Secretagogues studied for GH release, IGF-1, and body composition.
Growth-hormone secretagogues are studied for their ability to stimulate the body’s own pulsatile GH release rather than supplying exogenous hormone. The two principal classes — GHRH analogs and growth-hormone-releasing peptides (GHRPs) — act on distinct receptors and are frequently studied in combination for synergistic effect.
Common endpoints include GH pulse amplitude, downstream IGF-1 elevation, and body-composition changes such as visceral-fat reduction and lean-mass support. Preserving the physiological pulsatility and feedback of the GH axis is a defining research consideration for this class.
Recombinant 191-amino-acid human growth hormone — a folded protein biologic identical in sequence to pituitary GH, not a synthetic research peptide.
View profileThe downstream effector of growth hormone — a 70-amino-acid recombinant protein, structurally a cousin of proinsulin, that carries out most of GH’s growth signal.
View profileA long-acting modified IGF-1 analog with reduced IGFBP binding and prolonged systemic activity.
View profileModified GHRH(1-29) analog with short plasma half-life.
View profileLong-acting GHRH analog with a Drug Affinity Complex for albumin binding.
View profileSelective ghrelin receptor agonist (GHRP) with minimal cortisol / prolactin release.
View profileTruncated GHRH(1-29) — historically the first GHRH analog approved by the FDA.
View profileSynthetic hexapeptide GHRP with potent GH-releasing activity.
View profileThe body’s brake on muscle growth — a TGF-β-family growth factor whose inhibition is the leading strategy to preserve muscle, including during GLP-1 weight loss.
View profileA natural myostatin and activin antagonist — by neutralizing the muscle brake it is one of the most potent pro-muscle factors studied, and a doping and gene-therapy flashpoint.
View profileA monoclonal antibody that selectively blocks pro/latent myostatin — the muscle brake — studied to preserve lean mass during GLP-1 weight loss.
View profileAn anti-myostatin antibody (Regeneron) now studied in obesity combinations to cut lean-mass loss and deepen fat loss alongside semaglutide.
View profileAn anti-activin-A antibody (Regeneron) — closest to approval of the axis (FOP), and a partner in obesity muscle-preservation combinations.
View profileAn antibody that blocks the activin type II receptor itself — shutting off myostatin AND activin signaling at once; famous for adding muscle while cutting fat.
View profileSecretagogues stimulate the body’s own pulsatile GH release rather than supplying exogenous hormone, aiming to preserve natural feedback and pulsatility.
GHRH analogs and growth-hormone-releasing peptides (GHRPs) act on distinct receptors and are frequently studied in combination for synergistic GH release.
Common endpoints are GH pulse amplitude, downstream IGF-1 elevation, and body-composition changes such as visceral-fat reduction and lean-mass support.
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Which peptides are best studied for growth hormone & body composition, how they compare, and what the clinical evidence shows — citation-backed answers grounded in PubMed, PubChem, and ClinicalTrials.gov.