Frontline Health
Troy Duell with Centurion is providing you with health information and guests to elevate your health and help make your life better. Centurion is a pharmaceutical company that chooses to put people over profits and allow science to dictate what products we bring to market. Our goal is to provide products that you can both afford and are beneficial to your health. It doesn't matter how good a product is if you can't afford it. This podcast will provide you with the best health information possible through sharing studies and current data. We will also interview the leading health experts across the country. We will share sides of the story you may not have heard. Our promise to you is to source all of the information we share with you and speak the truth. We hope this truth is used by you and your loved ones to elevate your health and life.
Frontline Health
#090 - The Truth About Peptides: Science, Scams, and Smart Usage
Peptides are everywhere these days—from skincare products to weight loss injections to recovery supplements. But what exactly are these amino acid chains, and why has everyone suddenly become obsessed with them?
Our deep dive into the peptide phenomenon reveals the science behind these powerful biological messengers that can signal your body to heal faster, burn fat more efficiently, and reduce inflammation. We explore why certain peptides like BPC-157 for tissue repair and collagen peptides for skin health have captured the wellness world's attention, while also uncovering the dark side of this trend—including AI-generated fake celebrity endorsements and products that don't contain what their labels claim.
The truth is that peptides like those found in popular medications such as Ozempic (yes, it's a peptide!) can deliver impressive results, but they come with important caveats. Studies show people regain two-thirds of lost weight within a year of stopping treatment, and up to 50% of the weight lost while using these medications is actually muscle mass rather than fat. This highlights our core message: peptides should be part of your health strategy, not your entire strategy.
Whether you're "peptide curious" or already incorporating them into your routine, this episode provides crucial guidance on safely navigating this trending health space. We break down how to avoid scams, what questions to ask healthcare providers, and why the foundation of good health—proper nutrition, regular exercise, stress management—remains essential even when using these powerful tools. Remember, there are no shortcuts to genuine health, but peptides might just be the right complementary approach for your specific goals when used responsibly.
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Today on the Frontline Health Podcast.
Speaker 2:I think you even mentioned the other day seeing on TikTok a couple of ads from an AI-generated Joe Rogan saying that, hey, this is a great product to take, so you've got to be very, very careful of where you're getting it from and who all is selling it.
Speaker 1:The products that they were recommending did not even actually contain BPC-157. So I think it's important for people to know. If you are looking at a peptide that's being advertised to you, you really have to be diligent and careful about reading the label and even not letting the things that are on the label misleading you, because in this particular case, it said on the back BPC-157 blend, and in the blend that was called BPC-157 blend and in the blend that was called BPC-157 blend, it did not even include BPC-157. It was just some amino acids, and so it's definitely something that there's a lot of marketing behind and people will try to just make a quick buck off of something that could potentially be very beneficial for someone's health.
Speaker 1:Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion, where we bring you health news, tips and insights to help you take ownership of your health. My name is Evan, I'm your host and today we're tackling something that's got the wellness world buzzing peptides. What are they, why are they suddenly everywhere and are they actually safe? Joining me is Troy. He's our founder and CEO here at Centurion Health, but he's more than that. He's also a health expert, educator and someone who's done a deep dive into the space of peptides Troy. As always, it's good to pick your brain about these things. Good to be here.
Speaker 2:And I think this is a very, very timely topic because peptides do seem to be everywhere. They're popping up every time you turn on social media or the TV. So great topic to dive into and excited to get into it.
Speaker 1:Well, let's do it. Let's start at the top. For those who've never heard the word peptide or maybe they've heard it but they don't really know what it means what exactly are peptides?
Speaker 2:Great question. So peptides really are just short chain amino acids, which is the building block of proteins, very, very essential piece of our biology. We have to have those amino acids to go on, act more like signals, so they're going to send things into the body to ask it to do certain things, and that's the beauty of them. So they're going to tell you specific things on. Tissue repair is one of the big ones that you'll start to see out there Weight loss, inflammation reduction. So you're having a little bit of all those things going on and it really depends on the peptide that you're taking.
Speaker 1:So do we naturally produce them?
Speaker 2:Yes, the answer is yes, but the ones that you're going to be getting are actually some that have been isolated and now they're making in laboratories to mimic the same thing that our body makes. So really, what we're trying to do is make the same things in a lab, so then our body responds based exactly on what those peptides are supposed to do in our body. And there are a lot of products out there on the market, especially some lately, that we may not even think are peptides but actually are. A lot of people, I'm sure have heard of Ozempic or Wagovi. Those are the big ones for weight loss. Those are actually peptides. And there have been several others on the market for years that have been out there to help treat diabetes, cancer and even cardiovascular disease.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really interesting. You know you mentioned a couple of very well-known drugs, with Ozempic and Wagovi, both of those being for weight loss specifically. So it's interesting. I think a lot of it is semantics and how we talk about it, as to how accepting people are of these peptides and of these medications that are out there. So it'll be interesting to see how public opinion kind of changes as we get more comfortable talking about peptides. Totally agree. So how do they actually work in the body?
Speaker 2:What they're going to do is basically bind to specific receptors on your cells, the cells that you have in your body, and they're going to really solicit a different response. So it depends on which peptide it is like we've already talked about. So you've got the peptides that are associated with Ozempic. They're going to help with fat loss. You've got other peptides that may help with tissue repair and other things like that. But really what you're trying to look at is where is this particular peptide targeted and what's the biological function that it's wanting to then take on?
Speaker 1:Okay, so are these mostly injectables when you're talking about the prescription forms of peptides.
Speaker 2:Yes, they are, but there are actually some out there in non prescription form that are oral, so you have them in tablets, capsules. You also have some that are topical and even some that are nasal sprays.
Speaker 1:So, with all these different forms that you can take peptides, what about the form in which you take it determines if it's going to be effective or not.
Speaker 2:Great question. It really kind of depends on where in the body that that is going to be processed. So we know that certain drugs get processed and pulled through the body more through the liver or the gut, and some drugs can make it through the acidity of the stomach and other drugs can't. So it really depends on can this particular peptide make it through your stomach without being totally destroyed, and then can it make it through your liver without it being totally destroyed? So there are several different things you have to take into consideration before you decide on which form to take, and all of them can get into your body, but some of them may be more effective than others. So that's why injectables oftentimes are used, because it's bypassing the stomach. It's bypassing a lot of those places that may break it down to where it wouldn't be usable in your body.
Speaker 1:You know it's really interesting Anytime something goes viral in the health space like peptides. Why exactly at this moment it's gotten so popular? Peptides have been around for a long time right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so probably since 2010, 2013,. They've been around and really just starting to catch on in the public's eye, and I think a lot of it is due to what's the condition that it's treating. If you're wanting to lose weight and we know that right now, a lot of people want to lose weight and we want to do it without having to work hard then that's one of the reasons we're getting a lot of information about peptides of late.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, we're hearing about it from everyone, really. You're hearing about it from athletes who are claiming all kinds of benefits when it comes to their recovery, as we've talked about. You're hearing it from doctors who are using it to treat certain conditions, and even influencers on TikTok and Instagram are talking about peptides. So why is everyone suddenly obsessed?
Speaker 2:Well, I think, first and foremost, it's the results. People are seeing results. You're seeing weight loss, you're seeing better recovery, you're seeing deeper sleep and people are even having improved focus. So when you have that anecdotal evidence of personal experience and you know somebody who's had that personal experience, it's hard not to talk about it. Number two I think we've started, especially since covid, this whole idea of biohacking or trying to get better with our health. Well, this is one of the main ones that kind of came out of that where people looked at it and said these may have some great benefits for my health long term. And then I think you can't overlook the fact that now, with social media and getting online and seeing things and hearing about things a lot faster, I think that has to have some to do with it, because we're seeing other people talk about it relatively quickly after they've done it, and they can even say, hey, I just lost 10 pounds. We see it on a video and we go, hey, that may be something for me. So I think that's a big thing.
Speaker 2:But I wanted to really quick kind of touch on some of the better peptides that are on the market right now, because there are so many that seem to be flooding in and it for me it's kind of hard to work through and you hear a lot, so I'd love to just touch on about five or six of those that I think are really have some value to them. So the first one would be collagen peptides. I think everybody's kind of getting into this piece, whether that's collagen or marine collagen peptides. I think everybody's kind of getting into this piece, whether that's collagen or marine collagen peptides, which are all for skin, joint, hair and nails. So it seems to be working and people have had great results. So that's one of the reasons it's out there.
Speaker 1:Anytime you can get people talking about a new skincare product, that's going to be something that goes viral.
Speaker 2:Especially one that you don't actually have to apply every time on the face, that you can take orally and you have good benefits, or that you can apply on the face and have great results. The other one is glutathione. That's one that is pretty well known. It's a strong antioxidant and it's good for skin brightening. But one of the things that is hard to get straight glutathione and our body doesn't always absorb it well. It doesn't necessarily do well with our bodies. So NAC, N-acetylcysteine, is one of the ones that you can take because it's the precursor to glutathione and that can be kind of a shortcut to do that. The other is BPC-157. That seems to be everywhere. One of the main reasons for that is it seems to have a really strong effect on tissue repair and for reduced inflammation. So if you get an injury, especially a soft tissue injury, so you tear a muscle, ligament, damage, anything like that, and you take the BPC-157, there's some great evidence that it does a great job in speeding the recovery, reducing your downtime. A lot of people even take that after workouts in order to kind of build up their muscle mass and reduce the time that they have to have downtime. Tb500 is another one also that we've seen, for wound healing. It also tends to help with muscle recovery. There are even some combinations with BPC-157 and TB-500. And when you have those two together it seems to have some synergy between the two and even enhance that muscle recovery even more.
Speaker 2:And then the final one that we'll touch on today, because there are a lot of them out there, is KPV. Kpv seems to be one that's really strong for immune health, but it also seems to help with systemic inflammation. So if you've got some systemic inflammation, maybe it's an underlining autoimmune disorder, mast cell activation syndrome, things like that. Kpv seems to have a strong effect for those individuals. And, like I said, there are a ton out there that we don't have time to discuss on this podcast, but certainly recommend our listeners to go out, take some time, do their own research and really start diving into some of these peptides, because it could be a piece of the puzzle. It's not going to be the magic pill or the answer for everything, but it certainly could be a piece of the puzzle.
Speaker 1:Yeah, clearly there's a lot of science behind these peptides and definitely I think we will, in future episodes, zoom in on a couple of these and dive into the studies and how we know that these things are safe and effective. But we know that there's also a lot of hype behind these things, as there is any time that something goes as viral as peptides are right now in the health and wellness space, and so some of it's probably overhyped, right.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I think you even mentioned the other day seeing on TikTok a couple of ads from an AI-generated Joe Rogan saying, hey, this is a great product to take, so you've got to be very, very careful of where you're getting it from and who all is selling it.
Speaker 1:You know, in that case, that you were talking about. Not only was it an AI generated video of Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman, by the way, having a conversation about BPC-157, but the products that they were recommending did not even actually contain BPC-157. So I think it's important for people to know. If you are looking at a peptide that's being advertised to you, you really have to be diligent and careful about reading the label and even not letting the things that are on the label misleading you, because in this particular case, it said on the back BPC-157 blend, and in the blend that was called BPC-157 blend, it did not even include BPC-157. It was just some amino acids, and so it's definitely something that there's a lot of marketing behind and people will try to just make a quick buck off of something that could potentially be very beneficial for someone's health.
Speaker 2:For sure, and I think one of the best things to look at is we saw them on Amazon where they say it's a blend, they'll say BCP 157 or they'll say something else just to kind of get your attention, make you think that you're taking it. But to your point, it is just amino acids that they string together or just throw in as single ingredients and then they call it that blend. So you definitely have to be careful. Probably one of the best ways to look at it is if it's $80 or less or $75 or less, it probably is not the actual peptide.
Speaker 1:You're not going to get BPC-157 for 20 bucks a bottle.
Speaker 2:You will not get it for $20 a bottle, for sure. I may be a little bit biased, but for me personally, if I a bottle.
Speaker 1:For sure, I may be a little bit biased, but for me personally, if I want to make sure that I'm getting safe and effective health and wellness products, I just get it from Centurion Health. That's a great suggestion, it really is. That would be our recommendation. But hey, to each his own. Make your own decisions, do your research. So this brings us to a really important question We've talked about. You know us to a really important question We've talked about. You know why these peptides are going viral. We've talked about you know the actual science, some of the actual science behind it and the benefits, but how do we know if they're safe? Right, that's really important. So, are peptides safe?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think peptides are safe, but they have to be done correctly. So you need to be knowledgeable, you need to do your research. Hopefully you're going to a knowledgeable healthcare provider that has done some research on it and then really you want to make sure that you're not going to some sketchy place just because you want to lose 10 to 15 pounds and you go hey, somebody said that this would work and it's only 25 bucks. I think there's a big risk in that and ultimately, I think you can minimize that risk by having a plan all together.
Speaker 1:So what kind of risks are we talking about that are associated with peptides?
Speaker 2:Well, I think it's the same risk you have really with anything else you could have contamination, you could have underdosing, overdosing, you could have some mislabeling We've already talked about that. So I also think there can be a bit of false hope that can go into peptides in general. If we put our whole hope in that magic pill, that it can cause us to lose even greater hope further down the road. I think Ozempic is a great example of that.
Speaker 2:We know a study in 2022 that people who took Ozempic they experienced significant weight loss, but they regained two-thirds of it within a year of stopping and the health benefits that they achieved actually waned post-treatment, which I think really hammers home the message that we try to bring, which is to take ownership of your health.
Speaker 2:That it should be one of those things that you take temporarily. It should be a part of an overall plan, but not something by itself, because one of the other things that I think is pretty interesting about Ozempic in particular we know that long term, while it does bring weight loss with Ozempic, that up to 50% of that weight loss is typically your muscle mass. So you're not just losing fat, but you're also losing muscle, your muscle mass, so you're not just losing fat, but you're also losing muscle. And when you lose that muscle, we know that you're really not setting yourself up or your body for long-term success. So if you're combining peptides whether that's Ozempic or anything else and you don't have a full plan, you could be setting yourself up for disaster later down the road.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely agree. So let's think about how someone should approach this, knowing that there are risks out there. Say, someone's listening right now and they're thinking okay, I'm interested, but I don't want to mess myself up. I want to be really careful and not just try to find this magic pill. You know what is step number one for somebody who's considering peptides?
Speaker 2:I think the first step is always to do the research and become more knowledgeable and part of that is talking to a medical provider who maybe understands peptide therapy and then, once you do that, get some labs done, if there's a specific goal that you have in mind, like healing from an injury, improving your metabolic health, anything along those lines and then make sure, like we've already talked, that peptides are a part of the plan, but they are not the plan. So you need to make sure that you're getting the right diet, you're getting the right exercise, you're working on reducing stress and you're doing all the things that we've talked about before.
Speaker 1:Yeah, for me personally, I'm thinking about how I might begin to start using peptides as a runner. What makes me really excited is thinking that it could help me with my recovery and so, like, one of the things that's really important in that regard is, as a runner, not ramping up your weekly mileage too fast, and a lot of people get hurt because they do that. But if you do that in combination with taking these peptides, maybe you can recover a little bit quicker.
Speaker 1:It doesn't mean that you automatically are Superman and can just go all out and go crazy, and so I think that's great just to consider your overall health and look at this as just a support and not a quick fix or substitute for the basics, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I think it's also important to understand that a lot of these peptides are meant to be taken at four-week intervals or 12-week intervals and not the full time, because it starts to lose its effectiveness. You could have some side effects. So you want to be very, very careful and do your research and be very proactive about that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1:research and be very proactive about that kind of stuff, Centurion. We talk a lot about health stewardship, honoring the body that God gave us, understanding that life is a gift and our health is a gift and it's not something that's of our own. Where do peptides kind of fit into the idea of health stewardship?
Speaker 2:I think it's a huge opportunity to use it as a tool. I don't think it's any different than any other medicines that we take or actions that we take for our health so, diet, exercise and then adding one of these pieces in, whether it be a peptide or some other nutritional piece, whether it's a supplement, and we need to look at it as just an add-on to help benefit us, but not the total hope in that particular peptide or in that one pill. Again, there is no shortcut. We've got to take and put in the time in order to get the results that we want and really kind of change that mindset to. This is a long haul approach and we want to make sure that we're doing the right things day in and day out, not just with taking something in order to get the effects that we want to have short term.
Speaker 1:All right, so final rapid fire takeaways from this episode before we sign off. Peptides are small amino acid chains that act as messengers. They can help with healing, fat loss, hormone regulation and more. They're not magic and they're not risk-free. You should only use them under medical supervision or seeking out the advice of a healthcare professional, and never use them as a replacement for healthy habits. Did I miss anything, or is there anything you would add on to that list? I really can't think of anything.
Speaker 2:I think that pretty much sums it up pretty well. But again, do your own research, take ownership of your own health.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, if you've got questions about peptides or you want us to do a deeper dive into a specific one, reach out to us, email us, shoot us a message and we will be sure and get to that topic. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe and share it with someone who is peptide curious. And, as always, thanks for listening to the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion. Until next time, stay strong, stay healthy and go out and take ownership of your health. If you enjoyed what you heard today on the podcast, please consider leaving us a review. We would love to hear your feedback and connect with you further. You can also follow us on Instagram X, tiktok and YouTube, and for safe, effective and affordable health and wellness products made in the USA, visit wwwcenturionhealth. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.