Peptides are amino acids that are in a chemical bond. They are in a chemical linkage formed by covalent bonds. Peptides are bunches of amino acids, and they have several scientific, therapeutic, and diagnostic uses. There are hundreds of drugs currently in development that are based on peptides. That are lots of peptides, and they do many different things. Did you know that you are able to buy peptide-bonded amino acids at the health food store and use them for bodybuilding purposes? It used to be that free-form amino acids were the main thing people used, but science has progressed pretty far, and now peptide-bonded amino acids are some of what bodybuilders prefer. Peptide-bonded amino acids are better for superior absorption, some bodybuilders say, because they are more in a form that is similar to food so they are more natural for our bodies, easier to digest, and work more effectively. Of course, there are a lot more reasons that people prefer peptide-bonded amino acids, but you can make the choice yourself when you go to the health food store. There are also polls online at bodybuilding sites where people vote on whether or not they like free-form amino acids or peptide-bonded amino acids more. Enough about bodybuilding supplements though, and how peptides have significantly enhanced them over the years. You should start to look into peptides if you want to learn about one of the most interesting groups of molecules in the world. Some scientists even call them the building blocks of life.

US researchers have ‘cured’ obesity in mice by injecting them with a synthetic peptide that simultaneously mimics two naturally occurring hormones. The weight loss in the mice has been described as ‘staggering’, and opens the prospect for the development of a drug treatment for obesity in humans – something that has so far proved elusive.

The synthetic molecule possesses key features of two natural peptide hormones, glucagon and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which are involved in regulating glucose metabolism and appetite control. When injected into obese mice, after one week the animals’ body weights had decreased by 25 per cent and their body fat by 42 per cent. Repeated treatment resulted in greater effect.