A peptide therapy researcher helps separate fact from fiction regarding the popular class of medications that includes Ozempic.
Between the rising prominence of Ozempic and Wegovy, and the heightened interest in longevity, the health curious have been consumed by information surrounding peptide drugs throughout the last year. And yet, there’s plenty of confusion over what these medications can and can’t do.
To put it simply, peptides are amino acids that are sequenced together by peptide bonds, says William Seeds, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine physician, founder of Seeds Scientific Research & Performance, and leading authority on peptide therapies. As signaling agents, peptides help cells communicate with one another and follow the instructions of their genetic code so they can adapt to daily living and remain flexible and efficient, he explains.
“When cellular communication is lost with abnormal signaling, this is where things go wrong, and we can relate this to metabolic changes, immune disease, cancer, and aging,” says Dr. Seeds. “So in a sense, peptides keep the cells balanced [and] doing their jobs well.”
In healthcare settings, therapeutic peptides are employed for a variety of use cases, says Dr. Seeds; they can act as hormones, growth factors, neurotransmitters, anti-infective agents, and other roles, according to a 2022 review article. As such, prescribed peptide drugs may be used to treat type II diabetes (insulin was the first therapeutic peptide), cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, central nervous system disease, and cancer, per information published in the "Journal of Holistic Integrative Pharmacy." Side effects can vary between types of peptides but are generally minimal or nonexistent, as you’re already familiar with peptides that are naturally occurring in the body, says Dr. Seeds. (Note: Peptides should be used under a doctor’s supervision and acquired from an accredited pharmacy, not online, he advises.)
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Therapeutic peptides can also be used to enhance longevity and physical performance, whether an individual wants to feel and look their best as they age or they want to train like they did in their 20s, says Dr. Seeds. Some peptides are specifically designed to assist in repair and recovery after exercise, he adds. “The importance in training is always related to the way the body adapts to the stress from the training; this is how people commonly get into trouble with getting injured from training,” he explains. “Particular peptides help the body adapt better to this stress and recover, improving the ability to handle this stress from the training and make solid gains.”
But peptide drugs aren’t the “fountain of youth” many people claim them to be, says Dr. Seeds. These specific amino acids are meant to let cells know that it’s okay to perform certain duties, he explains. “So if someone is a bit older and working out, they sometimes lose important communication signals between cells (because of [the] aging process) [that] make recovery and repair from an exercise appropriate,” he notes.
A therapeutic peptide will help restore that communication so the cells function in a normal pattern and the body can recover, Dr. Seeds explains. They don’t, however, over- or understimulate cell function, he says. That means peptides “are just another tool in the toolbox to combine with smart training, good nutrition, and sleep habits to make the most out of what the cell can accomplish,” he adds.
There’s also a misconception that GLP-1 RAs (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) — medications, such as semaglutide, that mimic the GLP-1 hormone and are often used in the treatment of type II diabetes and obesity — inherently lead to muscle loss. It is true in a sense — any weight-loss method comes with a risk of losing muscle mass, says Dr. Seeds. And a 2019 review found that, among individuals using GLP-1 RAs, lean body mass reductions accounted for 20 to 50 percent of total weight loss. That said, these declines can be avoided by engaging in resistance training to stimulate muscle building or retention and consuming adequate protein to preserve that muscle, he explains.
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“As long as patients are keeping their protein intake up, utilizing appropriate exercise, and paying attention to the composition of the diet to balance the acidity of the meal, GLP1-RAs can actually preserve muscle and prevent muscle loss,” says Dr. Seeds. “The research has been around for 10+ years on the benefits of GLP1-RAs, and this is truly one of [the] most well-rounded peptides that we have for metabolism, heart health, muscle health, bone health, and brain health.”
Despite all the benefits peptides have to offer, Dr. Seeds reiterates that there is no magic pill for a healthy life. It’s the basic practices to support your well-being — sticking with an exercise routine, eating a well-balanced diet, getting enough sleep, managing stress — that will lay the foundation for peptides to be effective in improving healthspan, he says. “People wanting longevity must first embrace making each day better in all these categories,” says Dr. Seeds. “This way, they can have a chance at those golden years as they age and remain productive.”