What Are Peptides and How Can You Use Them?

There are 7,000 types of peptides in your body right now.

But how safe are they to consume or apply in various health products?

If you’re a health and fitness enthusiast you’ve likely heard of peptides by now. But like any new “super chemical” it’s smart to be cautious about how legitimate the claims are and what they can actually do for you.

Here’s our breakdown of what are peptides really are.

What Are Peptides Anyways?

Peptides are essentially groupings or “strings” of amino acids. They occur naturally in your body. One peptide can have anywhere from two to 50 amino acids.

Simply put, peptides are the link that binds amino acids to form proteins.

Amino acids are one of the key substances that proteins are made of. As science class taught us, proteins are essential to pretty much every core function your body undergoes at a cellular level.

There are different types of peptides that build different proteins. Bioactive peptides are the peptides that are mostly researched for health. They are made of the body’s naturally occurring chemicals like creatine peptides, collagen peptides, and more.

Bioactive is simply a general term to represent the types of peptides that provide some kind of physiological health benefits.

They have piqued the interest of researchers because it’s been found that supplementation or application of these peptides can have a range of health benefits, depending on the type of peptide being used. These include (but aren’t limited to) lowering blood pressure, acting as antioxidants, reducing inflammation, improving immunity, killing microbes, and more.

This is because peptides are made of smaller pieces that are easier for the body to absorb than whole proteins. This means that they can enter the body easily from the skin or the intestines and enter your bloodstream easily.

You can get peptides from a range of sources, including powders, vitamins, serums, injectables, supplements, oats, legumes, flaxseed, soy, hemp seeds, and more.

Benefits of Peptides

Peptides have become commercially advertised as the new anti-aging chemical n skincare, but that’s only the beginning of their benefits.

Multiple reports and legitimate research indicates that there are many health benefits to peptides.

Aging

Peptides are touted as an anti-aging must-have in skincare for good reseason. Collagen peptides can be taken orally or applied to the skin. Collagen is the tissue in the skin that breaks down as you age and causes the skin to sag and wrinkle. Taking collagen peptides can slow down this process.

Healing

Bioactive peptides can reduce inflammation and work similarly to antioxidants. This aids the body’s healing process.

Bone Strength

Studies found that collagen peptides can actually increase bone mass. Over time, your bones naturally lose their density. It’s believed that peptides can help slow that process.

Muscle Mass

Collagen and creatine peptides are also reported to help build muscle mass. A specific type of peptide called BPC-157 is specifically linked to this. It’s often taken by bodybuilders. (Check it out here: https://umbrellalabs.is/online-store/BPC-157-BODY-PROTECTING-COMPLEX-PEPTIDE-5MG-VIAL)

Groups of Peptides

Since proteins are needed throughout the body for my different functions, amino acids are also needed to form them. That means that peptides are also needed to make the formation of amino acids into peptides possible.

According to The Handbook of Biologically Active Peptides, there are 15 different groups of peptides. Within these groups, there are lists of specific types. Some of the groups are:

Endocrine peptides
Bacterial peptides
Venom peptides
Gastrointestinal peptides
Cardiovascular peptides
Antibiotic peptides
Brain peptides
Fungal peptides
Plant peptides

Types of Peptides

You’ve got to get specific with peptides to get their benefits. Any products that only use the blanket term “peptides” without any further transparency is usually a bad sign. Any credible company will provide endless resources and honest research to back up the legitimacy of their product.

Antimicrobial Peptides

It can kill microbes and possibly help relieve the symptoms of skin disorders like eczema and psoriasis.

Collagen Peptides

These are signal peptides. They assist the body’s natural collagen-building process.

Antibacterial Peptides

These types of peptides initiate immunity. Research about these peptides indicates that strains of antibacterial peptides can infiltrate bacterial membranes, slowing their growth, and even killing them.

Copper Peptides

These are carrier peptides. They carry copper, which is essential to many processes like wound healing. These are usually used in skincare products.

Creatine Peptides

Assist in your body’s natural process of creatine building. This helps improve muscle mass and can help assist vegans and vegetarians.

Growth Factor Peptides

These potentially can remodel skin structures. They could also be beneficial to testosterone replacement therapy and healing in the brain and gut. This is because they increase the production of growth hormones.

Neurotransmitter‐Inhibiting Peptides

It can help relax muscles which reduces muscle contractions. This could be used to help with the aging process.

Melanin Peptides

Melanin peptides help the body naturally produce more melanin. Melanin is responsible for the pigmentation in the skin. These types of peptides can not only help people

Should You Take Peptides?

Like any new super chemical that promises amazing benefits, you’ve got to do your research — a lot of research. With so many types of peptides out there, pretender products will often claim health benefits that the types of peptides they use don’t actually support.

So, it’s important to not only know what are peptides are but also to understand the quality of the products you’re considering, whether it’s an anti-aging serum, protein powder, or anything else.

Want to be the healthiest you can be? Click over to our “nutrition” or “lifestyle” sections for more real talk about health.

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What Are Peptides and How Can You Use Them?

What Are Peptides Anyways?