Peptide Therapies

What Are Peptide Therapies and What Do They Do for Your Body?

Peptides are a short chain of amino acids — when linked together, they are known as a peptide.

You’ll find them in skincare products, natural food, and all living organisms. They are active molecules, and they can help re-energize your body’s natural processes.

Here at Medical Transformation Center in Louisville, KY, peptides are part of the regenerative therapies that we may suggest to achieve the best healthcare outcomes based on your individual medical needs.

Contact us today to schedule your consultation to learn more!

What Are Peptides?

Peptides are molecules that contain two or more short-chain amino acids connected by peptide bonds. Proteins are molecules similar to peptides, as they are made up of amino acids as well; the only difference is peptides have only 2-50 amino acids, whereas proteins have 50 or more.

Peptides function as the structural parts of several cells, tissues, toxins, hormones, enzymes, and antibiotics. The hormone oxytocin is an example of a peptide, as well as insulin and glutathione.

There are peptides present in all living organisms, including humans. Human peptides have a multitude of functions, including appetite regulation, hormone regulation, and message transmission from tissues to the blood.

How Do Peptides Work?

The small nature of peptides allows them to be less definitive in structure. This also gives them the ability to carry out complex tasks.

The lack of organized structure allows them to fit in spaces where larger proteins cannot. Peptides are able to penetrate human skin, intestinal walls, and even the membranes protecting cells.

The quality of peptides is essential for them to be safe and function properly. At Medical Transformation Center, we only source our peptides from certified pharmacies that manufacture peptides for human use.

What Are the Benefits of Using Peptides?

Peptides are important in pharmaceutical research and development. Both natural and synthetic peptides can be produced, which are crucial in giving patients a better immune system, for example.

The small nature of peptides makes them easy and inexpensive to experiment on and produce. Their simple structure also allows for even synthetic peptides to give positive effects on natural peptide function already present in the human body.

How Do Peptides for Skin Work?

The many benefits of peptides for skin mainly fight sagging and other signs of aging.

Human skin is made up of proteins like collagen that keep the skin intact and firm. Loss of peptides means loss of elasticity and firmness, leading to wrinkles and fine lines associated with aging.

Peptides help in completing the buildup of proteins. This way, they can also help rebuild damaged skin and resist the development of the signs of premature aging.

Natural aging results in the gradual loss of collagen, which is the protein required to keep our skin firm and elastic. It is in high production from childhood until the early 20s but begins to slow down its production upon the 30s.

The addition of peptides to skincare assists in collagen production. Their small size makes them easily absorbed into the skin where they signal an emergency, directing more collagen production.

How Do Peptides for Weight Loss Work?

Peptides can also help in weight loss by shifting the way your body processes glucose, encouraging it to burn its fat stored for energy instead. The body prefers to store fat as an emergency energy reserve, which backfires to weight gain in lifestyles full of sugar and carb-filled diets.

The chemical compounds of certain peptides changes the body’s preference from burning glucose to burning body fat. Others can optimize mitochondrial function. They can also be used to optimize the production and release of your own growth hormone.

How Do Peptides for Healing Work?

Peptides have been shown to accelerate the healing process of wounds. Studies show that collagen peptides extracted from jellyfish have significant effects on scratch wounds; they promoted faster wound contraction and closure than subjects not treated with collagen peptides.

Peptides work as little messengers upon application to the skin or when used systemically. They signal an emergency at the site of application, and the body responds with increased production of collagen, which helps heal the wound at an accelerated rate.

There are also oral collagen peptides which promote wound healing. They trigger a faster turnover of skin cells and speed up the synthesis of collagen and elastin.

How Do Peptides for Anti-Aging Work?

Aging is a natural process in humans, and over time, several body processes slow down and eventually stop.

The skin, for example, produces high amounts of collagen until we hit our 30s. Then collagen production slows down by 1% each year, eventually stopping once we reach our 40s.

How Do Peptides for Brain Health Work?

Brain peptides include the hormones vasopressin and oxytocin, known respectively as the antidiuretic hormone and the love hormone.

Other brain peptides are used primarily for brain health. Several peptides have shown promise in studies looking for ways to manage neurodegenerative diseases and to enhance cognitive function when not in a disease state. It can also be used to help mood disorders.

How Do Peptides for Sexual Health Work?

Peptides that improve sex health and libido also exist. One example is bremelanotide, which helps people with erectile dysfunction and low libido.

Bremelanotide acts via nervous pathways instead of the vascular pathways to stimulate sexual arousal. It is considered safer than drugs like Viagra and is also marketed towards premenopausal women with low sex drives.

Bremelanotide works by binding to melanocortin receptors, which are weakened in individuals with low libido and/or advanced age, and activates them. It is also theorized to increase dopamine, the reward hormone, in parts of the brain, which leads individuals to associate sexual and erotic stimulation as rewarding activities.

Small does not mean insignificant, as these tiny peptides prove. Being small allows them to be more easily adaptable and workable, allowing for more breakthroughs in health, skincare, and fitness.

Check with your doctor if you’re interested in integrating peptides into your skincare, health, or fitness routine. Your doctor may be able to ascertain which peptides are best for your specific needs, as well as the manner of delivery, as peptides can be applied topically, ingested orally, or through injections.

How Do Peptides for Immune Health Work?

Certain peptide therapies can modulate and support the immune system. As we age, notably after about 32, the thymus gland loses its efficacy. At MTC, we take this into account when working with your body via various modalities that support immune function in order to have optimal aging.

As immune modulators, some peptides balance out whatever immune dysregulation you may be experiencing at the time, allowing for truly personalized effects. If your immune system is overactive, it can help it to calm down. If you have under-active immunity, peptides can ramp up your defenses.

Immune modulating peptides can figure into care plans for individuals with Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and thyroid disease, to name a few.