Peptides: Small Protein Building Blocks for Longevity and Gut Health
Peptides were long considered a specialised topic in medicine and performance physiology. Today, however, they seem to appear almost everywhere: in longevity concepts, collagen supplements, anti-ageing cosmetics, as well as products for gut health and functional nutrition. Initial scientific findings could therefore evolve into a billion-dollar health market.
Learn what bioactive peptides are, why they are of interest in several areas of research — and why it is nevertheless important to distinguish between scientific findings and aggressive marketing.
What Are Bioactive Peptides and How Are They Formed?
In fact, bioactive peptides are not an invention of the wellness industry. They occur naturally in the human body and play an important role in metabolism, cell communication and biological regulatory processes. Researchers are currently especially interested in the significance they may have for gut flora, gut barrier function and inflammation-related processes.
As the name suggests, bioactive peptides can influence biological processes and often perform signalling or regulatory functions. They consist of short chains of amino acids, which themselves are the “building blocks” of proteins.
Bioactive peptides arise particularly through:
· enzymatic breakdown of proteins
· fermentation processes
· digestive processes.
Since these processes are not unique to the human body, there are also “external” sources, such as:
· fermented foods
· legumes
· dairy products
· eggs
· fish
(Chourasia et al., 2023).
Why Is the Peptide Market Booming in Longevity and Microbiome Science?
Collagen peptides are among the best-known peptide products of all.
They are marketed primarily in connection with:
· anti-ageing
· skin ageing
· wrinkles
· connective tissue
· joint function.
A systematic review and meta-analysis by de Miranda et al. concluded in 2021 that hydrolysed collagen may have positive effects on skin hydration and skin elasticity (de Miranda et al., 2021).
However, the evidence remains controversial, as many studies are funded directly or indirectly by manufacturers.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has also critically evaluated related health claims and considers links between collagen hydrolysate and positive effects on skin health to be scientifically insufficiently substantiated (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies, 2013).
The anti-ageing sector in particular demonstrates how scientifically interesting substances can quickly be transformed into billion-dollar lifestyle products.
Longevity is currently one of the largest health trends of all. The field focuses on the question of how age-related processes may be influenced. Because bioactive peptides may participate in biological regulatory mechanisms, they are especially relevant in this context.
Researchers at the Ferring Research Institute in San Diego describe in a review article that peptide-based therapeutics play an important role in medicine. According to the authors, more than 60 peptide drugs are approved in the United States and other major markets, while additional candidates are currently under clinical development (Lau & Dunn, 2018).
This has created a huge market for:
· collagen supplements
· anti-ageing cosmetics
· longevity products
· biohacking (measures aimed at specifically optimising the body and metabolism through nutrition, technology, data analysis or specialised lifestyle strategies)
· gut health supplements.
Mikrobiome research shows that the gut is more than merely a “digestive organ.”
It is also
regarded as:
· an important component of immune defence
· a central metabolic organ
· an important barrier against pathogens and foreign substances
· part of the complex communication system between the gut, immune system and brain
(Thursby & Juge, 2017).
Bioactive peptides are described as potentially relevant factors in connection with immune modulation, metabolism and gut health (Daliri et al., 2017). However, precisely because peptides may be important in so many areas, scientific interest is increasingly accompanied by criticism of at times aggressive marketing.
Which brings us to the next aspect …
Is the Hype Around Experimental Peptides Problematic?
Alongside dietary supplements, so-called “experimental peptides” are now increasingly appearing on the market.
Particularly common are:
· BPC-157
· TB-500
· CJC-1295
· MOTS-c
(FDA, 2024).
On the internet, these substances are sometimes promoted with spectacular promises, including:
· anti-ageing
· muscle growth
· performance enhancement
· faster recovery.
However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explicitly warned that certain peptide substances may pose significant safety risks. The agency referred, among other things, to missing safety data and possible contamination (FDA, 2024).
Conclusion: Bioactive Peptides Are Becoming Increasingly Important
A healthy degree of scepticism should be maintained. Wherever biological signalling substances are immediately turned into billion-dollar anti-ageing promises, marketing is often far ahead of the actual evidence.
Nevertheless, bioactive peptides are currently among the most exciting topics in research surrounding longevity, functional medicine, gut health and the microbiome — and their relevance continues to grow.
FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions About Peptides
1. Are there peptides that are not bioactive?
Yes. Non-bioactive peptides are short amino acid chains to which no specific signalling or regulatory function in the body has (so far) been attributed. They arise, for example, during the formation, conversion or breakdown of proteins and often serve as intermediate or cleavage products of normal protein metabolism.
2. Are peptides also produced artificially?
Yes. Although many peptides occur naturally in the human body, others are derived from food proteins or specifically synthesised in laboratories.
3. Which dietary supplements containing peptides exist?
For example powders, capsules, drinking ampoules, protein hydrolysates or collagen hydrolysates.
4. Why are manufacturers of functional foods interested in bioactive peptides?
Because bioactive peptides are regarded as potentially interesting ingredients for functional nutrition, gut health products and modern microbiome concepts.
5. What do bioactive peptides mean for the longevity trend?
They may participate in biological signalling and regulatory processes that are also being investigated in connection with ageing and regeneration.
Further information on longevity, skin health and gut health can be found not only on our blog, but also in our “Medizinskandale” book series and our “Codex Humanus” series, the fifth volume of which has recently been published. Feel free to visit our online shop.
Sources:
· Chourasia, R. et al. (2023): “Bioactive Peptides in Fermented Foods and Their Application: A Critical Review,” Systems Microbiology and Biomanufacturing.
· Daliri, E. B. M. et al. (2017): “Health Effects and Potential Applications of Bioactive Peptides Derived from Milk and Food Proteins,” Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.
· de Miranda, R. B. et al. (2021): “Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis,” International Journal of Dermatology.
· EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2013): “Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to collagen hydrolysate and maintenance of skin health.”
· Lau, J. L. & Dunn, M. K. (2018): “Therapeutic peptides: Historical perspectives, current development trends, and future directions,” Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry.
· Thursby, E. & Juge, N. (2017): “Introduction to the human gut microbiota,” Biochemical Journal.
· U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2024): “Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding May Present Significant Safety Risks.”