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Heres the full research paper, lmk if there's anything I should add or change.
In recent years, peptides have gained more attention in both medical research and recreational use due to their benefits. Many people know about peptides because of influencers, but not many people understand what peptides actually are or how they work. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act like hormones, allowing them to affect processes like skin regeneration, fat loss, growth hormone release, and brain function. This paper explains first what peptides are and why they are beneficial, then discusses cosmetic peptides like GHK-Cu and retatrutide. Then, growth hormone related peptides including IGF-1 LR3 and tesamorelin, ending with nootropic peptides such as semax and its cognitive benefits. The use of peptides can promote positive effects, with GHK-Cu promoting skin health, retatrutide aiding fat loss, IGF-1 LR3 and tesamorelin promoting growth hormone release, and semax boosting cognitive function.
In recent years peptides have become more and more popular, but not many people actually know what they are. Peptides are a short chain of amino acids (Medical News Today), that have hormone-like effects. Each injectable or nasally administered peptide contains more than 2, but less than 50 different amino acids. Different types of peptides range from their cosmetic purposes, to general health, with each one giving a different effect.“The peptides in supplements may come from plant or animal sources” (Medical News Today). One example is a powdered collagen supplement that comes from animal byproducts, while another one that helps your skin and nails is an injectable copper based peptide. The main effect of using peptides is to regulate or improve the hormonal function in your body.
Peptides are beneficial due to the different positive effects each one has, with a low side effect risk rate. There are also some peptides that have little to no negative side effects (Arushanian 111), like GHK-Cu, BPC-157, and Semax. Each peptide you can take is beneficial for a different reason, but also comes with different side effects. Peptides have positive effects (National Library of Medicine) like IGF 1-LR3 for example. IGF 1-LR3 is beneficial because it can raise your natural IGF 1 and growth hormone levels, but in turn a possible side effect can be an increased growth of cancerous cells, if present in your body before taking.
The most beneficial peptide for skin health is GHK-Cu. GHK-Cu works by delivering copper to the skin, which in turn increases skin turnover time and then increases the number of cells present (see figure 1). GHK-Cu increases collagen, skin elasticity (Evolve Telemed), and it delivers copper to the skin, which helps it regenerate faster (Dodge). Peptides are already commonly used without knowing. One website says that big companies have been adding peptides to skincare for many years (Peptides: Types, Uses, and Benefits), like The Ordinary, with Sephora being a common seller. The peptide used in one of The Ordinary’s serums is GHK-Cu. The overall purpose of GHK-Cu is to improve collagen production, and reduce the speed of aging.
The most beneficial peptide for weight loss is retatrutide. This is commonly said because: “In a phase 2 trial, retatrutide produced a weight loss of up to 24.2% in people with obesity and without diabetes after 48 weeks” (Sutherby). Retatrutide is one of the most effective weight loss drugs (Sutherby), yielding almost double the amount of weight loss that Ozempic does, based on available studies. The main goal of Retatrutide is body weight reduction and an increased metabolic health, while also helping to regulate blood sugar levels.
The most beneficial peptide for increasing insulin like growth factor (IGF-1) is IGF-1 LR3. IGF-1 LR3 increases muscle mass (Evolve Telemed) by boosting protein synthesis and improving muscle recovery. This peptide works by directly increasing IGF-1 levels in the body. IGF-1 plays a huge role in muscle growth, tissue repair, and overall physical development. Peptides trigger certain parts of the body and tell it to make more growth hormone (Peptides: Types, Uses, and Benefits), which leads to higher IGF-1 production. IGF-1 LR3 is mainly used by people who want to improve lean muscle mass and recovery, making it one of the most beneficial growth hormone related peptides available.
The most effective peptide for increasing growth hormone production itself is tesamorelin. Tesamorelin tells your body to produce more growth hormone and IGF-1 (Evolve Telemed) by stimulating the pituitary gland, rather than increasing it by the injection of human growth hormone itself. Because of this, tesamorelin helps increase natural hormone output and productivity while reducing the risk of shutting down the body’s own production when coming off. “Clinics have turned instead to prescribing peptides like tesamorelin, that help stimulate the body to create more H.G.H” (Dodge), showing its growing medical acceptance and use. Tesamorelin is commonly used to improve metabolism, muscle tone, and overall metabolic health. This makes it a beneficial option for people looking for growth hormone related benefits, without actually taking HGH or harming natural growth hormone production.
The main source of most nootropic peptides comes from a derivative of ACT4-10. Semax is one of the peptides that comes from ACTH4-10 (Arushanian 96), with it being one of the most well known nootropic peptides. Another peptide, thyroliberin, is also a derivative of ACTH4-10 (Arushanian 104). This demonstrates how ACTH4-10 is widely used in the creation of cognitive enhancing peptides. These peptides act mainly as a central nervous system stimulant, rather than growing new pathways in the brain. ACTH4-10 based peptides are designed to affect the brain's function by improving memory, focus, and stress control.
The most beneficial nootropic peptide to take is semax because of its cognitive benefits and low risk of side effects. According to research, “In addition, there are substances such as cerebrolysin, semax, or glycine, which do not cause adverse side effects at all” (Arushanian 111), making semax a safer option compared to other cognitive peptides. Semax is especially effective when taken intranasally, as it breaches the blood brain barrier within 15-20 minutes after use. One study found that “Semax (a derivative of ACTH4-10) when administered intranasally to healthy individuals reduced the number of errors in operative memory tests” (Arushanian 65). This shows that semax improves memory, focus, and mental accuracy, making it a better choice if the outcome wanted is boosted cognitive function, without negatively affecting overall health.
Overall, the research shows that peptides can be beneficial when used correctly. Peptides such as GHK-Cu improve skin health by increasing collagen production, while retatrutide promotes weight loss and an increase in metabolic health. Growth hormone related peptides like IGF-1 LR3 and tesamorelin support muscle growth, recovery, and hormone regulation, without having to inject the synthetic hormones themselves. Also, nootropic peptides derived from ACTH4-10, such as semax, show cognitive benefits like improved recall, memory, and focus with minimal side effects. This all demonstrates how peptides are more than just a trend, and when properly understood and used can enhance both physical and cognitive aspects of life.
Peptide Benefits: From Cosmetic to Nootropic Uses.
In recent years, peptides have gained more attention in both medical research and recreational use due to their benefits. Many people know about peptides because of influencers, but not many people understand what peptides actually are or how they work. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that act like hormones, allowing them to affect processes like skin regeneration, fat loss, growth hormone release, and brain function. This paper explains first what peptides are and why they are beneficial, then discusses cosmetic peptides like GHK-Cu and retatrutide. Then, growth hormone related peptides including IGF-1 LR3 and tesamorelin, ending with nootropic peptides such as semax and its cognitive benefits. The use of peptides can promote positive effects, with GHK-Cu promoting skin health, retatrutide aiding fat loss, IGF-1 LR3 and tesamorelin promoting growth hormone release, and semax boosting cognitive function.
In recent years peptides have become more and more popular, but not many people actually know what they are. Peptides are a short chain of amino acids (Medical News Today), that have hormone-like effects. Each injectable or nasally administered peptide contains more than 2, but less than 50 different amino acids. Different types of peptides range from their cosmetic purposes, to general health, with each one giving a different effect.“The peptides in supplements may come from plant or animal sources” (Medical News Today). One example is a powdered collagen supplement that comes from animal byproducts, while another one that helps your skin and nails is an injectable copper based peptide. The main effect of using peptides is to regulate or improve the hormonal function in your body.
Peptides are beneficial due to the different positive effects each one has, with a low side effect risk rate. There are also some peptides that have little to no negative side effects (Arushanian 111), like GHK-Cu, BPC-157, and Semax. Each peptide you can take is beneficial for a different reason, but also comes with different side effects. Peptides have positive effects (National Library of Medicine) like IGF 1-LR3 for example. IGF 1-LR3 is beneficial because it can raise your natural IGF 1 and growth hormone levels, but in turn a possible side effect can be an increased growth of cancerous cells, if present in your body before taking.
The most beneficial peptide for skin health is GHK-Cu. GHK-Cu works by delivering copper to the skin, which in turn increases skin turnover time and then increases the number of cells present (see figure 1). GHK-Cu increases collagen, skin elasticity (Evolve Telemed), and it delivers copper to the skin, which helps it regenerate faster (Dodge). Peptides are already commonly used without knowing. One website says that big companies have been adding peptides to skincare for many years (Peptides: Types, Uses, and Benefits), like The Ordinary, with Sephora being a common seller. The peptide used in one of The Ordinary’s serums is GHK-Cu. The overall purpose of GHK-Cu is to improve collagen production, and reduce the speed of aging.
The most beneficial peptide for weight loss is retatrutide. This is commonly said because: “In a phase 2 trial, retatrutide produced a weight loss of up to 24.2% in people with obesity and without diabetes after 48 weeks” (Sutherby). Retatrutide is one of the most effective weight loss drugs (Sutherby), yielding almost double the amount of weight loss that Ozempic does, based on available studies. The main goal of Retatrutide is body weight reduction and an increased metabolic health, while also helping to regulate blood sugar levels.
The most beneficial peptide for increasing insulin like growth factor (IGF-1) is IGF-1 LR3. IGF-1 LR3 increases muscle mass (Evolve Telemed) by boosting protein synthesis and improving muscle recovery. This peptide works by directly increasing IGF-1 levels in the body. IGF-1 plays a huge role in muscle growth, tissue repair, and overall physical development. Peptides trigger certain parts of the body and tell it to make more growth hormone (Peptides: Types, Uses, and Benefits), which leads to higher IGF-1 production. IGF-1 LR3 is mainly used by people who want to improve lean muscle mass and recovery, making it one of the most beneficial growth hormone related peptides available.
The most effective peptide for increasing growth hormone production itself is tesamorelin. Tesamorelin tells your body to produce more growth hormone and IGF-1 (Evolve Telemed) by stimulating the pituitary gland, rather than increasing it by the injection of human growth hormone itself. Because of this, tesamorelin helps increase natural hormone output and productivity while reducing the risk of shutting down the body’s own production when coming off. “Clinics have turned instead to prescribing peptides like tesamorelin, that help stimulate the body to create more H.G.H” (Dodge), showing its growing medical acceptance and use. Tesamorelin is commonly used to improve metabolism, muscle tone, and overall metabolic health. This makes it a beneficial option for people looking for growth hormone related benefits, without actually taking HGH or harming natural growth hormone production.
The main source of most nootropic peptides comes from a derivative of ACT4-10. Semax is one of the peptides that comes from ACTH4-10 (Arushanian 96), with it being one of the most well known nootropic peptides. Another peptide, thyroliberin, is also a derivative of ACTH4-10 (Arushanian 104). This demonstrates how ACTH4-10 is widely used in the creation of cognitive enhancing peptides. These peptides act mainly as a central nervous system stimulant, rather than growing new pathways in the brain. ACTH4-10 based peptides are designed to affect the brain's function by improving memory, focus, and stress control.
The most beneficial nootropic peptide to take is semax because of its cognitive benefits and low risk of side effects. According to research, “In addition, there are substances such as cerebrolysin, semax, or glycine, which do not cause adverse side effects at all” (Arushanian 111), making semax a safer option compared to other cognitive peptides. Semax is especially effective when taken intranasally, as it breaches the blood brain barrier within 15-20 minutes after use. One study found that “Semax (a derivative of ACTH4-10) when administered intranasally to healthy individuals reduced the number of errors in operative memory tests” (Arushanian 65). This shows that semax improves memory, focus, and mental accuracy, making it a better choice if the outcome wanted is boosted cognitive function, without negatively affecting overall health.
Overall, the research shows that peptides can be beneficial when used correctly. Peptides such as GHK-Cu improve skin health by increasing collagen production, while retatrutide promotes weight loss and an increase in metabolic health. Growth hormone related peptides like IGF-1 LR3 and tesamorelin support muscle growth, recovery, and hormone regulation, without having to inject the synthetic hormones themselves. Also, nootropic peptides derived from ACTH4-10, such as semax, show cognitive benefits like improved recall, memory, and focus with minimal side effects. This all demonstrates how peptides are more than just a trend, and when properly understood and used can enhance both physical and cognitive aspects of life.
