April 22, 2025 • 15 mins
The human heart - our relentless life force that beats approximately 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime. Yet despite its remarkable resilience, heart disease remains our greatest health threat globally. What if we could fundamentally change how we approach cardiac health?
This deep dive explores the revolutionary potential of peptides - small chains of amino acids that might transform cardiovascular medicine by addressing root causes rather than merely managing symptoms. We break down the complex science of how these molecular messengers influence multiple healing pathways simultaneously, potentially offering new hope for heart health longevity.
From heart-derived peptides like Celohart that improve cardiac efficiency to brain peptides that optimize mitochondrial function, we examine the diverse mechanisms through which these compounds support heart function. We explore how peptides like Vuan activate your body's internal repair crew of stem cells, while senolytics clear out troublemaking "zombie cells" that drive inflammation and tissue damage.
The conversation ventures into fascinating territory: peptides that promote healing after heart attacks, reduce clotting risk, reverse cardiac enlargement, and even support the heart's crucial energy factories, the mitochondria. Throughout, we translate complex biochemistry into clear, actionable insights about this emerging frontier in heart health.
While acknowledging practical challenges ahead, the fundamental promise remains compelling - a shift from reactive treatment to proactive optimization of heart function at the cellular level. Ready to explore how these innovative approaches might fit into your personal health journey? Connect with LifeWellMD at 561-210-9999 to learn more about peptide therapies and comprehensive heart health strategies tailored to your unique needs.
Disclaimer:
The information provided in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your supplement regimen or health routine. Individual needs and reactions vary, so it’s important to make informed decisions with the guidance of your physician.
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If you enjoyed today’s episode, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who might benefit. For more insights and updates, visit our website at Lifewellmd.com.
Stay Informed, Stay Healthy:
Remember, informed choices lead to better health. Until next time, be well and take care of yourself.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Deep Dive.
You're here because, well, youwant to get up to speed on
important stuff quickly andthoroughly, but without drowning
in jargon.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Today we're zeroing in on something absolutely vital
for his death, your heart,health and specifically, we're
going to look at the reallyexciting potential of peptides
tiny things, potentially hugeimpact.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And this isn't just theoretical science floating
around.
It's really relevant to yourwell-being.
We're actually bringing thisdeep dive to you as part of the
team at LifeWellIndeedcom.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Right.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
They're a really innovative clinic based here in
Florida, focused on health,wellness, longevity helping
people like you.
Yeah, Our aim today isbasically to cut through that
complexity, give you someactionable insights and look if
anything we talk about sparksyour interest, makes you want to
explore your own health journey.
Please don't hesitate, Reachout to the experts at LifeWellMD
(00:53):
.
Their number is 561-210-9999.
They're really there to helpyou figure out that next step.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Absolutely.
And let's just state theobvious A healthy heart isn't
optional, is it?
Heart disease is?
I mean, it's the number onethreat globally.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
It really is.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
The World Health Organization.
They're projecting what is it?
Over 23 million deaths a yearby 2030.
That's just, it's staggering.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
It is, and it impacts not just how long we live, but
maybe even more importantly, howwell we live.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
you know, yeah, that quality of life aspect, things
like just being tired all thetime or getting short of breath
easily, that really limits you.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Totally.
It affects everything and youknow, for such a long time the
main approach to heart healthhas been kind of reactive Wait
for a problem, then manage thesymptoms.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Right Symptom management.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Exactly what's so compelling, I think about
peptides is their potential tomaybe shift that whole way of
thinking.
These little chains of aminoacids, they can actually
influence the fundamentalprocesses how your heart ages,
how it repairs itself, evenregeneration.
So getting to the root cause,not just patching things up,
that's the idea, instead of justyou know, putting a bandage on
(02:03):
it.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Okay, so that's our mission for this deep dive.
Then let's explore how thesepeptides might offer well new
strategies to keep our heartsyounger, healthier.
We want to translate thiscomplex science into stuff you
can actually understand and use.
So where do we start?
How can these tiny moleculespossibly have such a big effect
on something as complex as theheart?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
molecules possibly have such a big effect on
something as complex as theheart.
Well, I think the crucial firststep is understanding what
actually happens to our heartsas we get older.
You know what makes them morevulnerable, so imagine your
heart muscle itself getting lessflexible.
That's something calledmyocardial stiffness.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Right Stiffening up.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, or think about tiny little scars building up
over time.
That's fibrosis.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
The inner lining of your blood vessels, the
endothelium, that can start tonot work quite as well.
Yeah, that's endothelialdysfunction.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I've heard of that.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
And ultimately, the heart's main job, pumping blood
efficiently.
What we call cardiac output candecline too.
These are some of the reallykey changes linked to aging.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Got it Stiffness, scarring, lining issues, weaker,
pumping.
So these are the age-relatedchallenges.
Now, where do peptides fit in?
What's so special about them?
How can they possibly push backagainst these things?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Well, what's really remarkable about peptides is
just how versatile they seem tobe.
They can interact with yourbody on like so many different
levels to support heart health,Okay.
So, for instance, many peptidesseem to be able to calm down
inflammation, and we now knowinflammation is just a massive
driver of aging and well, tonsof diseases, including heart
(03:37):
disease, right that chronicinflammation we hear about.
Exactly Then other peptides canactually encourage your heart
to repair itself, regeneratedamaged tissue.
Some act almost like powerfulshields against damage from
those harmful molecules freeradicals.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Antioxidant effects.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Precisely.
We're also seeing peptides thatcan help grow new healthy blood
vessels it's calledangiogenesis.
Angiogenesis and improve howexisting vessels widen, which is
obviously crucial for goodblood flow.
Vasodilation and, finally,peptides can directly influence
the communication pathwaysbetween cells, those signals
that are just fundamental forhealthy heart.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Wow.
Okay, that's a lot of differentpotential actions from these
small molecules.
Let's maybe get a bit morespecific.
Are there particular peptidesthat researchers are really
focusing on for heart health?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Absolutely.
Yeah, let's maybe start withone called cello heart.
This is really interestingbecause it's actually a natural
complex of peptides, kin andpeptides derived directly from
heart tissue.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
From the heart itself .
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah, and the research suggests it can help
your heart work more efficiently.
It can ease symptoms likeshortness of breath, chest pain,
especially in conditions likeischemic heart disease, where
the muscle isn't getting enoughblood.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Or that chest pain you might get with exercise,
exertional angina.
It's almost like the heart hasits own.
You know, built-in supportsystem.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
That makes a kind of intuitive sense, doesn't it?
Something from the hearthelping the heart.
What else Are there?
Other angles researchers arelooking at?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Oh yeah, it turns out peptides that don't originate
in the heart can also have somepretty significant benefits,
certain peptides from the brainand the thymus gland, for
instance.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Brain and thymus Okay .
Speaker 2 (05:19):
They've shown potential to sort of boost the
activity of the mitochondrialgenome within heart cells.
Now, mitochondria, remember,they're like the tiny power
plants inside your cells, theenergy factories.
Exactly, and your heart cellsare packed with them.
So helping those mitochondriawork better is well vital.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Makes sense.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
What's particularly interesting here is the idea of
delivering these brain andthymus peptides maybe through a
nasal spray.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
A nasal spray.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, for your heart.
Yeah, it sounds a bit strangebut it might offer a more direct
route, potentially gettinghigher concentrations where they
need to go.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
That is fascinating.
Any other brain peptidesshowing promise for the heart?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yep, another one from the brain called pinion.
It's been shown to improvesomething called heart rate
power curves.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Heart rate power curves what?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
It basically reflects how efficiently your heart
works during exercise and thenhow well it recovers, so really
relevant for athletes, forexample.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Okay, efficiency and recovery.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Right.
But beyond that, pinon has alsoshown potential in improving
insulin resistance, and we knowinsulin resistance is a big risk
factor for heart problems downthe line if it's not managed.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Ah, so connecting to metabolic health too.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Exactly.
It shows how these peptides canhave effects that go beyond
just their tissue of origin.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Yeah, it's becoming clear.
They have these diverse actions.
What about peptides from otherparts of the circulatory system
itself, like, say, blood vessels?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Good question.
That brings us to one calledVuan.
This peptide was isolated fromblood vessels and it has this
really interesting ability tostimulate what are called
mesenchymal stem cells in yourbody.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Stem cells.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Yeah, and increase their numbers.
These are the same kind of stemcells often used in advanced
therapies, because they can helprepair and regenerate tissues,
including heart tissue.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
So one might help kickstart your body's own repair
crew.
Essentially.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
That's a great way to put it.
Yeah, helping your internalrepair mechanisms work more
effectively.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
That's powerful.
Okay, so we've talked aboutrepair.
What about preventing damage orstopping it from building up?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Right, that's where another class of peptides comes
in senolytic peptides like onecalled FOXO4DRI.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Senolytic Sounds like senescence.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah, exactly.
These peptides specificallytarget senescent cells.
You can think of them as oldercells that aren't really working
properly anymore and, worse,they often release these harmful
inflammatory signals thatdamage the healthy cells around
them in the heart.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
So they're like bad apples, spoiling the bunch Kind
of yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah, so by reducing the number of these senescent
cells, these peptides could bereally beneficial, because
senescence is a majorcontributor to that stiffening
and scarring, that fibosis wementioned earlier.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So it's like clearing out the troublemakers to let
the healthy tissue thrive.
Are there other ways peptidesprotect the heart at that
cellular level?
Oh definitely.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Take carnosine, for instance.
It's a small peptide foundnaturally in muscles, heart,
brain.
It helps reduce the buildup ofharmful byproducts that occur
when the heart's under stress,like in heart failure.
One of these is beta-alanine.
Carnosine also helps fightagainst something called
advanced glycation end products,or AGEs.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
AGEs right.
Those are linked to aging andhigh blood sugar.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Exactly, they accumulate over time.
So carnosine offers this sortof cellular defense mechanism.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
It really sounds like peptides offer this
multi-pronged approach,protecting the heart in
different ways.
What about blood clots?
That's a huge concern for hearthealth.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Yeah, a very serious concern and yes, there are
indeed peptides beinginvestigated that could help
reduce clot risk.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
How do they do that?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Well, they might make red blood cells less sticky,
less likely to clump together,they can decrease some of the
factors that actually promoteclotting and they can even
improve the ability of red bloodcells to kind of squeeze
through tiny capillaries.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Improve their deformability.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Exactly that could be incredibly valuable for people
at higher risk of, say, heartattack or stroke.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
It's amazing how specific these actions can be.
You've mentioned differentheart issues.
Are there peptides particularlyrelevant for certain conditions
like, say, an enlarged heart?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yes, definitely so.
In cases where the heart musclegets enlarged, that's cardiac
hypertrophy.
Right, there are peptides beingstudied that can help activate
the production of a proteincalled GDF11.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
GDF11.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Yeah, and there's some evidence it might play a
role in actually reversing thatenlargement.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Reversing it Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Potentially and we're also seeing a term many people
might recognize from cardiologyB-type natriuretic peptide, or
BNP- Ah yes, bnp Doctors testfor that.
They do, it's a hormone theheart releases under stress.
Well, bnp itself and labcreated versions analogs they
show promise too.
They help widen blood vessels,lower blood pressure, reduce
(10:01):
scarring in the heart.
Basically they help alleviateheart failure symptoms.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So peptide science is building on things we already
kind of knew about, like BNP.
What about after someone has aheart attack?
The recovery phase.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Yeah, that's critical .
A peptide called the simosinbeta-4, usually just called TB4,
has shown significant potentialthere.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
TB4.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Seems to promote the movement of cells to the damaged
area.
It encourages tissue repair andregeneration and, crucially, it
stimulates the growth of newblood vessels, angiogenesis,
which is vital for healing.
Plus, it helps reduceinflammation and prevent more
cells from dying in that damagedheart tissue.
So it's really about boostingthe heart's own ability to heal
(10:41):
itself.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
So it's like an active helper for mending the
heart after injury.
Are there peptides focused moresquarely on just keeping blood
vessels healthy in general?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Absolutely.
Adrenomagillin is one.
It's a vasodilator, helps widenblood vessels.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
It plays a role in regulating blood pressure and
the health of that inner lining,the endothelium.
It also has anti-inflammatoryeffects and promotes
angiogenesis, so it's apotential target for things like
heart failure and high bloodpressure.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Then there's another one vasoactive intestinal
peptide or VIP.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
VIP sounds important.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well it is.
It's also potent vasodilatorPlus.
It helps reduce inflammationand scarring and can enhance
both heart muscle function andnew blood vessel growth.
Okay so, improving blood flow,reducing inflammation these seem
to be recurring themes withpeptides and heart health.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
They really are key mechanisms.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
yes, what about peptides that work maybe a bit
more indirectly, perhaps throughinfluencing hormones?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
That's a great point.
Growth hormone-releasingpeptides, ghrps like GHRP6 and
hexarolin.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
GHRPs.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
okay, they're being actively looked at for their
protective effects on the heart.
They've shown promise inhelping the heart withstand
periods of low blood flow likeischemia.
They seem to promoteregeneration, improve the
pumping function of the leftventricle, reduce scarring,
widen vessels, reduceinflammation.
That's quite a list.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
That's a really impressive range of benefits
from those GHRPs.
Are there any others that havemaybe less direct but still
valuable effects?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Well, yeah, Caspeptin , for example, is mainly known
for his role in reproductivehormones.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Right.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
But it's also demonstrated this ability to
promote angiogenesis and improveendothelial health, both
crucial for cardiac repair andfunction.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Interesting connection.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
And then there's melatonin.
We usually think of it forsleep, right.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Yeah, the sleep hormone.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Turns out, melatonin is also a really powerful
antioxidant, anti-inflammatoryand anti-apoptotic, meaning it
helps prevent cell death.
So it can help reduce damage tothe heart muscle and improve
its function.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Wow, so melatonin does more than just help us
sleep.
That's amazing.
Okay, finally, let's touch onsomething that sounds really
cutting edge Mitochondrialpeptides.
We know mitochondria arecrucial for energy in the heart.
How do peptides fit in there?
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Right, this is a super exciting area
Mitochondrial peptides, nameslike humanin, MOTSC, and there's
a broader category sometimescalled mitoorganelles.
These are emerging asincredibly important broader
category, sometimes calledmitoorganelles these are
emerging as incredibly important.
They seem to help protect theheart against stress.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
They regulate how well the mitochondria themselves
function.
They improve the heart cellsenergy production, bioenergetics
.
They encourage regeneration andreduce oxidative stress and
cell death right within theheart.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So directly supporting those little power
plants.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Exactly yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
And, given the heart's constant massive energy
demand, keeping thosemitochondria healthy is just
absolutely fundamental.
This has been incrediblyinsightful A really detailed
look at the potential here withpeptides for heart health.
It's clear there's just so muchexciting research going on.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
There really is, and you know it's important to
temper the excitement slightlyby remembering that, while the
potential is huge, thesetherapies still face challenges.
Sure Things like deliverymethods, how do we get them
where they need to goeffectively?
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Ensuring long-term safety stability.
And then there are factors likecost and scaling up production.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
It's still an evolving field, absolutely
Practical hurdles to overcome,but the underlying message, I
think, is so encouragingUnderstanding how the heart ages
, these complex processes andthen exploring innovative
approaches like peptides.
It really offers hope formaintaining a healthy, vibrant
heart for longer.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Yeah, what's truly exciting is the prospect of
moving towards more targetedinterventions, things that can
go beyond just managing symptomsand potentially address the
root causes of age-related heartissues.
Peptides seem to offer thatkind of precision.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
So, as we wrap up this deep dive, here's maybe a
final thought for everyonelistening.
Considering this complexinterplay between aging and your
cardiovascular health, andseeing the emerging
possibilities with targetedtherapies like peptides, what
personal proactive steps couldyou maybe explore, starting
today to really invest in yourlong-term heart well-being?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
It really is about taking that first step, isn't it
?
On your own wellness journey.
If anything we've discussedtoday has intrigued you, if you
want to learn more about howsome of these innovative
strategies might fit into yourhealth plan, we really do
encourage you to connect withthe experts over at
LifeWellMBcom in Florida.
Give them a call.
The number again is561-210-9999.
(15:07):
They can help you explore youroptions and start building that
personalized path towards betterhealth and, hopefully,
longevity.
Welcome to the Deep Dive.
You're here because, well, youwant to get up to speed on
important stuff quickly andthoroughly, but without drowning
in jargon.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Today we're zeroing in on something absolutely vital
for his death, your heart,health and specifically, we're
going to look at the reallyexciting potential of peptides
tiny things, potentially hugeimpact.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
And this isn't just theoretical science floating
around.
It's really relevant to yourwell-being.
We're actually bringing thisdeep dive to you as part of the
team at LifeWellIndeedcom.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Right.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
They're a really innovative clinic based here in
Florida, focused on health,wellness, longevity helping
people like you.
Yeah, Our aim today isbasically to cut through that
complexity, give you someactionable insights and look if
anything we talk about sparksyour interest, makes you want to
explore your own health journey.
Please don't hesitate, Reachout to the experts at LifeWellMD
(00:53):
.
Their number is 561-210-9999.
They're really there to helpyou figure out that next step.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Absolutely.
And let's just state theobvious A healthy heart isn't
optional, is it?
Heart disease is?
I mean, it's the number onethreat globally.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
It really is.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
The World Health Organization.
They're projecting what is it?
Over 23 million deaths a yearby 2030.
That's just, it's staggering.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
It is, and it impacts not just how long we live, but
maybe even more importantly, howwell we live.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
you know, yeah, that quality of life aspect, things
like just being tired all thetime or getting short of breath
easily, that really limits you.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Totally.
It affects everything and youknow, for such a long time the
main approach to heart healthhas been kind of reactive Wait
for a problem, then manage thesymptoms.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Right Symptom management.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Exactly what's so compelling, I think about
peptides is their potential tomaybe shift that whole way of
thinking.
These little chains of aminoacids, they can actually
influence the fundamentalprocesses how your heart ages,
how it repairs itself, evenregeneration.
So getting to the root cause,not just patching things up,
that's the idea, instead of justyou know, putting a bandage on
(02:03):
it.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Okay, so that's our mission for this deep dive.
Then let's explore how thesepeptides might offer well new
strategies to keep our heartsyounger, healthier.
We want to translate thiscomplex science into stuff you
can actually understand and use.
So where do we start?
How can these tiny moleculespossibly have such a big effect
on something as complex as theheart?
Speaker 2 (02:24):
molecules possibly have such a big effect on
something as complex as theheart.
Well, I think the crucial firststep is understanding what
actually happens to our heartsas we get older.
You know what makes them morevulnerable, so imagine your
heart muscle itself getting lessflexible.
That's something calledmyocardial stiffness.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Right Stiffening up.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, or think about tiny little scars building up
over time.
That's fibrosis.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
The inner lining of your blood vessels, the
endothelium, that can start tonot work quite as well.
Yeah, that's endothelialdysfunction.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I've heard of that.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
And ultimately, the heart's main job, pumping blood
efficiently.
What we call cardiac output candecline too.
These are some of the reallykey changes linked to aging.
Speaker 1 (03:03):
Got it Stiffness, scarring, lining issues, weaker,
pumping.
So these are the age-relatedchallenges.
Now, where do peptides fit in?
What's so special about them?
How can they possibly push backagainst these things?
Speaker 2 (03:17):
Well, what's really remarkable about peptides is
just how versatile they seem tobe.
They can interact with yourbody on like so many different
levels to support heart health,Okay.
So, for instance, many peptidesseem to be able to calm down
inflammation, and we now knowinflammation is just a massive
driver of aging and well, tonsof diseases, including heart
(03:37):
disease, right that chronicinflammation we hear about.
Exactly Then other peptides canactually encourage your heart
to repair itself, regeneratedamaged tissue.
Some act almost like powerfulshields against damage from
those harmful molecules freeradicals.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Antioxidant effects.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Precisely.
We're also seeing peptides thatcan help grow new healthy blood
vessels it's calledangiogenesis.
Angiogenesis and improve howexisting vessels widen, which is
obviously crucial for goodblood flow.
Vasodilation and, finally,peptides can directly influence
the communication pathwaysbetween cells, those signals
that are just fundamental forhealthy heart.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Wow.
Okay, that's a lot of differentpotential actions from these
small molecules.
Let's maybe get a bit morespecific.
Are there particular peptidesthat researchers are really
focusing on for heart health?
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Absolutely.
Yeah, let's maybe start withone called cello heart.
This is really interestingbecause it's actually a natural
complex of peptides, kin andpeptides derived directly from
heart tissue.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
From the heart itself .
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah, and the research suggests it can help
your heart work more efficiently.
It can ease symptoms likeshortness of breath, chest pain,
especially in conditions likeischemic heart disease, where
the muscle isn't getting enoughblood.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Or that chest pain you might get with exercise,
exertional angina.
It's almost like the heart hasits own.
You know, built-in supportsystem.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
That makes a kind of intuitive sense, doesn't it?
Something from the hearthelping the heart.
What else Are there?
Other angles researchers arelooking at?
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Oh yeah, it turns out peptides that don't originate
in the heart can also have somepretty significant benefits,
certain peptides from the brainand the thymus gland, for
instance.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
Brain and thymus Okay .
Speaker 2 (05:19):
They've shown potential to sort of boost the
activity of the mitochondrialgenome within heart cells.
Now, mitochondria, remember,they're like the tiny power
plants inside your cells, theenergy factories.
Exactly, and your heart cellsare packed with them.
So helping those mitochondriawork better is well vital.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Makes sense.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
What's particularly interesting here is the idea of
delivering these brain andthymus peptides maybe through a
nasal spray.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
A nasal spray.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah, for your heart.
Yeah, it sounds a bit strangebut it might offer a more direct
route, potentially gettinghigher concentrations where they
need to go.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
That is fascinating.
Any other brain peptidesshowing promise for the heart?
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Yep, another one from the brain called pinion.
It's been shown to improvesomething called heart rate
power curves.
Speaker 1 (06:03):
Heart rate power curves what?
Speaker 2 (06:07):
It basically reflects how efficiently your heart
works during exercise and thenhow well it recovers, so really
relevant for athletes, forexample.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Okay, efficiency and recovery.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Right.
But beyond that, pinon has alsoshown potential in improving
insulin resistance, and we knowinsulin resistance is a big risk
factor for heart problems downthe line if it's not managed.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Ah, so connecting to metabolic health too.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Exactly.
It shows how these peptides canhave effects that go beyond
just their tissue of origin.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Yeah, it's becoming clear.
They have these diverse actions.
What about peptides from otherparts of the circulatory system
itself, like, say, blood vessels?
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Good question.
That brings us to one calledVuan.
This peptide was isolated fromblood vessels and it has this
really interesting ability tostimulate what are called
mesenchymal stem cells in yourbody.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Stem cells.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
Yeah, and increase their numbers.
These are the same kind of stemcells often used in advanced
therapies, because they can helprepair and regenerate tissues,
including heart tissue.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
So one might help kickstart your body's own repair
crew.
Essentially.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
That's a great way to put it.
Yeah, helping your internalrepair mechanisms work more
effectively.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
That's powerful.
Okay, so we've talked aboutrepair.
What about preventing damage orstopping it from building up?
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Right, that's where another class of peptides comes
in senolytic peptides like onecalled FOXO4DRI.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Senolytic Sounds like senescence.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
Yeah, exactly.
These peptides specificallytarget senescent cells.
You can think of them as oldercells that aren't really working
properly anymore and, worse,they often release these harmful
inflammatory signals thatdamage the healthy cells around
them in the heart.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
So they're like bad apples, spoiling the bunch Kind
of yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah, so by reducing the number of these senescent
cells, these peptides could bereally beneficial, because
senescence is a majorcontributor to that stiffening
and scarring, that fibosis wementioned earlier.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
So it's like clearing out the troublemakers to let
the healthy tissue thrive.
Are there other ways peptidesprotect the heart at that
cellular level?
Oh definitely.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
Take carnosine, for instance.
It's a small peptide foundnaturally in muscles, heart,
brain.
It helps reduce the buildup ofharmful byproducts that occur
when the heart's under stress,like in heart failure.
One of these is beta-alanine.
Carnosine also helps fightagainst something called
advanced glycation end products,or AGEs.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
AGEs right.
Those are linked to aging andhigh blood sugar.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Exactly, they accumulate over time.
So carnosine offers this sortof cellular defense mechanism.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
It really sounds like peptides offer this
multi-pronged approach,protecting the heart in
different ways.
What about blood clots?
That's a huge concern for hearthealth.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Yeah, a very serious concern and yes, there are
indeed peptides beinginvestigated that could help
reduce clot risk.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
How do they do that?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Well, they might make red blood cells less sticky,
less likely to clump together,they can decrease some of the
factors that actually promoteclotting and they can even
improve the ability of red bloodcells to kind of squeeze
through tiny capillaries.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Improve their deformability.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Exactly that could be incredibly valuable for people
at higher risk of, say, heartattack or stroke.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
It's amazing how specific these actions can be.
You've mentioned differentheart issues.
Are there peptides particularlyrelevant for certain conditions
like, say, an enlarged heart?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yes, definitely so.
In cases where the heart musclegets enlarged, that's cardiac
hypertrophy.
Right, there are peptides beingstudied that can help activate
the production of a proteincalled GDF11.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
GDF11.
Speaker 2 (09:35):
Yeah, and there's some evidence it might play a
role in actually reversing thatenlargement.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Reversing it Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Potentially and we're also seeing a term many people
might recognize from cardiologyB-type natriuretic peptide, or
BNP- Ah yes, bnp Doctors testfor that.
They do, it's a hormone theheart releases under stress.
Well, bnp itself and labcreated versions analogs they
show promise too.
They help widen blood vessels,lower blood pressure, reduce
(10:01):
scarring in the heart.
Basically they help alleviateheart failure symptoms.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So peptide science is building on things we already
kind of knew about, like BNP.
What about after someone has aheart attack?
The recovery phase.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Yeah, that's critical .
A peptide called the simosinbeta-4, usually just called TB4,
has shown significant potentialthere.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
TB4.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Seems to promote the movement of cells to the damaged
area.
It encourages tissue repair andregeneration and, crucially, it
stimulates the growth of newblood vessels, angiogenesis,
which is vital for healing.
Plus, it helps reduceinflammation and prevent more
cells from dying in that damagedheart tissue.
So it's really about boostingthe heart's own ability to heal
(10:41):
itself.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
So it's like an active helper for mending the
heart after injury.
Are there peptides focused moresquarely on just keeping blood
vessels healthy in general?
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Absolutely.
Adrenomagillin is one.
It's a vasodilator, helps widenblood vessels.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
Right.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
It plays a role in regulating blood pressure and
the health of that inner lining,the endothelium.
It also has anti-inflammatoryeffects and promotes
angiogenesis, so it's apotential target for things like
heart failure and high bloodpressure.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Then there's another one vasoactive intestinal
peptide or VIP.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
VIP sounds important.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well it is.
It's also potent vasodilatorPlus.
It helps reduce inflammationand scarring and can enhance
both heart muscle function andnew blood vessel growth.
Okay so, improving blood flow,reducing inflammation these seem
to be recurring themes withpeptides and heart health.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
They really are key mechanisms.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
yes, what about peptides that work maybe a bit
more indirectly, perhaps throughinfluencing hormones?
Speaker 2 (11:36):
That's a great point.
Growth hormone-releasingpeptides, ghrps like GHRP6 and
hexarolin.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
GHRPs.
Speaker 2 (11:43):
okay, they're being actively looked at for their
protective effects on the heart.
They've shown promise inhelping the heart withstand
periods of low blood flow likeischemia.
They seem to promoteregeneration, improve the
pumping function of the leftventricle, reduce scarring,
widen vessels, reduceinflammation.
That's quite a list.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
That's a really impressive range of benefits
from those GHRPs.
Are there any others that havemaybe less direct but still
valuable effects?
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Well, yeah, Caspeptin , for example, is mainly known
for his role in reproductivehormones.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Right.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
But it's also demonstrated this ability to
promote angiogenesis and improveendothelial health, both
crucial for cardiac repair andfunction.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Interesting connection.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
And then there's melatonin.
We usually think of it forsleep, right.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Yeah, the sleep hormone.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Turns out, melatonin is also a really powerful
antioxidant, anti-inflammatoryand anti-apoptotic, meaning it
helps prevent cell death.
So it can help reduce damage tothe heart muscle and improve
its function.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Wow, so melatonin does more than just help us
sleep.
That's amazing.
Okay, finally, let's touch onsomething that sounds really
cutting edge Mitochondrialpeptides.
We know mitochondria arecrucial for energy in the heart.
How do peptides fit in there?
Speaker 2 (12:53):
Right, this is a super exciting area
Mitochondrial peptides, nameslike humanin, MOTSC, and there's
a broader category sometimescalled mitoorganelles.
These are emerging asincredibly important broader
category, sometimes calledmitoorganelles these are
emerging as incredibly important.
They seem to help protect theheart against stress.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Right.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
They regulate how well the mitochondria themselves
function.
They improve the heart cellsenergy production, bioenergetics
.
They encourage regeneration andreduce oxidative stress and
cell death right within theheart.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
So directly supporting those little power
plants.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Exactly yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:28):
And, given the heart's constant massive energy
demand, keeping thosemitochondria healthy is just
absolutely fundamental.
This has been incrediblyinsightful A really detailed
look at the potential here withpeptides for heart health.
It's clear there's just so muchexciting research going on.
Speaker 2 (13:36):
There really is, and you know it's important to
temper the excitement slightlyby remembering that, while the
potential is huge, thesetherapies still face challenges.
Sure Things like deliverymethods, how do we get them
where they need to goeffectively?
Speaker 1 (13:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Ensuring long-term safety stability.
And then there are factors likecost and scaling up production.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
It's still an evolving field, absolutely
Practical hurdles to overcome,but the underlying message, I
think, is so encouragingUnderstanding how the heart ages
, these complex processes andthen exploring innovative
approaches like peptides.
It really offers hope formaintaining a healthy, vibrant
heart for longer.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
Yeah, what's truly exciting is the prospect of
moving towards more targetedinterventions, things that can
go beyond just managing symptomsand potentially address the
root causes of age-related heartissues.
Peptides seem to offer thatkind of precision.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
So, as we wrap up this deep dive, here's maybe a
final thought for everyonelistening.
Considering this complexinterplay between aging and your
cardiovascular health, andseeing the emerging
possibilities with targetedtherapies like peptides, what
personal proactive steps couldyou maybe explore, starting
today to really invest in yourlong-term heart well-being?
Speaker 2 (14:47):
It really is about taking that first step, isn't it
?
On your own wellness journey.
If anything we've discussedtoday has intrigued you, if you
want to learn more about howsome of these innovative
strategies might fit into yourhealth plan, we really do
encourage you to connect withthe experts over at
LifeWellMBcom in Florida.
Give them a call.
The number again is561-210-9999.
(15:07):
They can help you explore youroptions and start building that
personalized path towards betterhealth and, hopefully,
longevity.
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