The Science of Peptide Therapy

Peptide Therapy: The Science

 

Peptide therapy is a new and cutting-edge science that has many potential benefits. Because peptides are naturally produced in the body, the body recognizes them and utilizes them as a natural substance.

 

Because peptide therapy is still a relatively new treatment in medicine, it has yet to gain the popularity that it deserves. The first peptide therapy was actually introduced in the 1920s — and we know of it today as the widely-used medication for treating diabetes — insulin. That’s right — insulin is technically a peptide therapy.

 

Insulin is a peptide hormone that works by supplementing production in individuals who cannot otherwise produce it on their own. As a result, blood sugar levels spike causing a vast array of unwanted symptoms.

 

The thing is, many of us suffer from unwanted symptoms from common conditions on a daily basis, but rather than seeking treatment, we believe we must just get used to them or that they are just “a part of life.” Many common ailments that come with age such as fatigue, sleeplessness, wrinkles, even anxiety, and depression could potentially be alleviated through peptide therapy.

 

Peptide therapy is not to be confused with hormone therapy. Peptide therapy stimulates the body’s own production of hormones by supplementing it with amino acids. Whereas hormone therapy actually replaces hormones that are missing or deficient.

 

While you don’t have to have a major in organic chemistry to understand what peptide therapy is and how it works, it’s helpful to break down what peptides are and why the body needs them.

 

 

 

Peptide Therapy: The Body’s Amino Acids

 

In order to understand what peptides are, we must first understand what amino acids are and the vital role they play in our development. When you eat something with protein in it, the body proceeds to break that protein down into its building blocks: amino acids. These amino acids are then used to build proteins and peptides that carry out normal biologic functions within your body.

 

The process of creating both proteins and peptides is referred to as folding and is incredibly complicated. The way proteins are constructed in 3D space is incredibly important — their shape is key to how they work. While we loosely understand how the folding process works, the specifics are still hotly debated.

 

Peptides are just a short chain of amino acids, typically consisting of anywhere between 2 and 50 amino acids linked together. Peptide bonds are formed when two or more amino acids are joined (peptide bonds are also called peptide links). Amino acids form proteins that send molecular signals throughout the body to carry out specific functions. You can think of a protein as a string of beads where every individual bead is an amino acid.

 

Peptides are also significantly structurally simpler than proteins. During their creation, proteins must “fold” into complex, particular shapes. The very process of protein folding is a complex research field by itself. Peptides, on the other hand, are simple linear structures.

 

Protein makes up 75% of the human body. They are involved with almost every body function, including growth and development, healing and repair, normal digestion, and providing the energy we all need throughout our day.

 

Of course — this begs the question — what makes a protein different from a peptide if they are both made of amino acids and do similar things within the body? It’s actually simple, and a little arbitrary. As we mentioned above, peptides are just shorter chains of amino acids… and that’s it. Typically, if it has over 50 amino acids linked together, it’s considered a protein. If it doesn’t, it’s considered a peptide.

 

With that said, there is some crossover. Cytokines — important cell signaling proteins involved in the immune system — are also considered peptides.

 

Amino acids are categorized in three different ways: Essential, non-essential, and conditional. The category that a specific amino acid belongs to determines which areas of the body will absorb it.

 

Essential amino acids: Our body cannot produce them. They must be obtained through food or supplements.

 

Nonessential amino acids are those that your body produces throughout the day whether or not you eat foods that contain them.

 

Conditional Amino Acids: These are the amino acids that your body produces under certain circumstances, such as fighting off an illness or dealing with an unusual amount of stress.

 

Peptide Therapy: The Benefits

 

Both peptides and proteins serve as part of your body’s signaling system. When your body’s cells (or specific glands, in the case of peptide hormones) release them, it’s their way of communicating to other cells that something needs to be done. This could be the repair of muscle tissue, the production of other hormones, the triggering of the immune system, or many other tasks.

Peptide therapy works by taking advantage of this communication system. If you can figure out what peptide does what, then you can then use peptides to influence that particular system in the body.

 

With that in mind, peptide therapy can potentially benefit in:

 

  • Skincare
  • Anti-Aging Treatments
  • Sports Injury Treatments
  • Hair Loss Therapy
  • Treatment Of Sexual Dysfunction
  • Biohacking
  • Bodybuilding

 

Our specialists at Integrative Telemedicine are trained to help you assess your individual needs so that we can ensure you are getting the right peptide therapy you require. You can contact our specialists via email at info@integrativetelemedicine.com. We also offer a number of other services that can be used in conjunction with peptide therapy. Visit our website at Integrative Telemedicine.

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