Put on a podcast, or read a wellness article and you are sure to hear the word peptides and their varying benefits for health. In these conversations you may hear mention of Ozempic, the branded name for brain-gut peptides. If you feel a little lost in these discussions you are not alone!
It can be easy to listen to conversations about peptides, and nod along without really knowing what their role is in human physiology. Here you will find an indepth description of what a peptide is, and more specifically what a brain-gut peptide’s role is in appetite management. Moreover, discover how inducing the production of these peptides can help you live a healthier life, and how the heat from a sauna may help promote these peptides to proliferate in your body. Finally, learn the details of the sauna protocol to follow if you are looking to increase brain-gut peptides.
Newly revealed research shows the relationship between sauna use and elevated production of brain-gut peptides. If you are excited about peptides then you will want to know how the body’s own thermoregulatory system, when activated, can increase peptide levels naturally and without any negative side effects.
What is a Peptide?
In a very simplistic explanation a peptide is a primary molecule that creates a protein. To be considered a peptide the molecule must contain two or more amino acids. (1) According to the National Cancer Institute, dictionary of cancer terms they define a peptide in a very concise way here:
“A molecule that contains two or more amino acids (the molecules that join together to form proteins). Peptides that contain many amino acids are called polypeptides or proteins.” (1)
Peptides are the essential building blocks of proteins. For example, collagen is in fact a protein and these proteins are made of amino acids linked together with peptide bonds. There are an estimated 100 000 different types of proteins in the body, and you can imagine that the number of peptides in the body is exponential. (2)
According to an article entitled ‘Peptides’ published by National Genomics Education Programme, peptides are the essential building blocks of life:
“Proteins are essential for life, and there are many different types with many different functions. Examples include structural proteins, which maintain the integrity of the cell; transporter proteins, responsible for facilitating the movement of substances into, out of and around the cell; and enzymes responsible for catalysing specific biochemical reactions.” (2)
Another description of what a peptide is can be found in the article ‘Biochemistry, Peptide’, published by the National Library of Medicine:
“A peptide is a short string of 2 to 50 amino acids, formed by a condensation reaction, joining together through a covalent bond. Sequential covalent bonds with additional amino acids yield a peptide chain and the building block of proteins.” (3)
As can be seen from these varying descriptions of what a peptide is, at its most basic level, life as it is known in this physical body could not exist without peptides. The higher the availability of peptides to create the estimated 100 000 protein variations necessary for life, the healthier the body will be.
So, what exactly is a brain-gut peptide and why are these peptides gaining so much popular recognition?
What is a Brain-Gut Peptide, and How Can Having More of These Increase Health?
- Communication and Signaling Between the Gut and Brain Axis (GBA)
- Energy and Metabolism Regulator
- Regulation of Appetite
The brain-gut peptide is wildly important for the communication between organs abiding in the ‘gut space’ to the brain and nervous system. These peptides help to regulate appetite, and energy metabolism. The gut-brain axis in relationship to the central nervous system as well as the peripheral nervous system is important for the reason that it is able to stabilize body weight and overeating, which is why it has gained so much recognition in recent years.
In short the gut-brain peptide is responsible for signaling to the brain that enough food has been ingested, and that the belly is full, as well as indicating that the individual is satiated. That feeling of ‘full’, that makes someone say that they have had enough to eat is in no small part due to this peptide.
The article ‘Brain Related Gut Peptides – A Review’ (5) published by the National Institute of Health writes in detail of the importance of the ‘Gut-Brain Axis’ in appetite regulation below:
“The gut-brain axis (GBA) is bidirectional communication between the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral enteric nervous system. The regulation of appetite acts by hypothalamic neuronal activity. The complex interaction of hedonic and homeostatic factors implicates appetite regulation. In the CNS, the hypothalamus and brainstem have a dominating role in appetite regulation.” (5)
So, by having enough of the right peptides it is possible to control appetite. If you have been struggling with over eating, it may be that you just do not have enough brain-gut peptides. The same article as quoted above goes on to write about the vital contribution of the brain-gut peptide on appetite regulation here:
“The arcuate nucleus (ARC) of the hypothalamus plays a vital role in energy homeostasis, while other nuclei also play a role in appetite regulation. The gut conveys peripheral information about energy balance to the brain via gut peptides and receptors for the digestion of food. The varied gut peptides have different actions on appetite regulation.” (5)
This does not mean that you need to spend a fortune on synthesized brain-gut peptides that may have detrimental effects on your health, but rather consider what the data tells us about spending just 20 minutes 3 times a week in a cozy sauna to produce more brain-gut peptides.
Can Saunas Promote the Production of Brain-Gut Peptides?
This is the truly exciting fact about brain-gut peptides: You can on your own naturally produce more of the appetite regulating peptides by spending an hour a week in a sauna on 3 separate occasions.
Despite the great push toward synthetic peptides that can be bought for a high price, it is also possible to create more on your own through the process of thermoregulation that occurs in the body.
New research as documented in this article ‘Brain-gut peptides in sauna-induced hyperthermia’ (4), published by the National Institute of Health, describes a study that involved 7 female participants who took saunas for 20 minutes three times per week.
The temperature of the women was tested before, during, and after each sauna session sub lingually. This is important to note because it is not necessarily significant what type of heat source you use to affect the release of brain-gut peptides during a sauna session. Meaning whether you use a traditional dry sauna, steam room, far infrared sauna, a full spectrum sauna, or sweat lodge, is irrelevant, as long as your personal temperature is rising by a specific number of degrees.
The participants temperature was measured in centigrade and here is what the difference looked like before and after the sauna session of 20 minutes:
36.9 ± 0.1 oC to 38.6 ± 0.2 oC (5) this translates into Fahrenheit as 98.42 to 101.48.
***The goal of any sauna session unless otherwise stated should be to reach 101.5 degrees internally for 20 minutes (you can measure this with a sublingual thermometer. This means that what type of sauna you use, or how hot your sauna can get is far less important than the measurement of your internal temperature which should reach 101.5 degrees fahrenheit, and if possible, ought to be maintained for 20 minutes. This same rule applies to increased brain-gut peptides.
The truly remarkable aspect of this study is that it found that all of the women participating had increased levels of gut-brain peptides after the 20 minute sauna session when they reached and maintained an artificial fever of 101.5 degrees fahrenheit. The article ‘Brain-gut peptides in sauna-induced hyperthermia’ states the following:
“A significant increase in circulating plasma vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) was observed during heat exposure” (4)
If you require Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, popularly known as Ozempic for medical reasons, then do not stop taking it without consulting your medical professional. On the other hand, if you would like to have a more regulated gut-brain connection to balance and manage cravings, or appetite, then consider sauna use to help produce more gut-brain peptides.
Who Needs Ozempic When You Can Sit in a Sauna for 20 Minutes?
The use of the popular pharmaceutical Ozempic, or Semaglutide (the primary ingredient), a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist to increase brain-gut connection is one way an individual can maintain control over their appetite, but it is not the only way.
In recent months negative side effects of this treatment method such as loss of muscle mass, dehydration, and worst immediate reversal of weight loss in %50 of its users has been documented. (7) So, if you would like to gain greater control over your appetite and therefore energy and weight, then consider producing brain-gut peptides naturally with 20 minute sauna sessions 3 times per week.
If you are working closely with a medical professional while using ozempic or its likeness please consult with your prescribing doctor before ceasing treatment or beginning a sauna protocol.
If you choose to use a sauna to help induce brain-gut peptide production, then remember it is not important what type of sauna you use, only that your internal body temperature can reach 101.5 degrees (+or -) for 20 minutes three times a week.
Follow correct sauna protocol and enjoy your own power to augment brain-gut peptides naturally!
Sources Cited:
- https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/peptide
- https://www.genomicseducation.hee.nhs.uk/genotes/knowledge-hub/proteins/#:~:text=Proteins%20are%20large%20molecules%20composed,Resources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562260/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2906506/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36125839/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK603723/
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/ozempic-rebound#:~:text=After%20stopping%20Ozempic%20use%2C%20the,the%20placebo%20group%20lost%200.1%25.