What Are Peptides? Benefits, Uses, Types & Safety

Peptides — the buzzword in health, fitness, skin-care, weight loss, and hair regrowth circles — have entered mainstream consciousness, but what are they exactly?

Peptides are short chains of amino acid molecules that make up proteins. Both naturally-occurring and lab-made peptides play a role in building and breaking down protein in the human body and beyond.

What Are Peptides? A Definition

Peptides represent a class of molecules made from amino acids. Amino acids link together to form proteins. Peptides can vary in length from two to several dozen amino acid residues long.

Naturally-occurring peptide molecules play vital roles as signaling molecules in metabolic processes, enzyme regulation, tissue repair, and more.

In addition, researchers can manufacture peptides and optimize their amino acid sequence to learn how they work or create new drugs.

For example, insulin is a naturally-occurring peptide hormone that regulates blood sugar. Also, some popular diabetes and obesity drugs — like the GLP-1 class of medications — are made from peptides. What all of these different-sounding molecules have in common is that they are made up of amino acids.

How Do Peptides Work?

The key determining factor and difference between types of peptides is their amino acid sequence. Some peptides function as signaling molecules by binding to specific receptors.

This binding causes a cellular response that alters cell function in desired ways.

For example, metabolism-regulating hormones are made of peptides. Similarly, researchers have engineered peptides that cause cells to grow up to 10X faster.

On the skin care front, topically applied peptides can bind to specific receptors on the skin to instruct certain cells to generate more collagen and elastin.

What Are Peptides Used For?

A few scientifically validated uses for peptides exist.

1. Medical Conditions

Many life-saving and FDA-approved drugs are made from peptides. A number of these FDA-approved drugs treat hormone imbalances, diabetes, obesity, cancers, and rare genetic conditions.

2. Weight Loss Peptides

In the obesity space, researchers have recently developed several injectable peptide drugs that help people who are overweight or have type 2 diabetes lose weight and improve blood sugar control.

3. Skin Care Ingredients

For skin, peptides seem like a promising cosmetic treatment. While there is no magic bullet collagen booster, some scientifically validated peptides can improve skin texture, firmness, hydration, and reduce visible wrinkles when used in a topical skin care product.

4. Bodybuilding and Athletic Performance

While claims about muscle growth and weight loss peptides are not supported by science, researchers are making some promising advances in muscle-building and healing peptides.

However, some bodybuilding peptides have not been adequately tested in humans and are banned for competition use.

A word of caution: Just because a peptide product claims to be a bodybuilding supplement, does not mean that it is safe.

Are Peptides Safe?

There is an important nuance relating to whether any specific peptide is a safe option for a given application.

Most injectable or oral drugs — both non-prescription and prescription — that have been adequately studied for a specific use are fairly well-understood from a safety perspective.

With that said, these safety conclusions apply strictly to FDA-approved drugs and are not applicable to research chemicals or online supplements marketed as “peptide-based drugs.”

Research chemicals can carry an increased risk due to manufacturing errors or improper storage conditions.

According to Healthline , the safety of numerous popular injectable non-FDA-approved peptides is not well-established. For this exact reason, it is crucial to talk to a doctor before pursuing any kind of peptide therapy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Peptides

Are peptides proteins?

Not quite. Like proteins, they are made up of amino acids. However, proteins tend to have longer chains of amino acids than peptides do. So while all proteins are technically peptides, not all peptides can be classified as proteins.

What are peptides used for?

Peptides have various uses, ranging from drugs to skin care products. They appear in the form of prescription drugs and topical skin care creams to purported “research chemicals.”

Do peptides help build muscle?

Although some bodybuilding peptides have decent scientific research behind them, the evidence for most marketed muscle-building and weight-loss peptides is lacking.

That said, the use of many so-called weight-loss and muscle-building peptides has not been adequately tested in a human clinical trial.

Are peptides safe for skin?

Topical skin creams containing peptides are generally deemed safe and effective. These skin care products have fewer side effects than most injectable drugs, but as with any other medication, individual variation in response can occur.

Are peptide injections safe?

Depending on the specific substance, it is difficult to say. Individual variation can dictate how a person responds to a given compound. It is important to speak to a medical doctor about the safety and effectiveness of an injectable drug, including whether or not it is FDA-approved.