Do you think peptides are the future of recovery or just a passing trend?

CarterPierce99

Do you think peptides are the future of recovery or just a passing trend?

AnnPT77

I think you may be about to post a link to where we can buy some, but that may be cynicism from having seen others do that kind of thing here in the past. If that's not you, apologies.

Which peptides do you mean, specifically?

Collagen peptides, the evidence seems weak for major benefits in humans, as compared with the benefits from getting plenty of protein from sources more balanced in essential amino acids. There's a lot of hype, though.

Other peptides, like BPC-157, CJC-1295, etc., seem to be an active research front, but to me look like they're at the "gee whiz" phase, with some hype, some failed phase 2 trials, some in virtro results but limited in vivo research so far, grifting marketers selling them with implied big promises anyway, etc.

Maybe something useful will emerge from the other peptides research, but I don't think we're there yet. My answer to your question would be "too soon to tell".

But I'm not a professional in a relevant field, and this isn't something I pay rabidly close attention to.

In general, I feel like following the known, tested, validated routes to some goal - which usually involves tedious things like hard work, consistency, patience, etc. - has a higher payoff than looking for the hacks like some supplement that's claimed to be a game-changer. YMMV.

sollyn23l2

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10946795/do-you-think-peptides-are-the-future-of-recovery-or-just-a-passing-trend

Regular old protein is better.

CarterPierce99

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48766447#Comment_48766447

Fair take, definitely a lot of hype mixed in. Still interesting to watch the research evolve though….

claireychn074

I’m not an elite athlete by any means but I train hard (for me). The best, and most under prioritised recovery, is rest and food. Getting enough sleep and enough protein (with veggies and nutrients) will make more difference than any supplement IMO. I certainly know my speed and power suffer if I don’t get enough adequate rest, and I need to eat enough calories. I think other stuff is in the margin, but everyone is different and maybe those margins make enough of a difference to some.

CarterPierce99

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48767519#Comment_48767519

Well said! Sleep and nutrition really are the foundation. Peptides (or anything else) just build on that base.

AnnPT77

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48768933#Comment_48768933

@CarterPierce99, I'd still be interested to know specifically what peptides, or class of peptides, you're wanting to discuss here. Peptides are just amino acid chains, right? There are possibly infinitely many types. At least a few classes of them could be considered relevant to recovery, but what are you actually asking here?

CarterPierce99

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48769181#Comment_48769181

Good point, peptides are such a broad category. The ones I was referring to are recovery/regenerative peptides like BPC-157 and TB-500. They’re known for their tissue repair and anti-inflammatory effects, often used to support healing and recovery rather than performance enhancement. Definitely a different class than something like collagen or GLP-1s.

springlering62

all my little pea brain hears is lalalala damn something else to keep up with lalalala macros are tough enough as it is.

I guess if you’re a body builder or competing it might be valuable, but I’m just gonna cover my ears and carry on with what’s brung me to the dance.

AnnPT77

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48774270#Comment_48774270

This is classic supplement-industry territory. As soon as something provocative shows up in mice or a petri dish, they run with it and sell the bejeepers out of it. In the long run, some of those substances will be trialed, and prove safe and effective . . . but not many, as a percentage of the gee-whiz starting truckload.

If people think big pharma is profit seeking, they should take a deeper look at the supplements industry's multi-billion-dollar size, and the ridiculous frequency of transparently grifting tactics.

Some of these substances have been in food all along, and have had the claimed benefits in the food substrate. Of that type, a few prove helpful in some extracted/purified form, quite a few end up justifying why a healthy diet has always been healthy and still is (good science, worth knowing), and a few prove to be valueless or even risky in extracted/purified versions.

Sure, once in a while, some supplement is really great, and skeptics like me miss out by not being early adopters. But skeptics also miss out on a lot of expense, worrisome side effects, etc., from the stuff that doesn't pan out.

Most of the time these days, even where there are benefits, the incremental benefits of a new supplement are small . . . much smaller than the benefits from working on basics like nutrition, activity, hydration, sleep, etc.

I find this kind of thing - nutrition science - interesting, casually: I'm a bit of a science nerd.

In terms of true benefits, though, I look at even the good parts of this as usually being kind of like a research finding I'm sure you're familiar with: People with better grip strength tend to live longer and have better health outcomes while they live. Silly people go off and start working on their grip strength, so they can live longer. Smart people think "betcha healthy, active people have better grip strength", and keep working away at the basics, at most think about whether their current routine is well-rounded when it comes to challenging grip strength.

Just my opinions, as always.