We have all been there. You look in the mirror, see a new line that definitely wasn't there yesterday, and wonder if you can just buy a new face. Eventually, you stumble onto the word 'peptides.'
Before you get too deep into the internet rabbit hole, let’s clear something up. A peptide is basically a tiny piece of a protein. If proteins are the bricks of your body, peptides are like specific instructions telling the construction crew what to do.
One of the most famous instructions is called GHK-Cu. It is a naturally occurring copper-binding peptide that hangs out in your blood. When you are twenty, you have plenty of it. By the time you hit sixty, about sixty percent of it has vanished. It is thought to talk to thousands of your genes, telling them to make more collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm) and elastin (the stuff that makes skin snappy). While the data on using it in creams is decent for healing, we don't have many studies on what happens if you inject it into your body. Plus, the FDA recently put a stop to pharmacies making the injectable version.
Then there is Epitalon. This one comes from research on the pineal gland, a tiny pea-sized part of your brain that handles your internal clock. It is supposed to turn on telomerase—a fancy word for a 'reset button' on the ends of your DNA that usually shortens as you get older. While some Russian studies showed people lived longer, we are still waiting for more independent researchers to double-check those big claims. Also, turning on that reset button could theoretically be a risk for cancer, so scientists are still being very cautious.
Finally, there is MOTS-c. This is a message sent from your mitochondria, which are the little power plants inside your cells. It behaves a lot like exercise in a bottle by helping your metabolism. However, it is an absolute nightmare to keep stable, and it hasn't actually been tested in human trials for skin or aging yet.
Scientists are still working on this one—turns out the human body is complicated. Who knew? This is a great one to bring up with your doctor. You can find peptide-experienced physicians in our Find a Doctor directory.
This content is sourced exclusively from TruthTides clinical reference data and does not constitute medical advice.
This content was generated from TruthTides clinical reference data. It does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider.