Sorry if there is a post on this already, I did not see one.
I have heard some talk from friends about peptids and injecting them and making gains similar to steroid use.
Again I am not very knowledgeable about this topic so any and all info will help.
I made this a while ago, some is out dated but its a good read:
Peptides: Tissue Growth & Protection and Practical use surrounding them *A must read*
Peptides, Tissue Growth & Protection and Practical use surrounding them
Hello all of you in internet land!
Today I wish to cover the subject of peptides and their possible uses.
There seems to be a lot of people out there unsure of what peptides are or flat out think they are some sort of gimmick.
I was at one point in time in the same boat, so no worries keep reading and you might learn something. After many years of research on this topic and countless personal experiences with peptides I feel I am qualified to try to help others out there by putting together this article covering the most popular peptides, their uses, how to use them safely and most effectively.
What so WHAT in the world is a PEPTIDE???
Isn***8217;t that the stuff in my wife's shampoo???
Well.... it might be. But not all peptides are the same! Just like not all amino acids are the same.
Peptides are actually very similar to amino acids (protein molecules) believe it or not.
A peptide is a short, large molecule of an amino acid molecule that can bind chemically to other molecules to form a larger molecule by peptide bonds. They are listed as a peptide or protein depending on their size.
I know it sounds confusing and in some ways it is. But it is not too hard to understand them.
There are many kinds of peptides out there some are your basic protein type peptide that I will not bother to cover at this time or that would make this more of a diet article than a peptide article. Another is a peptide hormone; they are secreted into the blood stream and have an endocrine function in the body.[1]
There is even something called a neuropeptide. One of many for e.g. is DSIP (Delta Sleep-inducing Peptide). They are small protein-like molecules used by the neurons to communicate.
They are much smaller than a neurotransmitter and are considered neuronal signaling molecules and they affect many functions in the brain like; pain, hunger, memory and can even effect you're learning abilities!
Still think Peptides might be a gimmick? HA I sure don't. I think they are GREAT!
No I won't be talking about neuropeptides today, but I wanted to at least mention them because I feel they are pretty cool and very important.
Today I will be talking about Peptide Hormones!
Peptide hormones are not the same as steroid hormones.
Steroid hormones are synthesized from cholesterol, and are lipids (they are fat based). While peptide hormones are proteins and are formed by a sequence of amino acids.
As mentioned above these are the ones that have physical effects on the body like growth and repair and has been of very big interest to the bodybuilding scene and in recent years I feel at a massive scale due to the internet and many places selling these peptides.
I felt I really should put something together about these powerful peptides and how they might help you in your quest to recovery, fat loss and growth.
I will start with the basics of what each one does then I will get into more detail on how you can use them safely and effectively.
GHRP-2
Is a human growth hormone secretagogue. That means it stimulates the body's own release of HGH. It is a ghrelin receptor agonist is also seems to have some protective effect on some tissues and an anti-inflammatory effect as well. The excessive hunger some feel with GHRP-6 use does not seem to be an issue with GHRP-2. The half-life is about 20 minutes so multiple doses per day are optimal.
GHRP-6
Is also a human growth hormone secretagogue and stimulates the body's own release of HGH. It is a ghrelin receptor agonist and also seems to have some protective effect on some tissues and an anti-inflammatory effect as well. The half-life is about 20 minutes so multiple doses per day are optimal.
*Note: GHRP-6 seems to cause excessive hunger in some people compared to GHRP-2. It is not a bad thing per say but depending on if your bulking or cutting you may prefer one over the other.
CJC-1295
Is a growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and it aides in the stimulation of the pituitary gland to increase production of growth hormone and stimulates GH and IGF-1 secretion. It will keep a steady increase of HGH without an increase in prolactin as can be an issue for some peptides of this nature. It is an analog to a peptide that is naturally produced to stimulate pituitary production of growth hormone. It has a half-life of about 7-10 days. This means once a week dosing is optimal in most cases.
CJC-1293
Is also a growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) and it aides in the stimulation of the pituitary gland to increase production of growth hormone and stimulates GH secretion. It is an analog to a peptide that is naturally produced to stimulate pituitary production of growth hormone. The GH pulse from a single administration of CJC-1293 is much greater than that of CJC-1295 but duration is slightly shorter. There is debate on which is better but both are useful regardless in my opinion.
IGF1 Des
IGF-1 Des is an IGF-1 analogue of our native igf1 with the last 3 amino acids in the IGF-1 chain removed. That leads it to have little protein binding (good thing), but similar action causing it to be about 10 times more potent than normal IGF-1.[2] The active life is still fairly short, only about 20 minutes making multiple doses daily optimal for some users while others still feel once a day dosing is still worthwhile and the way to go.
IGF1LR3
Is also an IGF1 analogue with a 13 amino acid extension at the N-terminus. The alteration leads to less binding in the body greatly extends its half-life from 20min to about 20+ hours. Once a day dosing is optimal.
IGF1Ec / Mechano Growth Factor (MGF)
IGF1 Ec is derived from IGF-I but its effects differ from the systemic IGF-I produced by the liver. It is released as a pulse following muscle damage, is involved in the activation of muscle stem cells and also seems to protect the myocardium against ischaemia, which improved cardiac function after heart attacks. There is debate on dosing but i feel post workout (once daily even on non workout days) is a good way to go about it.[3]
MT2
Melanotan II (MT2) is a melanocortin. Melanocortins (MCs) are a family of multifunctional peptidergic hormones. MT2 is an analog of these and plays a role in the tanning process but will vary between skin types with its use. It is not really used in any growth as HGH or igf1 would be, but I feel due to its potential skin protection that I should add it in this article even if tanning is not the main focus of this article.
As you can see all this stuff seems to revolve around IGF1 and HGH, so to understands its effects does not mean needing to fully understand each and every peptide (though a basic knowledge should be known about each one you use). Each peptide is working as either an IGF1 analog or as a HGH releaser and HGH converts to IGH1 giving most of its tissue growing effects anyway.
It's more understanding what IGF and HGH do in the body, to fully understand what these peptides can potentially do for you.
I would like to talk mainly about IGF1 as I feel it is the main cause for growth over that of HGH solely.[4]
The liver is the organ mostly responsible for the production of serum IGF-I even when taking exogenous HGH it is still mainly converted in the liver.
IGF-1 acts differently in different types of tissues its not all tissues grow from its effects. When active in muscle cells and associated cells they stimulate growth by increasing protein synthesis along with amino acid absorption. IGF-1 also plays a role as a source of energy; IGF mobilizes fat for use as energy in adipose tissue by preventing insulin from transporting glucose across cell membranes. This results in the cells having to switch to burning off fat as a source of energy which I feel is a great quality about IGF-1.IGF also seems to mimic's insulin in the human body. It makes muscles more sensitive to insulin's effects.[5][6]
I think one of the most interesting effects IGF has on the body is its ability to cause hyperplasia, that is when an actual splitting of cells occurs leading to more cells. You are basically your growing more cells with the use of HGH and IGF-1.
Hypertrophy is what occurs when practising weight training and steroid use. Hypertrophy is simply an increase in the size of muscle cells but not growing new cells. In humans after you are done puberty you mostly have a set number of muscle cells that you have developed with that doesn***8217;t vary much.All you would be able to do is increase the size of these muscle cells, but you don't actually gain more of them.
This is not good for someone with bad genetics in the area of muscle cells.
With IGF use you are able to cause hyperplasia which increases the number of muscle cells and gives you the ability to change your genetic capabilities in terms of muscle tissue and cell count.[6]
Being able to alter a persons capacity to build muscle density and size is an awesome thing to have control over.
When you do a cycle of HGH releasing peptides or even straight use of IGF1 analogs on its own, you not only add to growth and recovery while on them, you give yourself a greater number of cells to work with and down the line grow then.
When you finish a cycle of IGF-1. in a way you are not really finished because you are still left with these new cells regardless of stopping the use of IGF1 or HGH releaser peptides and that is one of the things I just LOVE about HGH and IGF1. The fact you have residual effects is awesome for muscle building!
OK, OK we know igf1 causes growth of size and cells, but how do I use this stuff effectively?
Well by knowing the basics of each peptide, how they might have a synergy when used together and fully understanding the effects of HGH and igf1 that's how!
Unfortunately a lot of the use of IGF1 and HGH by bodybuilders and athletes is an underground trend of their use and you might not find some of the info needed to stack them optimally together or use them in a home setting.
I wish to give you some of that information here.
Secretagogues are different from GHRH's, they share no sequence relation and derive their function through action at a different receptor and it has been established that the use of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (CJC1295 is one for e.g.) and a Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide (GHRP-6 or GHRP-2 for e.g.) together results in synergistic release of GH from pituitary.
It is like saying 2+2=5 not 4, if you get what I am trying to say.
I strongly rec stacking a GHRP with a GHRH for optimal results in tissue growth and fat loss, even if also using an IGF1 analog in the same cycle as some like to do.
Here are some good examples (in my opinion) of good peptide cycles; (Taken Sub Q is what I rec):
1#
Wk1-8 30-60mcg ed IGF-1LR3
2#
Wk1-12 1000mcg (1-2mg) every week CJC-1295
Wk1-12 100mcg 2-4X ed GHRP-2 or GHRP-6
Wk1-12 10-20mcg ed IGF1 Ec (post workouts) *debatable but some like it*
3#
Wk1-12 0.5-1mg 2X a week CJC-1293
Wk1-12 100mcg 2-4X ed GHRP-2 or GHRP-6
4#
Wk1-8 40mcg ed IGF-1LR3
Wk1-12 0.5-1mg 2X a week CJC-1293
Wk1-12 100mcg 2-3X ed GHRP-2 or GHRP-6
5#
Wk1-8 10-20mcg 1-2X ed IGF-1 Des
6#
Wk1-8 10-20mcg 1-2X ed IGF-1 Des
Wk1-12 0.5-1mg 2X a week CJC-1293
Wk1-12 100mcg 2-3X ed GHRP-2 or GHRP-6
7#
Wk1-8 10-20mcg 1-2X ed IGF-1 Des
Wk1-12 1000mcg (1mg) every week CJC-1295 (Sub Q)
Wk1-12 100mcg 2-3X ed GHRP-2 or GHRP-6
8# (MT2 cycle is for tanning purposes only, dependent on skin type and these are guidelines only)
Wk1-4 0.5mg 2-3X a week of MT2 (10min tan every week)
Wk4-8 0.5mg 1X a week of MT2 (10min tan every other week)
Wk8-? 0.5mg 1X a month of MT2 (tan and dose as needed) *maintenance
These cycles above would be optimal ways of using these peptides for muscle growth and fat loss. There may be soem argument on what way is best, this is only a guide line.
Using one or more of the HGH releasing peptides along with an IGF peptide like IGF-1lr3 could lead to growth and more fat loss over just the use of IGF-1lr3.
But the use of one or more of the HGH releasing peptides without IGF-1 could lead to less total gains in mass as well. So stacking is goal dependent.
I feel they stack together very nicely personally and I highly recommend IGF1LR3 to my friends new to and interested in peptides.
IGF1lr3 or IGF1 Des are good peptides to start out with due to the simple ease of their.
Then once you feel comfortable I would highly recommend stacking it with one of the GHRP's and GHRH's for maximum results.
There are new discoveries every day in the field of the human body and I would be VERY Happy If I had some effect on this knowledge spreading, so I hope you learned something and enjoyed my article on these peptides and how to use them most effectively and safely.
I look forward to helping all I can and making more of these kinds of informative articles.
Till the next time,
Take care!
Note: No i did NOT mention all peptides, there are many, I focused on the ones I am interested in and seem to be the most popular. If you have a question about another peptide or something in this post, feel free to PM me and I will try to help if i can.
Note: I talked to a friend Scientist from a lab that synthesizes (makes) peptides and and he has shown me cjc1293 IS with a long active life but slightly shorter then cjc1295. I have seen some call a simple Mod GRF 1-29 peptide with no dac (fast acting short duration), be called CJC1293 without dac but it does have Dac OR it is not cjc1293 just a Mod GRF with the wrong name.. Just thought I would add this since i have seem a few people call cjc1293 w/o dac when it is not real or would not be CJC1293 (its a LONG story I am trying to keep short and simple, soyry if that doesn't make sense)
References:
1) Peptide Hormone Secretion/Peptide Hormone Action: A Practical Approach 2 Volume Set Author: K.Siddle, J. C. Hutton, Oxford University Press, 1991
2) Des(1***8211;3)IGF-1 Treatment Normalizes Type 1 IGF Receptor and Phospho-Akt (Thr 308) Immunoreactivity in Predegenerative Retina of Diabetic Rats A. Kummer,1 B. E. Pulford,2 D. N. Ishii,2 and G. M. Seigel11University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA 2 Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
3) Heart Lung Circ. 2008 Feb;17(1):33-9 Mechano-growth factor reduces loss of cardiac function in acute myocardial infarction. Carpenter V, Matthews K, Devlin G, Stuart S, Jensen J, Conaglen J, Jeanplong F, Goldspink P, Yang SY, Goldspink G, Bass J, McMahon C. Source Waikato Clinical School, Private Bag 3200, Hamilton, New Zealand. Mechano-growth factor reduces loss of cardia... [Heart Lung Circ. 2008] - PubMed - NCBI
4) The somatomedin hypothesis: 2001.Le Roith D, Bondy C, Yakar S, Liu JL, Butler A. Clinical Endocrinology Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1758, USA.
[email protected] The somatomedin hypothesis: 2001. [Endocr Rev. 2001] - PubMed - NCBI
5) Mechanisms of disease: ********* effects of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1.
6) LeRoith D, Yakar S.Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Diseases, Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
[email protected]
