Peptides: Self-Image and an Evolving Society

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room. What exactly are peptides?!

You hear your friends and family talking about them, maybe using them, and meanwhile commercials for GLP-1’s are popping up every twenty minutes on your television screen. Marygrace Taylor, a health writer for Harvard Health Publishing, explains them perfectly. She describes the popular supplement as “a short chain of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) that can have a range of effects on the body.” More specifically, this means regulating hormone activity, digestion, immune defense, tissue repair, and even inflammation.

The difference between naturally occurring versus supplemental peptides is that these supplements are artificially made in a lab. Few peptide injections are FDA-approved. You may have heard of these common GLP-1’s under the names Ozempic or Wegovy. What most people don’t realize is that these medications are a part of the “peptide injection” trend! Insulin is a peptide, that for most, already naturally occurs and is produced by your body. Although both diabetes and obesity are serious health conditions, we have been seeing many individuals abusing GLP-1’s to achieve rapid weight loss. 

The Peptide Trend

The “peptide trend” refers to products being pushed on social media that enhance an individuals aesthetics or athletic performance. A commonly used injection peptide for enhancing skin appearance is GHK-cu, or the copper peptide. According to Dr. Edward S. Rubin, this product claims to support collagen synthesis, elasticity production, and antioxidant activity within the skin. Although peptides are naturally occurring, we worry that introducing an additional amount of peptides to the body could be unsafe. It is important to know GHK-cu and other popular online peptides are not FDA regulated.

Although many influencers consider these products to be safe, we are starting a conversation surrounding the ethics of common peptide usage. The commonality of peptides is resulting in an even high standard of beauty for Americans. This new reality not only targets men and woman, but also athletics. Fitness influencers you see online could very well be utilizing peptide supplements or injections. This is not to say these athletes don’t deserve success, but should we be comparing our own progress to those who may be taking an unnatural route?

The problem here N Crowd, is transparency.

N Real Life

We ask ourselves, how normalized are peptides going to become? Will it eventually be as routine as taking your daily nutritional vitamin? The known reality of many people already abusing GLP-1’s, and doctors easily prescribing it, raises concerns regarding the alarming amount of accessibility and availability of such under-studied supplements. Health and wellness might enter into an uncharted territory where artificial is the new norm. 

Don’t feel like you have to keep up with this trend N Crowd. Humans are not alive to measure up to modern beauty standards. What is beautiful, athletic, and successful is up to you. For more discussion on how plastic surgery is becoming normalized, check out Celebrity Plastic Surgery Confessions: A Candid Conversation.