“There’s this new kind of wedge between supplements and prescription drugs that are called peptides,” Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist at Stanford (with a cult following among longevity seekers), said recently on the Flagrant podcast. “I’ll tell you right now, a lot of the bodies you see in Hollywood movies are on peptides.”
But the word peptide is actually quite vague and meaningless when it comes to describing a health intervention. The truth is, we all have peptides in our bodies right now – they’re just chains of molecules (specifically amino acids) that we make naturally.
Here’s what you need to know.
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Why do people use peptides?
Peptides are big in anti-aging circles. Business Insider recently reported on an 86-year-old woman who says she’s “physically immortal” — she’s taking peptides. So is billionaire longevity investor Christian Angermeier. Many biohackers claim that peptides can improve brain power and joint health.
In the fitness world, some athletes swear by certain peptides for faster recovery from workouts and better endurance.
Men’s health professionals use peptides to “restore” or “balance” hormones, specifically testosterone, or to increase libido.
And the bodybuilding community has embraced peptides as a tool to stimulate muscle growth and burn fat faster, often used with various supplements in combinations known as “stacks.”
Some bodybuilders have also embraced peptides as a more natural alternative to steroids – which are also illegal for over-the-counter use, although their general use is something of an open secret among the community.
How do you make peptides?
Most likely, when people say they’re “doing peptides,” they mean they’re popping a pill or injecting themselves with a drug in hopes of improving aging or building muscle.
But when people talk about anti-aging and performance peptides, they’re usually talking about growth hormone-mimicking peptides.
“Some peptides, for example, will make your body naturally produce more human growth hormones again,” said Angermeier, the longevity investor. “The biohackers are really excited about it because you can actually make your body do certain things.”
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High demand has spawned a black market for peptides
Sermorelin is a specific peptide. It prompts the body to release more growth hormone, which can help build muscle mass or improve libido.
However, while sermorelin is available as a prescription drug, high demand has led to a shortage – which has spawned an entire shadow industry of unregulated sermorelin sellers on the internet.
Many peptides are classified as biologics, which means there are strict laws around who can produce and sell them.
In some cases, users even source peptides online from sites that sell “research chemicals.” Although the vials are specifically labeled as not for human use, the sites are full of coded language hinting at “fast-acting, premium research gains” or products promising a “monstrous pump” or superior mass.
The risks of improper intake of peptides
While peptides are generally perceived as low-risk because many are based on substances that occur naturally in the human body, dosage matters—as do any potential additives or contaminants.
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Some common peptides sold as fitness supplements, such as creatine, have extensive research supporting the benefits and general safety for human use. Other popular peptides, however, are in early-stage research, often in mice rather than humans.
As with all supplements, the lack of comprehensive regulation can make it difficult to know what you’re getting and how much. It’s important to take the hype about peptides with a grain (or even a whole shaker) of salt until the evidence stacks up to what the biohackers and influencers are claiming.
