Peptides for weight loss

Cagrilintide is a long-acting amylin analog, a copy of amylin, the hormone your pancreas releases with insulin to signal fullness. In plain terms: it works on a different 'stop eating' pathway than the GLP-1 drugs, which is why it is often paired with semaglutide for bigger results.

Eloralintide is an amylin receptor agonist from Eli Lilly. In plain terms: it copies the pancreas's fullness hormone for weight loss, designed to be easy to tolerate. It is still in trials.

Petrelintide is a long-acting amylin analog. In plain terms: it copies the pancreas's fullness hormone to reduce appetite, positioned as a gentler standalone weight-loss option. It is still experimental.

Pramlintide is a synthetic version of amylin, a hormone released with insulin. In plain terms: taken at meals alongside insulin in diabetes, it blunts the post-meal blood-sugar spike and reduces hunger. It is FDA-approved.

5-Amino-1MQ is a small molecule, not a peptide, that blocks an enzyme called NNMT which helps fat cells store fat. In plain terms: by taking the brakes off cellular metabolism, it is studied for burning fat and boosting energy, though human data is very limited.

AOD-9604 is a modified fragment of growth hormone (the 176-191 tail) with an added amino acid. In plain terms: it was built to trigger growth hormone's fat-burning effect without its muscle or blood-sugar effects, though the human proof that it works is weak.

Melanotan II is a broad melanocortin-receptor agonist, hitting several of the same receptors as the tanning and libido hormones. In plain terms: it tans skin fast and also boosts libido and cuts appetite, but hitting so many receptors is why it has more side effects. It is not approved.

SLU-PP-332 is a small molecule, not a peptide, that activates ERR, a switch controlling how cells burn energy. In plain terms: it is nicknamed 'exercise in a molecule' because it pushes cells to act as if you had worked out, but it is very early with no human data.

GHRP-6 is a growth hormone releasing peptide that strongly activates the ghrelin (hunger) receptor. In plain terms: it raises your own growth hormone and triggers intense hunger, which is why it is mostly used for bulking.

Levocarnitine is a naturally occurring compound that carries long-chain fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane so they can be burned for energy. In plain terms: it is the shuttle that moves fat into the part of the cell that burns it.

HGH Fragment 176-191 is the tail end of the growth hormone molecule, the part linked to fat breakdown. In plain terms: it aims to target stubborn fat without the rest of growth hormone's effects, but real human evidence is thin.

Tesofensine is a small molecule, not a peptide, that blocks the reuptake of three brain chemicals: dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. In plain terms: it acts on the brain's appetite and reward system like a stimulant to suppress hunger, which also means more heart-related risk.

Adipotide is an experimental peptide that homes to the blood vessels feeding fat tissue and triggers them to die. In plain terms: by starving fat of its blood supply it caused dramatic fat loss in animals, but it also damaged kidneys, so it is considered dangerous with essentially no safe human use.

AICAR is a small molecule that switches on AMPK, the enzyme cells use to sense low energy. In plain terms: it produces some of the changes exercise produces, and the amounts used in the famous animal studies do not scale to a person.

Humanin is a mitochondrial-derived peptide, a short chain encoded inside your mitochondria's own DNA. In plain terms: it acts as a cell-protective, stress-resistance signal, which is why it is studied for brain, metabolic, and aging support. Human data is limited.

BAM15 is a small molecule, not a peptide. It makes your mitochondria waste energy on purpose. Mitochondria normally build up a charge and then use it to make cellular fuel. BAM15 lets that charge leak away as heat instead, so the cell has to burn more to keep up. In plain terms: it turns your cells into slightly less efficient engines, so they burn more for the same work. It has never been tested in a person.

Pancragen is a 4-amino-acid 'bioregulator' from the Russian Khavinson family. In plain terms: it is marketed for pancreas function and blood sugar with age, but there is very little real human research behind it.

Lipo-C is a compounded sterile injection of lipotropic agents, most often methionine, inositol and choline, usually with vitamin B12 and sometimes L-carnitine, in a multi-dose vial. In plain terms: it is a vitamin and amino acid shot given weekly at clinics and sold as a fat-loss aid.

GW501516 is a PPAR-delta agonist developed as a metabolic drug and abandoned. In plain terms: animal testing found tumours across multiple organs, development stopped, and it is still sold as an endurance supplement.

ATX-304 is a first-in-class pan-AMPK activator that works by protecting the Thr172 site from dephosphorylation, keeping AMPK switched on without lowering cellular ATP. In plain terms: it holds down the switch the body normally flips during exercise or fasting.

SR9009 is a small molecule that acts on REV-ERB, part of the machinery running the body clock. In plain terms: it is sold as exercise in a capsule, and published work found it is barely absorbed when swallowed.

Adropin is a peptide the body makes, studied mostly as a blood marker linked to insulin sensitivity and fatty liver. In plain terms: most of what is known about it comes from measuring it, not from giving it to anyone.

Irisin is a fragment released from a muscle protein during exercise, reported to turn white fat into calorie-burning brown fat. In plain terms: it made headlines as exercise in a molecule, and the tools used to measure it in blood were then shown to be unreliable.

Setmelanotide is an MC4R agonist that switches on the brain's melanocortin-4 receptor, a master control for hunger. In plain terms: for people with rare genetic defects in this exact hunger pathway, it restores the missing 'I'm full' signal. It is FDA-approved only for those specific conditions.

Spexin is a short peptide identified by searching genome databases rather than by isolating it from tissue. In plain terms: animal work links it to appetite and body weight, and there is no human trial of giving it.