Peptide Doctor Reveals How to Lose Fat & Build Muscle with Peptides and Gene Therapy

Intro (0s)

• Many people are looking for alternative ways to achieve optimal body composition, such as building muscle and losing fat, beyond traditional methods like diet and exercise (3s).
• The scientific and medical communities are exploring peptide gene therapy as a potential solution, which involves using peptides to influence gene expression (14s).
• Peptides are chains of amino acids, typically between 2 and 54 amino acids in length, and are used by the body to perform various functions (41s).
• One peptide, follastatin, has been studied for over two decades and has been shown to inhibit myostatin, a protein that limits muscle growth (47s).
• Higher levels of follastatin have been linked to increased muscle mass, and bodybuilders have used it in the past to enhance muscle growth (1m12s).
• However, follastatin has a short half-life and requires frequent injections, making it impractical for long-term use (1m27s).
• To overcome this limitation, a new technology called plasmid gene therapy has been developed, which allows for the incorporation of the follastatin gene into the body for a longer period (1m41s).
• This technology uses a plasmid, a small DNA molecule derived from bacteria, to deliver the follastatin gene to cells, where it can be expressed for up to two years (1m58s).
• The plasmid is inert and does not stimulate the immune system, and has been shown to be safe and effective in delivering the follastatin gene (2m22s).
• However, plasmids can be silenced by the body, which limits their effectiveness, but a company called Minicircle has developed a technology to overcome this limitation (2m37s).
• Minicircle's technology allows plasmids to remain active in the body for at least a year, and up to two years, making it a potential breakthrough in gene therapy (3m11s).

10% off Timeline Nutrition’s MitoPure (3m26s)

• A link is provided for 10% off MitoPure, a patented version of Urethan A, from Timeline Nutrition (3m27s)
• Urethan A is a postbiotic compound typically extracted from pomegranates, which induces mitophagy, a process that encourages the mitochondria to recycle (3m32s)
• MitoPure has several clinical studies published on it, and it is considered a legitimate compound for improving mitochondrial health and potentially promoting better aging (3m50s)
• Urethan A is on the forefront of emerging and promising compounds for improving mitochondrial health and inducing mitophagy, a process also known as the autophagy of the mitochondria (4m8s)
• There is evidence to support that Urethan A can help protect against visceral fat accumulation, which is a significant health benefit (4m19s)
• The link provided is not just an endorsement, but it is based on real and scientifically-supported information, and it is recommended to read more about MitoPure through the link (4m31s)

Why Myostatin Prevents Us From Building Muscle (4m41s)

• Myostatin is a regulatory mechanism that prevents excessive muscle growth, which can put too much stress on tendons and bones, and may also increase the risk of cancer due to constant anabolic signals (4m42s).
• The body has a feedback loop to control muscle growth, and myostatin plays a crucial role in this process, preventing uncontrolled muscle growth (4m55s).
• Belgian Blue cows, which have a natural myostatin knockout, experience rapid muscle growth but may be at a higher risk of cancer and other health issues (5m11s).
• Despite their rapid muscle growth, Belgian Blue cows do not typically experience tendon or bone injuries, possibly due to adaptations in their tendons and bones (5m29s).
• Myostatin has an impact on tendon strength, and research suggests that tendon strength may grow in response to increased muscle growth (5m40s).
• A common concern with myostatin inhibition is the potential for tendon or bone injuries due to rapid muscle growth, but this risk can be mitigated by using an antagonistic approach rather than a complete knockout (5m48s).
• Deon Larett, a professional arm wrestler, used a myostatin-inhibiting treatment and experienced increased energy and strength, which he credited with his championship win, despite initial concerns about potential bone injuries (6m19s).

Follistatin & Fat Loss (6m56s)

• Follistatin has applications beyond muscle growth, including fat loss and obesity, although its primary association is with muscle mass increase (6m57s).
• Higher muscle mass from Follistatin can indirectly contribute to higher resting metabolic rate (RMR), which can aid in fat loss (7m10s).
• Follistatin significantly reduces systemic inflammation, which was observed in clinical trials and consistently seen in patients through biomarkers (7m13s).
• Reduced inflammation from Follistatin can help improve cellular metabolism by minimizing pro-inflammatory cytokines that inhibit mitochondrial function (7m26s).
• There is evidence suggesting Follistatin may also aid in the browning of white adipose tissue, converting it into brown adipose tissue, which has been demonstrated in animal studies (7m36s).

How to Measure Inflammation in Your Body (7m46s)

• Inflammation can occur in anyone, regardless of age or metabolic health, and measuring it can be complex, as some people may have undetectable C-reactive protein (CRP) levels but still experience inflammation (7m46s).
• CRP is not a definitive indicator of inflammation, and other markers should be considered for a more objective understanding (8m18s).
• Specialized labs in the US offer cytokine analysis, which can measure pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-alpha, providing a more nuanced picture of inflammation (8m37s).
• Some companies, like Generation Lab, use technology to measure biological noise and inflammation at a cellular level by analyzing CRP methylation, which can provide a more detailed understanding of inflammation (9m7s).
• This type of testing can serve as a lagging indicator, allowing individuals to understand how inflammation is affecting them at a nuclear and cellular level over time (9m30s).
• The Generation Lab test measures inflammation in 19 different organ systems, enabling individuals to track changes in inflammation over time and with interventions (9m59s).
• Having an objective understanding of inflammation can help individuals make informed decisions about their lifestyle and training, allowing them to replicate positive changes and understand their body's response (11m0s).
• Some companies claim to provide personalized exercise recommendations based on genetics, but these may not be helpful without objective measurements of their effectiveness (11m11s).
• Objective measurements of inflammation can help individuals auto-regulate their training and make data-driven decisions about their lifestyle (11m34s).

Common Denominators of Healthy People (11m50s)

• A common denominator among healthy people with good body composition is their ability to deal with stress, having stress resiliency, and effective coping strategies (12m10s).
• Many individuals have unresolved emotional trauma that affects their nervous system, training, and recovery, but they often fail to recognize the connection (12m30s).
• Working through unresolved emotional trauma can be achieved through various methods, including EMDR, Vegas nerve stimulation, and other techniques (12m40s).
• There is a significant mind-body connection, and an individual's mental state and nervous system readiness can impact their training and overall well-being (12m52s).
• Recognizing the impact of emotional trauma on the body and nervous system is crucial for overall health and fitness (12m59s).

Vagus Nerve & Stress (13m2s)

• The vagus nerve plays a crucial role in building muscle, burning fat, and recovery, as it serves as a gateway to the parasympathetic nervous system and facilitates communication between the brain and the gut (13m3s).
• The vagus nerve can become disregulated, leading to cortisol disregulation, a constant fight-or-flight response, sleep issues, and recovery problems, and therapies aim to restore balance in the nervous system (13m36s).
• To restore balance, the goal is to upregulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which can be achieved through injections of exosomes and peptides around the vagus nerve (13m58s).
• The sympathetic nervous system can be calmed down through a procedure called a stellate ganglion block, which has been used for over 20 years to treat trauma (14m33s).
• The stellate ganglion block involves injecting anesthetic and peptides to calm down the sympathetic nervous system and reprogram cells (14m47s).
• When the vagus nerve is not functioning properly, the sympathetic nervous system can become overactive, leading to a constant state of fight-or-flight, and the goal of therapies is to balance the two systems (15m9s).
• The vagus nerve is responsible for relaxation, while the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, and therapies aim to balance these two systems (15m16s).

Your Gut Communicates With All of Your Organs (15m24s)

• Serotonin in the gut cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, but it still impacts the pathway, and the gut is responsible for two-thirds of the molecules in the blood, either directly or indirectly by affecting their synthesis (15m25s).
• The gut has its own microbiome and nervous system, known as the enteric nervous system, which affects what happens in the body, and it communicates with all different organ systems throughout the body (15m54s).
• The gut-brain axis is well-known, but the gut also communicates with other organs, such as the pancreas, and is linked to chronic back pain through the gut-disc axis (16m2s).
• Lipopolysaccharides, a type of bacteria, can translocate from the gut into the disc due to intestinal permeability, causing pro-inflammatory signals and endotoxemia, which is prevalent in many chronic diseases (17m17s).
• Fixing the gut lining and having the right gut microbes is crucial, as gut dysbiosis is one of the hallmarks of aging and drives many chronic conditions (17m44s).
• There is a clear link between emotional stress and back pain, and the gut plays a key role in this connection, with emotional stress impacting the gut and leading to a physiological response (18m15s).
• Fecal microbial transplant (FMT) is a potential solution to address gut issues and promote overall health (18m51s).

Fecal Microbial Transplant (18m54s)

• Fecal Microbial Transplant (FMT) is a procedure that involves transplanting new microbes into the gut, which has been around for a while but is not super accessible due to the requirement of a colonoscopy and high cost (18m57s).
• In the US, FMT is typically only done for severe gut-related issues, such as ulcerative colitis, and is not considered a treatment for other conditions (19m14s).
• Research has shown that FMT can be effective in transferring beneficial microbes from one individual to another, such as in the case of a Taiwanese gold medalist who had a bacteria strain in her gut that was found to improve cardiovascular fitness in non-athletes (20m2s).
• Another example is the bacteria strain found in ultra-runners, known as villanella, which was also found to improve cardiovascular capacity (20m33s).
• A company is working on creating a more accessible and scalable FMT product, which will be in the form of freeze-dried capsules that can bypass the stomach and survive in the small intestine (20m45s).
• The first generation of this product will be a general longevity and health-focused FMT, but future generations will be specific to certain needs, such as athletic performance (21m13s).
• The idea is to create FMT products that can repopulate the gut with new microbes, unlike probiotics which are transitory and do not repopulate the gut (21m7s).
• The concept of FMT is not new, and even animals, such as dogs, have been observed to engage in behavior that suggests they may be seeking to acquire beneficial microbes from other sources (21m41s).

Where to Find More of Dr. Khan (22m15s)

• Dr. Khan can be found on Instagram at @dr.aonkhan. (22m17s)
• Dr. Khan's website is located at etrna.health. (22m20s)