Peptides and Fitness: The Pros, the Cons, the Real Talk
Over the last few years, peptides have become a big rage in the fitness industry. From weight loss, to recovery, to hormone optimization. From many conversations, there is still a lot of confusion and questions about peptides, GLPs, etc. First, this is NOT medical advice. This is simply my opinion as of today. As more research comes out, that could change. Second, I am talking about people using peptides for fitness purposes, not for medical purposes as prescribed by a doctor! Those are two very different conversations.
First, what are peptides? They are short chains of amino acids that act as messengers. They tell your body to decrease appetite, speed up certain processes, trigger specific hormone production, etc.
A few areas where peptides have shown to help:
-Weight loss support. Some peptides/GLPs can reduce appetite and improve blood sugar control. However, they can also decrease muscle mass if no strength training is being done and they don’t replace proper nutrition for healthy nutrients.
-Hormone Support. Some peptides can aid in supporting hormone levels to optimize things like sleep, recovery, and progress inside the gym. The key work is “aid” in supporting. Things like consistent exercise, proper sleep hygiene, quality nutrition and hydration, and getting in steps during the day are the main foundation.
-Recovery and joint healing. Some peptides have been used to speed up recovery of joints/tendons. The research is still 50/50 and seems to be a person by person case. While it may help, it should not be your only plan. You should also be working with someone to rehab the area, build tissue tolerance, and increase capacity to get back to normal function.
A few problems with peptides:
-Research is early in humans. Human data is limited for many peptides, especially when thinking about long term effects. We simply don’t know what that may look like yet. Maybe it turns out that there are no long term negative effects. Maybe there is.
-Cost is high. Quality peptides that are properly sourced are not cheap. And cheap ones likely aren’t the best quality. Many of the peptides sold for fitness purposes are not FDA approved, have questionable dosing, purity, and standards. If you are not building the foundation of fitness through exercise, nutrition, and sleep, then you are only going to get the benefits of the peptide while you’re on them. And as soon as you go off, those results will go away with it.
-Many people use peptides as a way to bypass the hard things they should be doing to achieve the results they want… the nutrition, the consistent exercise, the rehab work, the healthy lifestyle. We all know what happends when a house is built on a shaky foundation… it won’t last.
So, where do we stand at CFA?
We are not here to say that peptides are evil and should not be used. We are here to say that they can, and should only be used, for a specific purpose after you have built a solid foundation through exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle behaviors. Peptides can be used as an add-on to get a small gain in a specific area. They can help to fine tune the edges, but only after the foundation is built through years of creating a healthy lifestyle. If you have been consistent for years, then maybe they can help! If you are still building consistency with fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle, then that should be your priority number 1.
Lastly, this is the one where I have a hard stance … .if you are taking a GLP-1 for weight loss, you MUST be strength training and working on nutrition habits. Studies have shown that some of the weight loss during GLP1s is muscle mass, which is extremely important for functionality, vitality, and longevity. When you get off the GLP1, you regain the body fat back (unless you have built proper nutrition habits), but you don’t regain the muscle back. So you are actually worse off than before they started the GLP-1.
It all comes back down to doing the basic things well for years. Then the peptides may be a useful tool for some to gain a slight edge for themselves while working with a practitioner for guidance.