Let's Talk Peptides
Let’s talk about peptides. None of this is medical advice
Peptide therapy may very well be the future of regenerative medicine and sports medicine. Peptides are short chains of amino acids; basically they are smaller versions of proteins.
Essentially, we are able to use the human body to further enhance and speed up the healing process in the body. This post will be an introduction to peptides, peptide therapy and how it works.
Brief Overview of Peptides
What Are Peptides?
Let’s start with the basics. Apologies in advance, this post will be a bit sciency. I’ll try to keep it on the simple side.
What are peptides? In simple terms, peptides are smaller versions of proteins. These are naturally occurring in the body.
They are made up of short chains of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins if you recall high school anatomy). They play a crucial role in a variety of biological functions, such as hormone regulation, immune response, and cell-to-cell communication.
Peptides are compounds consisting of two or more amino acids linked in a chain. The bonds connecting these amino acids are known as peptide bonds. Peptides are just smaller versions of proteins. Proteins contain 50 or more amino acids, peptides are typically made up of less than 50.
How Does Peptide Therapy Work?
Your body naturally produces peptides to carry out many functions in the body from hormone regulation to immune system function. In the world of sports medicine and rehab, peptides have gained popularity due to their potential to boost certain natural bodily processes, namely healing and neuroprotective benefits.
Peptides work in various ways depending on their structure and the type of amino acids involved. They can function as hormones, neurotransmitters, or growth factors, influencing and regulating many bodily functions.
For example, some peptides might work as neurotransmitters, carrying signals between nerve cells, while others might function as hormones.
Peptides can also stimulate certain processes in the body, such as cell growth or immune responses. I’ll touch on some common benefits below, but the list is far from comprehensive.
Peptide Therapy Benefits
Peptide therapy has many benefits including:
Improved Immune Function – Peptides can help the immune system identify foreign substances quicker and in turn, this leads to a faster and more efficient immune system response
Enhanced Wound Healing – Peptide therapy can promote angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels) which improves blood flow and healing
Hormone Regulation – Peptides can signal certain hormones to have their production increase or decrease. bringing balance
Increased Muscle Mass – Some peptides can trigger the release of growth hormone, which = gainz
Improved Skin Health– Peptide therapy can improve collagen elasticity which keeps the skin healthy (Note. This is not our domain. If you care about skin check out Skincare Stacy)
Neuroprotective Effects – Peptides protect from damage by free radicals and assist with delaying/preventing neurodegenerative conditions
Improved Bone Health – Some peptides stimulate growth hormone receptors, which promote tissue growth
For the sake of rehab and our concerns, the benefits we are looking at are enhanced wound healing.
There are 2 peptides of which this is their primary function.
BPC-157
TB-500
Disclaimer time
While peptides are very promising, they do not have adequate trials in humans, yet.
As such, they are only legally allowed to be used for “research purposes”. If you compete in any sports, know they are banned by WADA
BPC-157
BPC (Body Protection Compound) naturally occurs in the stomach of humans. The primary function of BPC-157 in the stomach is to keep the stomach lining intact (source) from stomach acids. This function is what led to research to understand additional BPC 157 benefits.
BPC-157 works via stimulating vascular growth factors. This causes the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis). It also upregulates many other growth factors, stimulating fibroblast production and collagen. The benefits of BPC 157 will be laid out below.
What Are BPC 157 Benefits?
Neuroprotection – BPC157 can repair nerve damage and has been shown to reduce depression rates. Additionally, there is also some date that it can help repair spinal cord damage in rat models.
Improved blood flow – BPC 157 improves blood vessel recruitment. It promotes angiogenesis by improving VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor). This is a fancy way of saying it makes more blood vessels
Blood pressure regulation – Improved nitric oxide (NO) pathways in the body. NO causes the blood vessels to expand, which can lower blood pressure
Pain relief – Studies show that local injection of BPC 157 can reduce pain. This is likely a result from reducing chronic inflammation
Improved healing – Angiogenesis improves blood flow to the injured tissue. This increase in blood and oxygen speeds up the healing process.
Increased energy – Improved nitric oxide (NO) pathways in the body. NO improves blood flow to the muscles. There is a reason almost all pre workouts include NO in some capacity. This increases energy as a secondary effect
Liver protection – BPC 157 has been shown to protect the liver from adverse effects of NSAIDs.
Muscle and tissue growth – BPC 157 stimulates growth hormone receptors. This in turn can lead to stimulation of new tissue in the tendons, bone and muscle.
The BPC 157 Benefits We Care About
Naturally, the 2 we care about, and probably the reason you’re here, are improved healing and pain reduction. These are the most applicable benefits in the sports medicine and rehab world and why we have such an interest in BPC 157.
The clinical data on BPC 157 benefits all involve using the peptide administered locally. The injection works better when done as close to the injury as possible. There is not data that shows it cannot be used systemically, however, the studies have all used local administration.
BPC 157 Side Effects
There have been minimal side effects reporting in humans from using BPC 157. However there are some to note:
Injection site soreness/infection risk
Nausea
Fatigue
Sweating
Light headedness
Is BPC 157 Safe?
The FDA has yet to fully evaluate BPC 157 for safety.
That being said, in all published research to date, there have been minimal reported side effects. A review of clinical trials shows that BPC 157 is safe for treating inflammatory bowel disease and wound healing. Additionally, BPC 157 prevents side effects from other medications (source).
How to get it
We personally recommend Swiss Chems. This is a brand we personally use. We also have a discount code. Enter code “NowWhat” at checkout for 10% off.
We trust them because they have the highest quality products. All products from Swiss Chems are 99% pure. They also use independent lab tests for everything they sell to guarantee the best and safest products.
TB-500
TB 500 is an artificial version of a natural compound called thymosin beta 4. It has been found to promote wound healing, muscle repair and vascular health. It works via improving the function and concentration of actin (source) as well as promote angiogenesis. Actin works to main cell structure and movement
It was initially used in horse racing to give race horses a massive advantage. It was banned for this purpose, which is how the interest in human consumption came about.
What Are TB 500 Benefits?
Tissue regeneration – Improves the rate of tissue healing via angiogenesis and cell migration
Heart health – TB 500 has been shown to promote repair to cardiac muscle after damage from any number of events (source). Additionally, by reducing inflammation, it helps to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis
Connective tissue remodeling – Tb 500 improves collagen structure; which in turn reduces scarring after a soft tissue injury. Less scarring means better healing and less risk of re injury
Anti-inflammatory – TB 500 has been shown to function as an anti-oxidant. There is also data to suggest it can treat non alcoholic fatty liver disease in mice. Reduction in chronic inflammation is key for preventing most diseases. Acute inflammation is a necessary thing.
Metabolic health – Several studies show that TB 500 can improve blood glucose and increase insulin sensitivity. There have also been improvements in triglyceride levels
Improved vascular function – Promotion of endothelial cells helps to maintain or restore blood vessel function.
Side Effects
Although generally tolerated extremely well, there are some side effects, as with any medication
Lethargy
Nausea
Headache
Injection site pain/infection
Is It Safe?
The FDA has yet to evaluate TB 500 for safety. This does not mean it is not safe to use
In all human trials to date, there have been minimal side effects as a result of TB 500 usage. All subject demographics tolerated it extremely well. There has yet to be any dosage that has been deemed to be toxic
Where To Buy
We recommend Swiss Chems. This is a brand we personally use. We also have a discount code. Enter code “NowWhat” at checkout for 10% off.
We trust them because they have the highest quality products. All products from Swiss Chems are 99% pure. They also use independent lab tests for everything they sell to guarantee the best and safest products.
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