unless they are heavily sensationalized and plastered across multi-medias. Whether peptide therapy is a novel idea to you or you’ve been considering looking into it, provided below are the top five asked and answered questions regarding peptide therapy that should help expand your perceptions on a promising practice.
What are peptides?
Peptides are nothing more than small amino acid chains. These are the same amino acid chains that comprise the ever-important physiological macromolecule, protein. While fundamentally similar to protein, peptides are much smaller than proteins as they’re built from smaller chains of acids. Within the body, peptides control diverse functions by acting as signaling molecules. To provide context, insulin is a known peptide that signals the metabolizing of sugars to be absorbed as glucose by muscle cells for fuel.
Given how the body both utilizes peptides as signaling molecules for cell-to-cell communication and regulatory switches for cellular functions, peptide properties, therefore, can thus be harnessed to activate therapeutic physiological effects.
What are some standard peptides and their functions?
Peptides are natural and sourced from plant or animal proteins such as eggs, milk, meat, soy, etc. Differing sourced peptides offer various physiological effects; there are collagen peptides for skin or creatine peptides for strength and muscle mass. Other peptides promote sexual functions, weight loss, and repair.
● Ipamorelin targets anti-aging
● IGF-1 LR-3 communicates muscle building, fat loss, and energy maintenance.
● Ipamorelin acts similarly
● PT-141 and Melanotan 2 facilitate sexual function
● BPC-157 and thymosin Beta are integral for cellular repair
If one is considering peptide therapy, think about what is either specifically ailing you or what you’d like to improve. By communicating your goals and desires, the best peptides can be tailored to you.
How is peptide therapy administered?
Until recently, peptide therapy was limited to needle injections. Given the importance of protein to our diet, the stomach and intestines are equipped with numerous enzymes that break apart peptide bonds. For a while, scientists had not figured out how to modify peptides to survive through digestion. For modified peptides that could survive, another hurdle was getting the peptides to be absorbed into the bloodstream through the intestines.
As research and studies doubled down on figuring out this puzzle, breakthrough research solved the challenges of peptide stability through absorption and consequent biological efficacy. By manipulating the structure, peptides are now able to take advantage of biological transport systems they otherwise couldn’t before.
Now, peptide therapies can be administered through oral applications like capsules or dissolvable tablets as well as topical solutions (though it’s debated on how well topical solutions fare). At this point in peptide research, the administration comes down to personal preference.
What are the benefits of peptide therapy?
Here’s a comprehensive look at the multitude of health benefits afforded by peptides:
● Increase lean muscle
● Builds strength
● Reduce subcutaneous and visceral body fat
● Improve sleep
● Reduce joint pain and inflammation
● Prevent blood clots
● Rejuvenate skin – increase collagen to combat wrinkles, smooth skin, and improve elasticity
● Restore hair loss
● Improve energy levels as well as endurance
● Promote healing and repair
● Prevent age-related bone loss
● Bolster your immune system
Are there risks involved?
The short and sweet answer: no. Peptide supplementation is unlikely to cause serious side effects because of their similarity to the peptides we presently consume in our diets. Since our bodies already utilize peptides for signaling between cells, our bodies are capable of recycling the peptides, which prevents any accumulation or need for detoxification.
The only risks to heed are the authenticity of the peptide supplements you’re buying and using. This is all the more reason to find a trustworthy and knowledgeable provider. Consider allowing Vitality Aesthetic and Regenerative Medicine to help cater and design the best peptide therapy regimen for you.