Category: 8. Health

  • IO Biotech: Cylembio Targeting Advanced Melanoma Continues Towards Q3 PFS Data Release – Seeking Alpha

    1. IO Biotech: Cylembio Targeting Advanced Melanoma Continues Towards Q3 PFS Data Release  Seeking Alpha
    2. UW researchers discover AI-powered breakthrough that could boost precision cancer treatment  GeekWire
    3. An AI-Generated Protein Helps T Cells Kill Cancer  the-scientist.com
    4. AI-Designed Proteins Enable Scalable Precision Immunotherapy  Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News
    5. AI turns immune cells into precision cancer killers—in just weeks  ScienceDaily

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  • Could GLP-1 drugs also help reduce asthma symptoms?

    Could GLP-1 drugs also help reduce asthma symptoms?

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    A new study observed that people taking GLP-1 drugs had improved asthma symptoms. Felix Hörhager/picture alliance via Getty Images
    • Researchers based in the United Kingdom recently examined how GLP-1 agonist drugs impact asthma in people with obesity.
    • People taking GLP-1 medications had better-controlled asthma overall, though there was no difference in lung function compared to those not taking GLP-1s.
    • The study suggests that GLP-1 drugs may have anti-inflammatory effects that benefit the lungs.

    Healthcare providers often prescribe GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) or liraglutide (Victoza and Saxenda) for type 2 diabetes control and weight loss. As these medications increase in popularity, researchers are looking into other ways these drugs can be useful.

    Researchers from the University of Aberdeen and the Observational and Pragmatic Research Institute in the United Kingdom recently examined how these medications impact asthma control in people with obesity.

    They found that people taking GLP-1 medications had better-controlled asthma overall.

    GLP-1 receptor agonists are a type of medication that mimic the hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 to help regulate blood sugar, increase insulin secretion, reduce gastric emptying, and increase appetite satiety.

    These medications treat type 2 diabetes and assist in weight loss in people who are either overweight or have obesity. GLP-1s have shown anti-inflammatory effects, and since an inflammatory response triggers asthma, researchers in the current study wanted to see what effects these medications have on people with obesity and asthma.

    The study examined around 60,000 people, including more than 10,000 people with both obesity and asthma taking GLP-1 drugs and around 50,000 matched controls. The researchers used data from the Optimum Patient Care Research Database.

    In order to qualify for inclusion in the study, the participants needed to have had an asthma consultation in the 12 months before starting the GLP-1 medication. They also had to be at least 18 years old and have a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30, which indicates obesity.

    Each participant in the GLP-1 group was matched 5:1 with participants who had similar characteristics but had not taken GLP-1 medications.

    The researchers used an average of 3 years of follow-up data to determine how well people with asthma who were on GLP-1 medications did compared to people in the matched group.

    They used the participants’ baseline risk domain asthma control (RDAC) and overall asthma control (OAC) scores and compared these to scores taken during follow-up.

    While the GLP-1 group had a higher average BMI and worse asthma control before starting the GLP-1 drugs, they had “significant” improvements in their asthma scores after being on the GLP-1 medication for a year.

    The GLP-1 group did not differ much from the matched group at the end of the study in terms of lung function. The authors point to missing data due to the COVID-19 pandemic on this measurement.

    “Obese asthmatics are unique in that they are often steroid-resistant, and it is possible that mechanistic differences in obese asthmatics and weight loss with GLP1 may have pleomorphic effects on inflammation beyond just weight loss,” the study authors noted.

    Overall, the study findings demonstrate that GLP-1 medications have the potential to positively impact asthma in people with obesity. Further research is needed, though, especially to determine whether these medications can one day be used to treat respiratory issues.

    Jimmy Johannes, MD, pulmonologist and critical care medicine specialist at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, spoke with Medical News Today about the study.

    “This study further supports the link between weight loss, in this case with GLP-1 drugs, and improved asthma control,” said Johannes. “It also raises the possibility that GLP-1 drugs may be helpful for the treatment of asthma.”

    Johannes discussed the mechanism by which the GLP-1 drugs improved asthma and noted that there are GLP-1 receptors in the lungs.

    “GLP-1 receptor agonists may be able to directly reduce the inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness that contribute to asthma,” Johannes explained.

    Thomas Kilkenny, DO, director of the Institute of Sleep Medicine, Pulmonary & Critical Care at Northwell’s Staten Island University Hospital, also spoke with MNT about the study.

    Kilkenny did not think the study adequately demonstrated that GLP-1 medications were responsible for the improved asthma control and suggested that the improvements could be related to weight loss.

    Is it GLP-1s or weight loss?

    “It has been shown multiple times in the past, and various studies show that weight loss alone improves asthma control. This study did not comment on whether the GLP-1 medication had a direct effect on the physiology of asthma control.”
    — Thomas Kilkenny, DO

    Kilkenny explained that weight loss alone improves asthma control for several reasons, including “a decrease in the low-grade inflammation that is associated with obesity.”

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  • What is ‘fibermaxxing’? 5 health benefits of the new nutrition trend

    What is ‘fibermaxxing’? 5 health benefits of the new nutrition trend

    Called the new gut-health glow-up, “fibermaxxing” is a nutrition trend based on boosting your daily fibre intake to help with weight loss or weight management, optimise digestion, and lower the risk of chronic diseases.

    The TikTok hashtag #fibermaxxing has been used over 157 million times – according to video generator platform SendShort – and has been getting lots of attention on Instagram and YouTube.

    While experts often criticise social media wellness trends, this one has won many health professionals’ seal of approval. Below, two experts explain why and how to tap into this trend for its many benefits.

    Fibre is a type of complex carbohydrate found in plant foods that does not get digested or absorbed in our small intestine.

    “Common sources include whole grains, like brown rice, oats, quinoa and barley; legumes, like chickpeas, beans and lentils; fresh and dried fruit; vegetables; and nuts and seeds,” says Denise Tam, a Hong Kong-based holistic nutritionist.

    Seaweed and air-popped popcorn are good sources, too, she adds, though these are less commonly thought of.

    Holistic nutritionist Denise Tam says fibre is good for gut health. Photo: Denise Tam

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  • Left Cerebellar Stroke in a Patient With Parkinson’s Disease Complicated With Prolonged Position-Related Compression Syndrome: A Case Report

    Left Cerebellar Stroke in a Patient With Parkinson’s Disease Complicated With Prolonged Position-Related Compression Syndrome: A Case Report


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  • What To Know About The ‘Razor Sore Throat’ COVID Symptom

    What To Know About The ‘Razor Sore Throat’ COVID Symptom

    A positive COVID-19 test result is not something that anyone wants to see — but now there may be an extra reason to avoid getting sick.

    COVID infections cause miserable symptoms such as fever, fatigue, congestion and more. Now, though, some people infected with COVID in China are reporting a very sore throat that’s been nicknamed “razor blade throat.”

    According to Google trends data, people throughout the U.S. are now, too, worried about this scary-sounding symptom and are searching for things like “new covid variant painful symptom” and “covid razor throat.”

    apomares via Getty Images

    Some people in China are reporting severe sore throat with COVID infections right now.

    Just how worried do you need to be about a super-painful sore throat during a COVID infection? Below, doctors weigh in on the supposed “razor blade” sore throat symptom:

    Some people with COVID are reporting a “razor blade throat,” but you don’t need to panic. It’s nothing new.

    “In the past, as new variants have come on the scene, there almost invariably have been questions about distinctive symptoms, and after a while, when you gather a lot of data, turns out not to be the case — all of these symptoms have occurred before,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine in the department of health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

    Meaning, the circulating COVID variants tend to produce the same sort of symptoms and disease as the ones from years ago, Schaffner added. “Although the more recent variants, these omicron variants, are less severe,” he said.

    A very sore throat isn’t specific to the circulating COVID variants, said Dr. Carrie Horn, the chief medical officer and chief of the division of hospital and internal medicine at National Jewish Health in Colorado. Instead, it’s a symptom that has been associated with COVID infections for a while, Horn said.

    Schaffner had not heard of the “razor blade” sore throat symptom particularly, but has heard of people having a severe sore throat with COVID infections.

    While some people can have a very sore throat that could be described as razor-like, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen to everyone — and it also isn’t some new, scary symptom that is associated with new COVID infections.

    There is not one outstanding COVID symptom that marks an infection, said Dr. Mark Burns, an infectious disease expert at UofL Health in Louisville, Kentucky. “A sore throat is a symptom of this, but also fever and cough and fatigue, these are all symptoms as well,” Burns added.

    “To sum it all up, the symptoms, including sore throat, are really no different. There’s no increased intensity based on sore throat or anything like that,” added Burns.

    Here’s how you can protect yourself from a COVID infection:

    COVID tends to surge twice a year — once in the winter and once in the mid-to-late summer, Schaffner said.

    “And so there has been a longstanding recommendation by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that people who are at increased risk of getting severe COVID should actually get two COVID vaccinations a year. Obviously, one in the fall to prevent the winter increase, but another right now in order to help prevent serious disease during the late summer and early fall,” Schaffner said.

    This goes for people 65 and older, younger people with underlying chronic medical conditions and pregnant people, he said.

    “The recommendation is take special precautions and get that extra dose, because if we get infected … we get that extra protection and to help keep us out of the hospital,” Schaffner said.

    Wearing a mask in indoor spaces, social distancing, washing your hands often and increasing ventilation when possible are more ways to protect yourself from COVID and other respiratory viruses, too, said Burns.

    If you do get sick, there are treatments available.

    If you have any COVID symptoms, such as sore throat, fatigue, cough or fever, take a test to see if you have COVID. If you are infected, get in touch with your doctor, particularly if you’re high-risk as there are treatments available, said Schaffner.

    It’s important that you talk to your primary care provider as the guidance will vary depending on your age, underlying conditions and other risk factors.

    COVID is a miserable infection, Horn added. “Over-the-counter meds help — Ibuprofen alternating with Tylenol, if you’re able to take those … there’s no reason to be miserable,” Horn said. “So, take the medicine that you are able to take to help,” she said.

    It’s also important to stay hydrated when you’re sick even if you do have a painful sore throat. A sore throat can make hydration feel like more of a chore, but it’s important to drink water and herbal teas as dehydration can further irritate the dry membranes in your throat, Horn said.

    “If you are sick, it’s best to keep your germs to yourself,” said Horn. This means canceling the dinner plans, not going to the party and calling out of work if you can — if you can’t, wearing a tight-fitting mask is key, Horn added.

    “Preventing transmission is the biggest thing that we can do to help keep everybody healthy,” Horn said.

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  • Complete Septate Uterus With Cervical Duplication and Vaginal Septum (U2b C2 V1): A Rare Müllerian Malformation With Diagnostic and Management Challenges

    Complete Septate Uterus With Cervical Duplication and Vaginal Septum (U2b C2 V1): A Rare Müllerian Malformation With Diagnostic and Management Challenges


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  • AI accelerates breakthroughs in long Covid, fatigue disorders

    AI accelerates breakthroughs in long Covid, fatigue disorders



    AI accelerates breakthroughs in long Covid and fatigue disorders 

    Artificial Intelligence (AI) has joined the efforts in combating the notoriously hard-to-diagnose diseases of extreme tiredness such as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and long Covid.

    In a new study, based on abnormal physical factors relating to ME, the researchers found 90 percent accuracy in identifying the cases of ME by using a new AI platform to spot markers for the condition from routine lab tests including for blood and stools.

    These unprecedented findings offer a promising opportunity to identify and accurately diagnose a class of medical complexities that have for many years impaired patients and perplexed doctors.

    According to Julia Oh, a Duke University microbiologist, who led the study in collaboration with researchers at The Jackson Laboratory biomedical research institute, “Our goal is to build a detailed map of how the immune system interacts with gut bacteria and the chemicals they produce.

    “By connecting these dots we can start to understand what’s driving the disease and pave the way for genuinely precise medicine that has long been out of reach,” she added.

    “The increasing use of AI in decoding chronic fatigue syndrome has proved a promising avenue of research in this domain,” explained Janet Scott, clinical lecturer in infectious disease at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.

    “Instead of hunting for single causes, this approach could help us think about these complex conditions as network diseases. The problem may not be one broken component but disrupted communication between systems,” Scott said.

    The ME conditions affect tens of millions of people globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 6 percent of those who contract Covid-19 then suffer long Covid and chronic fatigue syndrome. 

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  • King Charles uncle takes on important role amid major reshuffle

    King Charles uncle takes on important role amid major reshuffle



    King Charles uncle makes important role amid major reshuffle

    King Charles has been rewarding members of the royal family with special honours for their devotion and loyalty as he continues to make big strides to leave behind a meaningful legacy.

    Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester – the first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth II – continues to be a working royal in Charles’s reign. The 80-year-old took an important royal engagement on Thursday which could shape a bright future for the coming generation.

    The royal was welcomed by the lord-lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Marjorie Glasgow, and received by Professor Irene Tracey, vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford to observed the two leading medical research centres of the university.

    The tour was focused on Oxford’s global impact in vaccine development, disease prevention, and medical innovation.

    “We were honoured to welcome His Royal Highness to Oxford today,” Professor Irene Tracey said. “His visit shines a light on the extraordinary work taking place across our laboratories and celebrates the people behind these efforts, including the young scientists shaping the future of medicine.”

    The King, who is undergoing weekly cancer treatments, has been called out for promoting alternative medical treatments and homeopathy. Charles’s view on the practices were reflected in his move in 2023 when he appointed Dr Michael Dixon – who is pro-homeopathy – as head of the royal medical household.

    Given the royal family’s support for modern medicine and advancements that have been taking place, it hardly suggests that the King only believes in alternative medicine. The Duke of Gloucester, who holds a key position with the monarch, making this visit is a significant indicator of such.

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  • More liver disease among heavy drinkers — without more drinking

    More liver disease among heavy drinkers — without more drinking

    Serious liver disease is becoming more common among Americans who drink heavily, according to a new study from Keck Medicine of USC.

    It’s not that more people are partying with alcohol. And it’s not that the drinkers are having more drinks. It’s that more of the people who drink regularly are becoming sick.

    Over the last two decades, the share of heavy drinkers who have advanced liver scarring jumped from 1.8% to 4.3%. For women, more than 1.5 drinks per night, on average, is considered heavy drinking. For men, it’s 2 drinks.

    “The fact that the risk not only increased but that it more than doubled — almost tripled — is really astonishing,” said Dr. Brian P. Lee, a liver transplant specialist at Keck Medicine of USC and lead author on the study.

    It was published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology on Wednesday. Lee said he thinks patients might dramatically change their thinking and behavior if they had this information.

    The increase in illness was seen especially in women, older people and those with conditions like obesity or diabetes.

    Three USC researchers analyzed national health data from more than 44,000 adults surveyed between 1999 and 2020 in a well-known national heath study known as NHANES. Of those, 2,474 were heavy drinkers according to the definition of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism — 20 grams of alcohol per day for women and 30 grams for men, roughly the equivalent of 1.5 and 2 drinks.

    They found a more than twofold increase over the two decades in significant liver fibrosis, a condition where healthy liver tissue is replaced by stiff, fibrous tissue — like a sponge hardening into leather. If left unchecked, this can eventually lead to liver failure or cancer.

    By comparison, non-heavy drinkers saw a much smaller increase, from 0.8% to 1.4% over the same period.

    This rise in liver damage is especially troubling because many people don’t realize anything is wrong until the disease is advanced. “Liver disease is silent,” Lee said. “Most people won’t, even if they have [advanced liver scarring], have any symptoms at all.”

    Drinking patterns did not change much over the study period. But the health profiles of heavy drinkers did. Rates of metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions including obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure — increased from 26% of people, to nearly 38%. Demographics shifted too: heavy drinkers became more likely to be women, people over the age of 45, and those living in poverty.

    “We’re showing with this study that the picture of the American drinker is changing dramatically,” Lee said. “You have more women who are drinking heavily, more ethnic minorities who are drinking heavily, and these are groups that are known to have a higher sensitivity to alcohol in causing liver damage.”

    Other factors may also be at play, said Dr. Sammy Saab, medical director of the Pfleger Liver Institute at UCLA, who was not involved in the study. People could be consuming different types of drinks, or at different times. “Have we moved away from beer, wine, to hard cocktails? Have we moved away from drinking with food, where the food absorbs some of the alcohol you consume, versus drinking without food where alcohol is better absorbed?” Saab asked.

    Then there are cultural changes, he said. “In the old days, if you drank, you’d still have to drive home, but now we’ve got Uber, we have Lyft,” he said, which may remove some deterrents to heavy drinking.

    The current definition of heavy drinking in the U.S. may actually be too lenient, Lee said, especially compared to evolving global standards. Canada, for example, now advises no more than two drinks per week to minimize health risks.

    “In the U.S. right now, we consider heavy drinking to be eight drinks or more per week for women and 15 or more for men — but that’s quite high,” he said. “We’ve shown in prior studies that you can develop liver disease at lower quantities than the U.S. threshold.”

    The study’s findings highlight the need to rethink long-held assumptions about alcohol-related liver disease, and Lee hopes it can be used to develop more effective screening methods for early detection.

    The paper raises a lot of good questions, Saab said, serving as a call to action for researchers and clinicians to better understand this increase in alcohol-associated liver disease — and how to stop it.

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  • Peptide Injections: the Latest Gym Trend for Muscle-Building and Fat Loss

    Peptide Injections: the Latest Gym Trend for Muscle-Building and Fat Loss

    People who want to feel younger, look fitter, or perhaps slough off a little layer of belly fat have been turning to an increasingly popular kind of treatment — one you can get without a prescription.

    They’ve got obscure names like BPC-157, tesamorelin, and cerebrolysin. All it takes is a tiny needle and a little clear vial filled with injectable molecules.

    Welcome to the world of peptides.

    “Absolutely everybody’s asking for it, the field is popping,” Dr. Florence Comite, a longevity doctor who serves concierge medicine clients in New York City, told Business Insider.

    The peptide landscape is so large that it almost defies definition. The prescription drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro, often used for weight loss, are peptides. So is insulin. There are peptides in skin creams, hair products, and high-end serums marketed to women to reduce fine lines and stimulate collagen. The wildly popular fitness supplement creatine? Also a peptide.

    Then, there are the gym bro shots, said to boost muscle, burn fat, stimulate testosterone, and aid recovery.

    Demand for peptide injections — something that biohackers and longevity-seekers have already been quietly using in the shadows for decades — is booming. Patients in pockets of the country saturated with peptides, like Beverly Hills, San Diego, Silicon Valley, and Manhattan are increasingly asking their doctors: “should I try peptides?”

    Many physicians aren’t sure what to say because there isn’t a ton of great evidence around about how much peptides can really do. Plus, the FDA has been cracking down on peptide compounders in recent years. They worry that the hype is outpacing good evidence.

    How peptides boost your body


    ozempic

    Semaglutide is a peptide injection. It’s marketed as Ozempic for type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy for obesity.

    Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images



    Unlike most pills that doctors prescribe, peptides live in a more slippery area, between drug and bodily substance.

    A peptide is a chain of organic compounds — specifically, amino acids — that stimulate natural processes. Depending on which amino acids a peptide is made of, and how it is used, the molecule can have all kinds of impacts on how our hormones operate. Peptides can improve fertility in both men and women, tamp down inflammation, remove dangerous visceral belly fat, or help build muscle. Others are thought to help improve sleep quality, even possibly improve brain health.

    “What’s great about peptides is that they mimic the body,” said Comite, who has been working with peptides since she was a research fellow at the National Institutes of Health over 30 years ago.


    florence headshot

    Longevity physician Florence Comite has been using peptides in her practice for decades.

    Nick Coleman



    Since most peptides are too fragile to be formulated as pills, they are often packaged as a clear liquid in a little vial. Users learn to inject their peptides using a very fine, short needle, right at home.

    The popularity of peptides has soared on their reputation as ostensibly “natural” products. The idea being that, unlike other drugs or steroids, peptides are a safer choice because they’re just stimulating your body to do its own thing.

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    Taking growth hormones, for example, comes with a suite of undesirable potential side effects, like an increased risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes. What if you could just take a peptide that would stimulate your own growth hormone to make you stronger, leaner, and more energetic?

    “The theory is that even if you use a growth hormone stimulating peptide, your body’s only going to be able to make so much growth hormone,” Dr. Sajad Zalzala, a longevity physician and one of the cofounders of AgelessRx, said. “Kind of like a check valve already in place. Again, that’s the theory.”

    The peptides gym bros take to get chiseled muscles


    Hugh Jackman as Logan/Wolverine in "Deadpool & Wolverine."

    In the Marvel movies, “Wolverine” can heal from serious wounds within minutes, making him seem almost immortal and ageless.

    Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios and Marvel Studios



    One darling peptide of gym bros and longevity fiends alike is a substance called BPC-157. It’s known as the “Wolverine” shot for its perceived ability to heal you up and regenerate your body real fast like the Marvel character, Logan, after a big fight.

    B-P-C stands for “body protection compound.” BPC-157 was first derived from stomach juices. It’s being investigated to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. But the reason that athletes like it is because it’s thought to reduce inflammation and improve blood flow — and perhaps do even more.

    There are a few other super popular peptides:

    Tesamorelin, an injectable peptide, is prescribed to HIV patients to reduce excess belly fat. Sermorelin is supposed to help with sleep and recovery. CJC-1295 binds to growth hormone receptors in the body, and people often take it alongside impamorelin, which stimulates the hypothalamus. The two in tandem are said to deliver better muscle gains.

    On Reddit and YouTube people share how they “stack” different peptides like this, taking multiple different kinds with the goal of boosting the effects of each.

    One snag: The FDA is making peptides harder to access


    peptide vial

    It can be near impossible to know exactly what you’re getting when you order peptides.

    Lu ShaoJi/Getty Images



    Peptide fans get their shots at clinics and med spas — or, for less money, online.

    Increasingly, people are ordering peptides that are labeled “for research only,” meaning they are supposed to be used by lab workers for experimentation, and were never meant to be put into human bodies.

    That’s partly because the FDA crackdown on peptides has intensified in recent years, just as pharmaceutical compounding (a sort of acceptable way to get knock off medications) has surged in popularity, with people seeking cheaper versions of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro. At the beginning of 2022, the FDA had a list of four peptides that they said “may present significant safety risks” and should not be compounded. By the end of 2023, there were 26.

    Comite thinks the FDA crackdown is a shame. She is finding it harder and harder to source compounded liquid BPC-157. She often uses a patch form of BPC-157 on herself, placing it over sore areas or injuries. Recently, she tore a calf muscle, so she’s been using it there, but she also just likes how taking a little bit of it keeps her active and moving.

    “I use it almost every day,” she said. “It’s amazing for joints and everything — at a very tiny dose.”

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    Zalzala, who doesn’t usually prescribe peptides, ordered some topical BPC-157 recently when his wife had a knee injury. “My wife says it works,” he said, though he cautioned that it’s hard to really know if that’s true without more proper research.


    bracken

    VF Corporation CEO Bracken Darrell, pictured in February 2024, recently used BPC-157 on a knee injury.

    Tommaso Boddi/WWD via Getty Images



    Bracken Darrell, the CEO of VF Corporation and one of Comite’s patients, is also a BPC-157 convert. A self-proclaimed “basketball nut,” he’s on the court about three days a week. On the days when he doesn’t pick up a ball, he’s out cross-training on a bike or lifting weights.

    So when he tore his meniscus about four months ago, he was worried. Under Comite’s supervision, he started taking liquid BPC-157 about three to four times a week.

    He told BI it was “weird” at first, learning to inject the needle into an area of skin near his knee. But, pretty soon, it was just part of his routine.

    “I believe it helped a lot, but it’s hard to know for sure,” he said. “There are people with a severely torn meniscus who don’t ever play basketball again, and I’m back — I certainly wouldn’t conclude that’s because I’m taking BPC-157, but at a minimum it didn’t hurt. And it sure seems like it helps.”

    Proceed with caution, doctors say


    man lifting

    Working with peptides “is not like Lowe’s or Home Depot where you can get stuff and you can fix the plumbing,” Dr. Comite said.

    Zorica Nastasic/Getty Images



    Even longevity doctors who prescribe and use peptides regularly agree that some folks are overdoing it, and that could be dangerous.

    “Proceed with caution, because you have to know the source and you have to know it’s active,” Comite said. “It’s not like Lowe’s or Home Depot where you can get stuff and you can fix the plumbing.”

    In reality, the evidence for peptides is still murky. There are no big, randomized clinical trials like what we have for prescription drugs or vaccines. The current hype is based on anecdotal evidence, a few small human studies from decades ago, and rodent studies.

    “People wanna take the peptides because they’re not from big pharma, they’re not mainstream medicine, they gotta be better than those cockamamie doctors,” Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and longevity expert, said recently on the Dax Shepard podcast. “Where’s the data?”

    For people who are using peptides, experts shared two pieces of advice:

    Comite urges patients to start slow. A common mistake people who are dosing themselves make is thinking that “if a little bit is good, then a lot must be better,” she said. That’s not the case.

    “Taking mega doses of tesmorelin along with testosterone causes your organs to overgrow,” Comite said. Sometimes she’ll see a toned gymgoer with a potbelly, and wonder whether that’s due to an enlarged liver or spleen.

    Darrell recommends testing your peptides with an independent lab so you know what you’re getting is both real and uncontaminated.

    Zalzala says his company started thinking about offering peptides a few years back, due to consumer demand, but they haven’t yet. There are just so many peptides out there, and it’s hard to tell which might be the very best.

    Some of the most research-backed ways to have an impact on your longevity and fitness are still the simplest anyway: eat decent amounts of fiber and protein regularly, work out — at least a couple sessions with weights each week, and cut back (or ideally, eliminate) liquid sugar in your diet like juice and soda.


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