Greetings to all. We hope you are staying cool and enjoying your Summer. We’ve been working with and studying peptides for some time now and wanted to share some general introductory information as we look to safely and wisely help understand their growing potential applications in a personalized fashion.
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. William Seeds has been at the forefront of the application of peptides. He shares some important concepts in this article: Peptide Therapy: Revolutionizing Medicine – Seeds Scientific Research & Performance. From the article:
What are Peptides?
Peptides are the building blocks of proteins. They are composed of amino acids bound together in chains. When these chains connect, they form a protein.
Peptides facilitate cell-to-cell communication, essentially telling the body which cells to turn on and off. This means you can re-activate cells that may have gone dormant or need an extra boost.
Some peptides occur naturally, and some are synthesized. Every single living organism contains peptides, as well as many health and cosmetic products.
Peptides carry out a wide variety of functions, which include:
- Acting as hormones
- Fighting against the effects of aging
- Lowering blood pressure
- Regulating appetite, metabolism, and digestion
- Acting as antioxidants to scavenge free radicals
- Reducing inflammation
- Delivering messages from the tissue to blood
- Providing structure to muscle and bone
Through peptide therapy, users can target these systems to assist with certain ailments.
What is Peptide Therapy?
In peptide therapy, the client receives a targeted treatment of peptides depending on their desired outcomes. They are administered via injections, nasal spray, topical creams, or pills taken orally. Different goals require different methods of treatment.
Since there are over 7,000 known peptides, the possible benefits of peptide therapy are numerous and far-reaching. Insulin for example is a peptide.
Here’s more information on Dr. Seeds and his peptide book, Peptide Protocols: Volume One.
The Current State of Peptide Drug Discovery: Back to the Future?
From a detailed pharmacology review in 2017:
Over the past decade, peptide drug discovery has experienced a revival of interest and scientific momentum, as the pharmaceutical industry has come to appreciate the role that peptide therapeutics can play in addressing unmet medical needs and how this class of compounds can be an excellent complement or even preferable alternative to small molecule and biological therapeutics.
Peptides Therapeutics-The Future is Now
James LaValle, RPh,CCN, MT has an excellent, detailed, and well referenced resource, Peptide Handbook- A Professional’s Guide to Peptide Therapeutics, in which he takes a deep dive into the research and practical application of peptides.
From sports medicine to novel treatments for Metabolic Syndrome and all its co-morbid facets, the use of peptides in medicine is a subject clinician and their patients, should be exposed to. Positive outcomes to many health conditions, from sleep problems, sexual dysfunction, weight issues, and improved performance, are being seen in patients seeking healing and rejuvenation.
Peptides can help the body recover from injury or illness faster, lose weight more efficiently, decrease inflammation and pain, and improve results in the gym.
Currently there are more than 60 US FDA approved peptide medications on the market, with the increased interest by pharmaceutical R&D, which has led to approximately 140 peptide therapeutics being evaluated in clinical trials in the US and 500 to 600 in pre-clinical trials.
Advances in peptide therapies for “off-label” uses offer exciting therapeutic options for a plethora of health conditions.
A huge concern when using peptides is PRODUCT QUALITY. Make sure that when you are recommending them or using them that you get them from a licensed 503B Compounding Pharmacy that is cGMP (certified Good Manufacturing Processes).
FDA approval for many peptides is lacking, and most must be sold “for research purposes.”
Many websites are selling illegal products, with some selling Chinese “rip offs”.
Optimize your Health with Therapeutic Peptides
Jay Campbell is one of the smartest people in the optimized healthy industry, having practiced and written in this space for over 20 years and specifically used and written about therapeutic peptides for more than 14 years. He has some good peptide background information and has also written a very user friendly book on peptides.
Peptides are the exact opposite of the slap-dash, too-late, “medicate the symptoms with drugs” model of health.
As of this very moment, peptides are lighting the health and biohacking communities on fire due to their ability to fundamentally solve the root cause of illness and disease.
I am now convinced peptides are truly the now and future of regenerative medicine.
Ben Greenfield is a renowned trainer, athlete, author, speaker and influential citizen scientist who has practiced with and written about peptides. From his very favorable foreword to Jay’s peptide book:
As someone who both personally uses and educates the public on peptides, I truly believe these compounds represent the future of medicine. Peptides have long been kind of a secret weapon of functional medicine physicians and biohackers, yet they remain mostly ignored or unknown by mainstream medicine and the general public.
The Next Fountain of Youth Craze?
The Wall Street Journal wrote about peptides and their various uses and potential challenges. Historically, their major claim to fame has been for help with the musculoskeletal system and help with injuries. From helping Dancing with the Stars participants with joint problems to women with autoimmune disease, they highlight the exciting potential these novel products can offer.
GLP-1 -Peptides for Weight Loss
Targeted shots of peptides, GLP-1 (glucagon-like-peptide-1), for diabetes and weight loss are not new and have been FDA approved since 2005. I remember prescribing the peptide Exenatide known as Byetta for diabetics around that time. We saw some good weight loss, but also with many G.I. side effects; it became difficult for patients to tolerate but the mechanisms of action were very interesting and sparked ongoing curiosity.
Gradually, I started using these medicines again for weight loss (Semaglutide and Tirzepatide in particular) , as many patients have finally been able to shed some resistant weight and whose benefits are backed up by impressive research and just as importantly matched by real-world experience.
It’s important to know that the G.I. effects are still there for some but are generally better tolerated especially if eating clean and that there are some important contraindications.
There remain other challenges with the GLP-1 peptides for weight loss that include drug shortages and supply disruptions, and not being uniformly covered by insurances. It clearly isn’t for everyone and other effects such a rebound weight gain and muscle loss can occur if not used correctly.
The controversy on muscle loss is important to highlight. While many have pointed out the common problem with muscle loss seen with this medicine, it is important to point out that all patients losing weight will lose some muscle mass if they don’t take appropriate measures to combat it. This is the reason why we recommend close monitoring of one’s body composition and taking in more protein from food and targeted supplements such as creatine, essential aminos, protein powders, and collagen, for all of our patients on these products.
GLP-1 beyond weight loss
What has drawn the interest of many in the field of integrative and holistic care is the growing benefits beyond weight loss.
As the following schematic demonstrates, from its positive effects on inflammation, heart health, metabolic health and liver disease, kidney disease, neurological diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders; there are many reasons to target GLP-1.
Stay tuned to learn more about our personalized approaches to peptides and the companies we are partnering with to make them available to those who would most benefit.
Natural ways to raise GLP-1
Foods and fibers have been shown to modestly raise GLP-1 with eggs, nuts, high-fiber grains, avocado, and olive oil being the best examples. The fiber beta-glucan, found in oats and barley, has been shown to increase concentrations of butyrate, a metabolite made from microbes that break down fiber. Butyrate has been shown to increase the release of GLP-1.
Calocurb- An Effective GLP-1 activator
We’ve been experimenting these last few months with a novel bitter Hops extract from New Zealand called Calocurb (Amarsate) that has been clinically shown to reduce hunger, cravings, and calorie consumption by releasing GLP-1, and other peptide hormones such as CCK and PYY. My wife and I have had good success with it as an aide to help us fast and reset after getting off course.
GLP-1 Probiotic by Pendulum
Another novel product we’ve using is by the company Pendulum. They’ve developed a probiotic that can help naturally increase GLP-1 and reduce food cravings.
We have been excited by both of these products and have even recommended cautiously trying both of them together, as recommended on each respective bottle.
Both can be found at our office and online via Fullscript.
I’ve personally used peptides for a variety of health reasons including musculoskeletal problems and immune support with significant improvements and very good tolerability and safety. We’ve seen them add value for joint health, immunity, digestive issues, weight loss, body composition and athletic performance, and for neurological and brain support. The possibilities are exciting.
Be aware that this isn’t medical advice, just my own personal opinion. Everyone should do their own research and speak with their health care provider before exploring a new path along their own unique health journeys.
