Building muscle is difficult enough without the complication of having slower hormone production in your body. Whether you’re 20 or 60, it can be helpful to have a little peptide boost to help you stay healthy.
Like proteins, peptides are amino acid chains but are shorter chains, while proteins are longer. Since your body produces these peptides, it’s prepared to recognize and use them without side effects or minimal side effects. Below are five highly effective muscle-building peptides available.
1. CJC-1295
What it is
This is part of a group of peptides called “growth hormone secretagogues.” They increase your body’s natural production of growth hormones, which is essential for you since if you’re older, your body isn’t producing as much of these hormones as it used to. Dr. Tracy Gapin states that production decreases by 1% each year as we age.
How it works
CJC-1295 stimulates Growth Hormone Release Hormones in your body, which specifically stimulates the production of hormones from your pituitary gland in your brain for 6-10 days. It’s also an agonist, meaning it binds to receptors, in this case, the GHRH receptors on your pituitary gland.
Benefits
Since CJC-1295 causes more growth hormones to be released for an extended period, it greatly assists those born with or quickly develops growth hormone deficiencies. As such, people take it for benefits such as:
- Increased bone density
- Lower cholesterol levels
- Increased muscle mass with easier retention
- Lose and maintain a healthy weight
- Encouraging healthy cell repair and replication for wounds
- Increasing energy with a boosted metabolism
- Strengthened immune system
- Lowered triglyceride levels
2. Ipamorelin
What it is
Ipamorelin is a short peptide from Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide – 1(GHRP-1), GHRP-2, and GHRP- 6, allowing it to imitate them and activate the same receptors in your brain.
How it works
Ipamorelin is an excellent mimic of the hormone ghrelin, which is the hormone that takes care of breaking down fat in the body for quick energy. It also prevents the breakdown of your muscles.
Mejula Raguthu, MD, states that this peptide also sends a pulse to the pituitary gland that tells it to send more hormones to your muscles to help them develop. At the same time, it suppresses somatostatin, which controls the production of growth hormones. It will even assist with cell protein synthesis, which produces amino acids, and increase the levels of insulin supplied by the pancreas.
Its Benefits
As you can imagine, many people use this peptide for the same benefits as CJC-1295:
- An increase in muscle mass
- Cell repair and replication for better exercise recovery
- Increased metabolism and energy
- Fat and weight loss
- And increased bone density and growth
- Joint and ligament repair
- And better skin
The combination of CJC 1295 and Ipamorelin acts on two different receptors to produce high amounts of HGH in the body. CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin provides even more benefits, especially for muscle growth, stronger bones, and immune system support.
3. BPC-157
What it is
BPC-157 is a peptide that is connected to a protein. This makes it better at healing your injuries and improving your muscles. An interesting fact about this peptide is that it is naturally found in your stomach acid.
How it works
While the first two peptides were attached to specific receptors, BPC-157 can form the receptors that permit growth-signaling molecules. This hormone reduces inflammation depending on how it gets into your body: orally or through injection.
Its Benefits
With its unique properties, BPC-157 has been added to organ-protective trials and healing measures like:
- Healing ulcers and soft tissues
- Reducing gastrointestinal inflammation and musculoskeletal inflammation
- It keeps your gut healthy, increasing serotonin and dopamine as a result
- Decrease blood pressure
- Lowers potassium levels and mitigates effects of high potassium
- Reducing seizures
- Though still under study, BPC-157 shows evidence that it can help heal injured tendons quickly.
Imagine how useful and more effective healing is for your body in any workout routine.
4. MK-677
What it is
MK-677, also known as ibutamoren, aids in muscle building and muscle recovery afterward. This GH secretagogue is often paired with selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), but it doesn’t reduce testosterone levels as SARMs do. It’s frequently taken orally and absorbed through the gut.
How it Works
Like Ipamorelin, MK-677 works closely with ghrelin, but instead of mimicking it, it binds to the ghrelin receptors and activates them to cause a response from the ghrelin. Namely, its breakdown of fats and prevention of muscle loss.
The catabolic activity involves the breakdown of things such as fats and muscle to use as fuel or for detoxification purposes. As we get older, muscle mass is lost more often in this catabolism, but MK-677 helps to regulate nitrogen balance which maintains and builds muscle.
Its Benefits
Since it does increase GHs, it comes with the usual benefits:
- Increased muscle growth and retention
- Stronger bones
- Improved immune systems
- Cell repair and replication
- And More.
5. IGF-1
What it is
IGF-1 is a hormone produced in the liver. Its coded name stands for “Insulin-like Growth Factor” binding protein 1. As the name suggests, it has properties that resemble insulin. It’s also made up of 70 amino acids, especially beneficial for your body.
How it Works
Growth hormones stimulate IGF-1. It’s then bound to one of six possible binding proteins and regulated by insulin. IGF-1 and GH are proportionately related: if GHs decrease, then IGF-1 decreases. If GH increase in your body, IGF-1 increases.
Once activated, IGF-1 will prompt cells throughout the body to grow, focusing primarily on the cells in the lungs, bones, liver, kidney, skin, nerve, and skeletal muscles. It will also control cellular DNA synthesis.
Its Benefits
In addition to the benefits commonly found in these peptides:
- Protein synthesis and improved supply of amino acids
- Strengthening your immune system
- Increasing bone density
- Lowering triglyceride levels
- And reducing high blood sugar
IGF-1 is a fantastic way to monitor your health as a:
- diagnostic to measure Growth Hormone levels in your body
- treatment for Laron Syndrome
- measurement that helps doctors understand the states of pituitary diseases and growing complications.
- way to regenerate nerve tissues.
Conclusion
You should always consult your doctor or another specialist before increasing your hormone production. Your body is very complicated and different from anyone else, so it’s important to consult someone educated in how the body works and ask about any potential side effects or risks. At EVOLVE, our team of hormone specialists can help you find the right peptides for you. It is highly recommended to get a full hormone panel test to check primary hormone function before starting treatment.
Your health and safety should always be top priorities when seeking peptide therapy. Our patient care team will help you make the best decisions to gain optimal health and wellness. Are you ready to check your hormone levels and see if muscle growth peptides are for you?
