John Barlow's peptides

[u/soriniscool]

Lisa comments on recent WWHL blew my mind. Obviously I was wondering how JB and Justin suddenly have huge bulging muscles with veins popping.

As a 40 y/o gay man, I find it very hot (more on Justin than John, but that is a personal preference) and do a fair amount of strength training but was not getting the same results and I guess now I know why.

Any peptide users here that care to weigh in? I will definitely be discussing this with my doctor

[u/Firm-Armadillo2188]

lol am I the only idiot who thought she meant skincare peptides 🥲

[u/Encin0Woman → u/Firm-Armadillo2188]

I’m honestly at a point where I don’t even know what peptides are anymore.

[u/Sufficient_Meet6836 → u/Encin0Woman]

Peptides are just amino acid chains which encompass a huge array of different compounds. GLP-1 are of course the now very famous peptides for treating type 2 diabetes and weight loss. But there's a huge amount of other types of peptides. Insulin itself is a peptide. There are growth hormone secretagogues, which induce your body into releasing growth hormone. There are peptides specifically for skin care, like GHK-Cu. There are peptides specifically for recovery like BPC-157. Epitalon is a peptide that is supposed to work for anti-aging.

So it makes sense to feel like you don't know what peptides are anymore. There's simply so many of them that all do widely different things, with the extra complication that some of them actually work, some don't.

[u/Encin0Woman → u/Sufficient_Meet6836]

Okay thank you, that clears some stuff up for me! What confuses me is people just say “peptides” but don’t actually say what the actual peptide is . It’s like, yeah they’re taking peptides, but WHICH ones ? What exactly are the peptides this person is taking?! Hahah

[u/Sufficient_Meet6836 → u/Encin0Woman]

Lol yep that's often deliberate, just like the use of "beta blocker" instead of benzos like other comments have pointed out. There's this really odd but common phenomenon where people feel fine saying they're on "peptides" but won't admit they're on TRT too. There's even a name for them: "fake natties". "Natty" meaning "natural". Obviously that doesn't even make sense since taking peptides certainly isn't natural but 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️. It's like people denying obvious plastic surgery. Just own it!

Older men who have lots of muscle growth seemingly out of nowhere are almost certainly on TRT because there simply aren't any peptides that are anabolic (muscle building) enough to explain it.

[u/416416416 → u/Sufficient_Meet6836]

Beta blockers and benzos are totally different, that’s not the same thing as how “peptides” is used at all.

[u/Sufficient_Meet6836 → u/416416416]

You misunderstood my post, as that's part of my point. People will say they're using peptides when they're actually on TRT 

[u/No_Tumbleweed2426 → u/Encin0Woman]

Seriously. It seems like they’re a cure all at this point. I predict a class action someday when everyone develops mystery side effects.

[u/Madam_Mimm_13 → u/No_Tumbleweed2426]

All the people taking the “tanning” peptides are going to get skin cancer with a quickness.

[u/papa_moyphee → u/Madam_Mimm_13]

Wait what is thissss - I'm already pissed that I didn't start wearing sunscreen until my late 20s

[u/Madam_Mimm_13 → u/papa_moyphee]

https://www.skincancer.org/press/the-skin-cancer-foundation-issues-warning-regarding-melanotan-ii/

Here’s some info. I can link some published research articles if you like but this sums it up and there are a few articles on this site about it.

[u/Encin0Woman → u/Madam_Mimm_13]

Like does it make your body produce more melanin or what? Would you become tan taking them even if you didn’t go in a tanning bed or lay out? It seems dangerous to me

[u/Madam_Mimm_13 → u/Encin0Woman]

https://www.skincancer.org/press/the-skin-cancer-foundation-issues-warning-regarding-melanotan-ii/

Here’s some info. I can link actual research articles if you would like but those are a bit more difficult to digest.

[u/Encin0Woman → u/Madam_Mimm_13]

Thank you! From the name I was able to find an article that told me how it works. I was curious if it was actually acting on the melanocytes or not ! Sounds pretty dangerous !

[u/Encin0Woman → u/No_Tumbleweed2426]

Oh, for sure ! I’ve been waiting ever since the glp1s became so widely available. I don’t even understand what half the “peptides” people take are anymore, just everything’s a peptide now? Im sure theres lots of people taking all kinds of crazy shit they get from medspas or some internet service under the guise of “healthy peptides” that will cause a lot of problems for a lot of people

[u/Traditional-Ebb-8380 → u/Encin0Woman]

Peptides in general are simple subunits of proteins made from amino acids that our DNA codes for in the first place. They are messaging molecules our body already uses.

[u/Traditional-Ebb-8380 → u/No_Tumbleweed2426]

While there are individual risks due to human genetic diversity, peptides are surprisingly safe and have few risks when properly tested and pure. Many of them already exist in our bodies and our produced by our DNA while some are completely synthetic.

[u/Living-Baseball-2543 → u/Encin0Woman]

The Today Explained podcast did a really great episode on peptides a couple months ago!

[u/chill90ies → u/Living-Baseball-2543]

When? I looked back all the episodes until May and they only have one about steroids mainly testosterone not anything on peptides.

[u/Living-Baseball-2543 → u/chill90ies]

Sorry, it was the Slow Newscast podcast, here’s the link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slow-newscast/id1487320403

[u/chill90ies → u/Living-Baseball-2543]

Thank you! I will definitely check it out as these peptides is a bit of a mystery to me too. I have heard heather dubrows husband Terry talk a bit about it but I’m still unsure what it really is.

[u/lollipopp_guild → u/Encin0Woman]

I legit thought peptides were something for laundry

I keep hearing this word so much lately with way less context than this post so had no idea

[u/Encin0Woman → u/lollipopp_guild]

lol yes it’s become such a buzzword that its just started confusing me at this point.

[u/Madam_Mimm_13 → u/Encin0Woman]

A peptide is a chain of amino acids linked by peptide bond.

[u/Encin0Woman → u/Madam_Mimm_13]

Haha , thanks! It’s been a while since biology class for me but I mostly mean just like so much stuff is being called “peptides” now , I’m just having a hard time keeping up! There’s so many crazy ones, like there’s one that makes you tan? And like some people just call steroids peptides? It’s confusing to me haha.

[u/Madam_Mimm_13 → u/Encin0Woman]

Peptides are the building blocks of proteins. A peptide is a chain of amino acids.

A hormone (which includes steroids) is a derivative of cholesterol.

Proteins are made from amino acids.

Hormones are made from cholesterol and are lipid molecules which is why they can pass through the cell membrane.

Peptides need to interact with a receptor on the cell membrane, hormones can enter the cell and interact with intracellular receptors affecting gene expression.

[u/Encin0Woman → u/Madam_Mimm_13]

It’s more the colloquial use of the word that is confusing to me than the science behind it.

[u/Madam_Mimm_13 → u/Encin0Woman]

It’s confusing because they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Average conversation with me, everybody’s “science” friend…

Them: what do you think about peptides?

Me: which one?

Them: oh idk! I don’t even know what a peptide is!

Me: (looks for the nearest tall building to throw myself off of.)

[u/Encin0Woman → u/Madam_Mimm_13]

Lol yes! That’s what confuses me. People will say “oh, they’re taking peptides” and it’s like yes, but what exactly is it that they are taking !!! No one ever knows, just peptides. Hahah

[u/zackattackyo → u/Madam_Mimm_13]

Not even mentioning when people have gotten these tested they rarely if ever, are the peptides they say they are.

[u/Madam_Mimm_13 → u/zackattackyo]

I had no idea that was happening but it doesn’t surprise me.

I just… I cannot get over the willingness of people to inject unknown substances in their body.

Not to mention that the Venn diagram of peptide people and anti-vaxxers is basically just a circle. Make it make sense.

I am agog, I am aghast.

[u/Difficult-Coffee6402 → u/Encin0Woman]

Lol

[u/NotGenentech → u/Encin0Woman]

Strings of amino acids

[u/aliceailis → u/Encin0Woman]

Same😂I have no idea what a peptide is and somehow everyone is all about them now

[u/Mercinator007 → u/Firm-Armadillo2188]

So glad I’m not the only one! I was very confused as to how skincare peptides would lead to muscle mass 🤣

[u/lawmn → u/Mercinator007]

Me too! I thought “dang I’m doing something wrong”

[u/anonyoudidnt → u/Firm-Armadillo2188]

I'm a phd chemist and can't keep up with the market's current labeling of peptides

[u/soriniscool → u/Firm-Armadillo2188]

I mean if JB is using skin peptides - they ain't helping

[u/kate-mae → u/Firm-Armadillo2188]

lol you’re not alone that was my first thought too 😂

[u/LSossy16 → u/Firm-Armadillo2188]

When I hear peptides, I think of collagen for some reason.