Suddenly, peptides are a cornerstone of the wellness industry.
And the peptide tidal wave is only gaining power. U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently described himself as “a big fan of peptides” and has promised action to expand access to them.
But what are these chemicals and what are they doing to our bodies?
We got the lowdown — or a pep talk, if you will — from Chemistry Professor Durwin Striplin.
Let’s start with the most basic question: What exactly is a peptide?
Peptides are one of the basic building blocks of life; they are chains of amino acids.
Think of amino acids like tinker toys: Each amino acid has an acidic end and a basic end, and when they react with each other, they form what’s called a peptide bond — the link that holds the chain together. A peptide is a string of roughly 10 to 100 amino acids.
You string amino acids together and this would be a peptide. And then you start putting peptides together into massive structures — that is a protein.
How do they work in the human body?
The arrangement of amino acids in a peptide is everything. Different sequences allow peptides to interact with specific proteins in the body, which in turn regulate biological processes. They frequently act as signaling molecules to instruct the body to perform specific tasks, such as repairing tissue, reducing inflammation or regulating appetite.
Peptides and small-molecule drugs work similarly. They can dock into a protein’s “reaction site” and either block or amplify what that protein produces.
What’s an example of a peptide in the news right now?
The most famous peptides right now are the GLP-1s — drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Their story illustrates how peptides can surprise even the scientists.
GLP-1s were created to control sugar/glucose in the body but then all of a sudden, they discovered a side effect of weight loss. And they’re still finding surprising effects of this particular peptide. It looks like they may actually be really good for the heart, and might help certain types of mental disorders. People suffering from schizophrenia can take a GLP-1 along with the regular med and it is doing amazing things. They seem to curb addiction to alcohol and cigarettes. That is the magic of peptides.
Why do you think peptides are suddenly so widely available?
The chemistry is well established, and peptide synthesis can be almost fully automated and is a rapid process.
But there are a number of driving forces. GLP-1s are now normalized and the rise of social media has pushed peptides into the public consciousness very quickly. And as always, there is some big money in these things.
One other factor could be general mistrust of the medical establishment, which worsened during the COVID pandemic.
This is a broad question but are peptides safe?
The good news is that peptides break down pretty fast in your body. Their time of efficacy is a lot more limited. There’s not usually a big worry about peptides building up in your body. They’ll be used for energy as well as their intended use.
This is why drugs like Ozempic require weekly dosing rather than a single long-lasting pill.
But that’s what we know about short-term use. The long-term effects are not well established.
How can we be sure that all these peptides in the market are effective or safe?
It’s not easy. We just don’t have enough data to know. It’s important to note that peptides are synthesized in labs, not extracted from nature, and as of this conversation, few are FDA-approved.
It’s possible that they could be misused or misapplied, and they may or may not be bad in and of themselves. The challenge is how they’re marketed and sold, and the ambiguity of their benefits to risks.
The FDA could learn a lot by making small investments into testing these peptides or following their effects. People are taking them anyway. The FDA needs to set up studies over time so we can start to definitively say what the dangers are.