In the last 10 years or so there has been a lot of attention toward peptides and their use in various desired anti-aging and nerve recovery purposes. Examples of naturally occurring peptides that you may have heard of are oxytocin, glutathione, insulin, glucagon, and melatonin. They serve different functions, like improved healing, improving brain activity, sleep, and other desired normally body functions. Our bodies, particularly the brain, understand what they are because all of the amino acids that make up the sequence are natural. Peptides are naturally synthesized from the transcription of a sequence of the genetic code, DNA. Transcription is the biological process of copying a specific DNA gene sequence into a messenger molecule, mRNA, which then carries the code for a given peptide or protein. Reading from the mRNA, a chain of amino acids is joined together by peptide bonds to form a single molecule.
Several exciting peptides have been shown to prove beneficial:
BPC 157: Induces a healing response. It is composed of 15 amino acids and is a partial sequence of body protection compound (BPC) that is discovered in and isolated from human gastric juice.
CJC-1295: Markedly increases plasma growth hormone (considered anti-aging) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels in both animals and humans.
Cerebrolysin: Improves the brain’s ability for self-repair by stimulating neuro-recovery.
Peptides are administered intramuscularly, subcutaneously, or by IV. The potential is definitely exciting and, as research grows, we will have more and more opportunities to harness the potential of peptides.
