Published on: 24-Jan-2024
Athletes are always in search of the latest and greatest tech-driven solutions to enhance their performance and improve their physical outcomes. These innovations can include anything from state-of-the-art wearables to newly invented dietary supplements.
One of the most noteworthy advances in sports medicine is peptide therapy, which is increasingly heralded for its holistic health potential. According to proponents of peptide therapy, this option represents a safe, natural, and healthy way to enhance energy and accelerate recovery.
You can buy peptides online any time, but before doing so, it’s worth taking some time to consider what peptides are, how they work, and what the scientific research tells us about their performance-enhancing potential.
An Introduction to Peptides
First things first: What are peptides, anyway?
A peptide is just another name for a chain of amino acids. There’s nothing unnatural about this, and in fact, your body is full of naturally-occurring peptides. They provide the building blocks for essential proteins. Without peptides, your body simply wouldn’t function.
Clinicians have long suspected that, when administered in therapeutic doses, concentrated peptide doses might yield significant physical effects. Anecdotally, there are many peptides that have been connected to improved weight loss, muscle recovery, and beyond.
As such, it’s no big surprise that supplement companies have started synthesizing peptides, which can be administered either orally or via injection. These supplements are not exactly like the ones that occur naturally in your body, but they closely mimic natural biological structures. As such, they are generally well-tolerated, without much risk of bodily rejection or significant side effects.
That’s not to say that peptide therapy is completely harmless. When administered improperly, peptides can sometimes result in fairly mild symptoms, like nausea or lightheadedness. And as with any new supplement, athletes should confer with their doctor or trainer to ensure they’re proceeding safely.
With all of that said, peptide therapy is largely agreed upon to be a reasonably safe and holistic option… but is it actually effective? Can athletes count on peptide therapy to improve their performance on the court or the field?
Peptides and Performance
There has already been a decent amount of research concerning peptide therapy, and thus far the results have been very promising. Researchers have found peptides to be useful for improving digestive health, cardiovascular function, immune system enhancement, and much more. Peptides can even have a positive effect on the nervous system.
But what about benefits that are specific to athletes? To consider the potential implications of peptide therapy, consider one popular peptide in particular: A supplement known as BPC-157.
BPC-157 has risen to become one of the most sought-after peptides, particularly among athletes. Though it doesn’t occur naturally in the body, BPC-157 is derived entirely from human gastric juices, meaning it’s a good, holistic option.
BPC-157 and Athletes
BPC-157 was initially developed to help improve GI health, and particularly to mediate the symptoms of stomach lesions and ulcers. Clinicians soon discovered that the peptide has a number of other positive traits, including the ability to regrow soft tissues: Muscle, ligament, tendon, skin, even bone.
Naturally, these benefits have significant application for athletes. Simply put, the ability to trigger expedited muscle regrowth can shorten recovery times, decrease the risk of energy, and enhance efforts to lose weight or build muscle mass.
These aren’t just pipe dreams or hypotheticals. There is ample scientific research to confirm how BPC-157 can enhance athletic performance. For instance:
- One oft-cited study notes that BPC-157 can expedite cellular repair, specifically with regard to the tendons.
- Another study goes further still, explaining that BPC-157 can promote the healing of many different tissues, including muscles, skin, and ligaments.
- Still another study suggests that BPC-157 can promote wound healing, something that’s obviously beneficial to athletes who have been sidelined.
Again, these studies focus on BPC-157 as a case study for peptide therapy’s efficacy. But other studies show that other peptides can benefit athletic performance. To offer just one further example, studies show how peptide therapy can help to reduce body weight and regulate blood glucose, great news for anyone looking to get in shape and stay that way.
Peptide Therapy: A New Frontier in Sports Medicine?
Undoubtedly, there will be plenty more research into the particular benefits of peptide therapy for athletes. For now, there is ample reason to be optimistic, and even to consider adding peptides to your athletic regimen. Remember, ask your doctor or trainer before you go any further.
References
Korhonen, H., & Pihlanto, A. (2006). Bioactive peptides: Production and functionality. International Dairy Journal, 16, 945-960. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IDAIRYJ.2005.10.012.
Chang, C., Tsai, W., Lin, M., Hsu, Y., & Pang, J. (2011). The promoting effect of pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on tendon healing involves tendon outgrowth, cell survival, and cell migration.. Journal of applied physiology, 110 3, 774-80 . https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00945.2010.
Chang, C., Tsai, W., Hsu, Y., & Pang, J. (2014). Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 Enhances the Growth Hormone Receptor Expression in Tendon Fibroblasts. Molecules, 19, 19066 – 19077. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules191119066.
Seiwerth, S., Milavić, M., Vukojević, J., Gojkovic, S., Krezic, I., Vuletić, L., Pavlov, K., Petrovic, A., Sikirić, S., Vraneš, H., Prtorić, A., Zizek, H., Durasin, T., Dobrić, I., Starešinić, M., Štrbe, S., Knežević, M., Šola, M., Kokot, A., Sever, M., Lovrić, E., Skrtic, A., Blagaic, A., & Sikiric, P. (2021). Stable Gastric Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and Wound Healing. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2021.627533.
