Peptide Primer: Getting a Boost From Peptides

When preparing to achieve your fitness and health goals, it's essential to have an understanding of the tools that are at your disposal.

Peptides are a hot topic these days and are reported to offer various benefits to users.

What Are Peptides?

Peptides are comprised of short chains of linked amino acids, married by a peptide bond. Peptides vary greatly in length, from two amino acids to as many as around fifty. Dipeptides are simple proteins made up of two amino acids.

Tripeptides consist of three linked amino acids. Polypeptides are chains of amino acids that are three amino acids or longer but do not form a complete protein.

Our bodies create peptides from diet and from natural physiological processes. Our ability to produce and process complex peptides is dependent on various factors, including nutrition, stress, and age.

For example, IGF-1 is a very important peptide that helps modulate cellular metabolism. When we get older, the body doesn't produce IGF-1 as efficiently. The production of this peptide is also sensitive to stress.

What Do Peptides Do?

Peptides have many vital roles in normal human physiology. Many peptides are precursors to complete Hormones like HGH. Some interact with the endocrine system as Hormones, others modulate the nervous system as neurotransmitters.

The presence of Peptides also affects how our bodies respond to exercise and diet. That's a reason why specific Peptide Blends are so popular with fitness buffs.

Amino Acids and Peptides are the building blocks of hormones and protein. This makes them critical for the health of muscle and skin, just as two examples. Taking Peptide Supplements help people maximize the results of training by improving the body's ability to perform and respond to exercise.

Peptides vs. Amino Acids

For a while now, Amino Acid Supplements have been popular among exercise enthusiasts, but Peptide Supplements are increasing in popularity. Peptides have an advantage over complex proteins because they take less effort for the digestive system to break down and ready for use.

On the other hand, Peptides are considered advantageous over Amino Acid Supplements because they are complex enough to remain stable until they reach their target. Unbonded Amino Acids tend to interact in unintended ways due to their high reactivity.

OTC Peptides

Some of the most popular Over-the-counter peptides are Creatine and Glutamine. They absorb quickly and have minimal side-effects. There's a wide variety of Amino-Acid/Peptide Blends available, though you should be cautious and do your research when considering them. These blends offer several beneficial Peptides, often in "pre-digested" form, to help them absorb more readily.

Prescription Peptide Injections

Hormone Replacement Therapy Clinics often offer Peptide Injections for patients interested in maximizing results and improving wellness. A few examples are Ipamorelin, GHRP-6, and IGF-1.

Many of these HRT Injections are designed to enhance Growth Hormone Production, which can improve recovery time, trim body fat, and increase muscle mass, especially when combined with a quality workout/lifestyle routine. Other Peptides, such as SNAP-8 and Melanotan, are notable for their effects on skin elasticity and tanning, respectively. 

These blends should never be used without the guidance of a medical professional, and some are considered controversial.

On the other hand, Wellness Clinics nationwide are turning to these Prescription Peptide Supplements with increasing frequency. Do your research and be open with your doctor!