Ipamorelin Benefits and Research Applications
Over recent years, ipamorelin has been much discussed as a purported muscle growth and body composition research peptide. As such, many researchers are curious about ipamorelin benefits. More recently, ipamorelin has been touted by anti-aging clinics as a trea
Over recent years, ipamorelin has been much discussed as a purported muscle growth and body composition research peptide.
As such, many researchers are curious about ipamorelin benefits.
More recently, ipamorelin has been touted by anti-aging clinics as a treatment that can delay or even reverse the visible signs of aging, improve sleep quality, boost metabolism, and aid with inflammatory issues.
The best part? Ipamorelin, if properly dosed, seems to have negligible side effects.
But does ipamorelin really offer any of these benefits?
Below, we offer a comprehensive review of the potential benefits of ipamorelin, so that interested researchers can determine whether this peptide could be a candidate for further research.
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What is Ipamorelin?
Ipamorelin is a growth hormone (GH) secretagogue that was developed by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk [1]. More specifically, ipamorelin is a pentapeptide—a chain of five amino acids—that acts as a growth hormone (GH) releasing peptide. It has been shown to display high GH releasing potency and efficacy in animal and human trials [2].
How does it work?
In animals and humans, growth hormone (GH) is created and dispersed by cells in the pituitary gland, which helps regulate the body’s natural hormone levels for the endocrine system [3]. Ipamorelin is a type of peptide that stimulates the production and secretion of endogenous GH.
Ipamorelin works by mimicking ghrelin, a hormone that is naturally produced by the enteroendocrine cells of the gastrointestinal tract [4]. For this reason, ipamorelin is commonly referred to as a “ghrelin mimetic.” It selectively binds the same GHSR-1a receptors as endogenous ghrelin and stimulates the pituitary cells to release more GH.
This, in turn, influences a range of anabolic processes in the body including [5]:
Energy usage
Fat processing
Appetite suppression
Ipamorelin is unique in the sense that it’s the first growth hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP) receptor agonist that stimulates GH release to an extent comparable with endogenous growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) [1].
Simultaneously, ipamorelin regulates the release of somatostatin, a growth hormone inhibiting hormone (GHIH) that hinders the body’s natural GH output. This suppression of somatostatin levels by ipamorelin encourages the body to naturally increase its GH levels [1].
Benefits of Ipamorelin
So what are the benefits of ipamorelin?
Ipamorelin currently lacks FDA approval and remains a research peptide that has no approved medical uses. Data regarding ipamorelin’s clinical effects in humans is lacking. However, various studies have observed that ipamorelin offers the following benefits:
Ipamorelin and Disease Management
Some research suggests that ipamorelin may be useful in helping to manage certain diseases through its ability to mimic ghrelin and stimulate the release of growth hormone (GH).
For example, ipamorelin has been shown to counteract the glucocorticoid-induced decrease in bone formation of adult rats and these findings suggest that it may be beneficial in humans [6].
Ipamorelin’s ability to improve gastric motility and accelerate gastric emptying has been evaluated by several studies [7, 8]. A 2012 study by Greenwood-Van Meerveld et al. found that ipamorelin accelerates gastric emptying in fasted adult male rats with induced postoperative ileus (POI). These findings indicate that it could be a promising treatment for a common condition known as delayed gastric emptying.
In 2014, Beck et al. conducted a small, multicenter, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial that aimed to evaluate whether ipamorelin could benefit POI in bowel resection patients. This trial was discontinued because the “clinical endpoints did not reach statistical significance when comparing ipamorelin to placebo” [9].
However, data from this study indicated that ipamorelin treatment may shorten the recovery times of patients undergoing open laparotomy [10]. This indicates that ipamorelin may potentially offer benefits for patients receiving this type of surgery.
Ipamorelin and GH-release
Several animal studies have evaluated ipamorelin’s ability to increase GH-release. K Raun et al. concluded that ipamorelin can stimulate the release of GH from pituitary cells in rats and swine “with a potency and efficacy similar to GHRP-6” [1].
Research published in the European Journal of Anatomy in 2002 found that ipamorelin treatment could stimulate GH release in young female rats. Tests showed that in vivo ipamorelin treatment prompts rats’ pituitary cells to produce and distribute more GH [11].
Ipamorelin and Body Composition
Ipamorelin has also been shown to increase the body weight of animals [11, 12]. Lall et al. found that female GH-deficient mice injected twice daily with 250 µg/kg ipamorelin for 9 weeks increased by 15.3% while non-GH-deficient mice increased by 16.9%. Mice in both groups that were injected with human GH increased in size by 95.5% and 27.5% respectively. However, while GH led to increased liver weight, ipamorelin did not increase the weight of the rodent’s dissected organs [12].
As noted by Deepankar et al., ipamorelin may help manage issues related to body composition in hypogonadal males. Its proposed clinical use in hypogonadal males and men with SH is “total weight gain” [9].
Deepankar et al. identified ipamorelin as one of a number of growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) that can “significantly improve body composition while ameliorating specific hypogonadal symptoms including fat gain and muscular atrophy” [9].
Purported anabolic and fat loss benefits
A review of the available research shows that there is currently no evidence to support the use of ipamorelin for fat loss in healthy individuals and limited evidence that it has this effect in animals. For instance, a 9-week animal study by Lall et al. into ipamorelin’s effects on GH-deficient and non-GH-deficient mice found that ipamorelin actually increased total body fat percentages in GH-intact mice [12].
Nevertheless, researchers are actively investigating ipamorelin for body composition due to its ability to increase HGH levels. There is research (not involving ipamorelin) linking GH supplementation to increased muscle mass and athletic performance. For example, a randomized trial conducted in 2010 and funded primarily by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found that recreationally trained athletes who received 2 mg/day of GH for 8 weeks reduced their fat mass and increased their lean body mass [13].
While this trial did not involve ipamorelin, its findings suggest that growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) like ipamorelin may indirectly offer anabolic and fat loss benefits by stimulating the production and release of endogenous HGH. There is strong research interest in the application of ipamorelin to improve athletic performance but no research currently exists to show how it may be dosed for this purpose [14].
As HGH plays a vital role in the muscle creation process and increasing levels of HGH in the body may increase lean muscle mass [15], researchers are now intensively studying and purported anabolic benefits of ipamorelin and whether it can stimulate the fat-burning process. Furthermore, as ipamorelin increases GH, it may also support faster post-workout muscle recovery. This is important because muscles become damaged during workouts, and muscle fibers reform after workouts (aka hypertrophy) [16].
Note: under no circumstances do we encourage the self-administration of unregulated research peptides like ipamorelin for recreational purposes.
Ipamorelin and anti-aging
More recently, ipamorelin has been touted by anti-aging clinics as an effective way to slow and diminish the visible signs of aging [15]. While there is research showing that GH treatment can result in the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles by promoting collagen growth and repair of skin tissue, a review by Bartke A et al into growth hormone and aging concluded that “elevation of GH levels into the supranormal (pathological) range is associated with increased disease risks and reduced life expectancy likely representing an acceleration of aging” [17].
There is no available data from human clinical trials to support ipamorelin treatment for the purpose of anti-aging.
Ipamorelin and bone health
Ipamorelin seems to also improve bone growth and formation [18]. Research conducted on adult rats provides evidence that ipamorelin, at an appropriate dosage, may be a factor in increasing bone mineral density content and bone growth, both of which contribute to more durable, healthier bones.
Ipamorelin and GHD treatment
As we’ve discussed, ipamorelin stimulates the body’s natural GH production. From childhood to adolescence, GH is mostly responsible for our body’s composition, bone density, and growth.
However, some children experience growth hormone deficiency (GHD), which occurs when they are unable to maintain the GH levels that are necessary to maintain natural body composition. This can occur both in our development stages and later in life since our GH levels decrease with age.
Studies indicate that GHRHs similar to ipamorelin can be useful in activating GH secretion in the pituitary in order to increase GH growth to help with reducing the detrimental effects of GHD [18].
Ipamorelin Dosage Calculator
The results and effectiveness of ipamorelin treatment appear to be dose-dependent. But what is the optimal dose for this peptide?
The only available human clinical trial data comes from Beck et al. [8]. This small proof of concept study involved just 114 patients, which is too small to draw any statistical conclusions. However, it shows that patients received “intravenous infusions of 0.03-mg/kg ipamorelin twice daily, on postoperative day 1 to 7 or hospital discharge.”
In clinical settings, ipamorelin is most commonly administered via subcutaneous injection, as this is the most efficient way for the body to process the peptide.
There is currently strong research interest into the administration of ipamorelin with other GHRH analogues like sermorelin. However, no research exists to show what benefits administering a sermorelin-ipamorelin blend may offer or whether, as these two peptides work along different pathways, a blend increases GH secretion more effectively.
Ipamorelin is also available as a blend with CJC-1295, a peptide that stimulates HGH production and can lead to improved immune functioning and reduce signs of aging [19]. As CJC-1295 and ipamorelin stimulate GH secretion via different receptors in the body, this combination may offer a cumulative effect whereby it intensifies the release of GH and boosts the GH concentration levels. Further research in this area is required.
Where to Buy Ipamorelin Online? | 2024 Edition
With the growth of the peptide market, quite a few online vendors now sell research chemicals like ipamorelin online.
But the industry is still loosely regulated, so it’s important for researchers to conduct due diligence on potential vendors to ensure that they are buying a high-quality product.
Luckily, our research team at Peptides.org has tested products from all of the major vendors, and can confidently recommend the following options for buying ipamorelin online:
Limitless Life
We recommend choosing Limitless Life as a trustworthy peptide vendor.
They utilize third-party testing to ensure quality, provide fast shipping and easy returns, and are dedicated to safe distribution of peptides. Here’s more about each of these factors and how Limitless Life stands out:
Quality Control Processes: Limitless Life partners with a handful of third-party laboratories to ensure that their products all have a purity rating of 99% or higher.
Fast Shipping: Limitless Life offers outstanding shipping practices, including shipping out all orders within 48 hours of order placement. They also offer standard two-day shipping via FedEx for all domestic orders.
Easy Return and Reship Process: Limitless Life truly cares about the customer experience, which is why they offer an easy return policy and affordable shipping insurance for packages that are lost or damaged in transit.
Overall, Limitless Life is currently our top-rated research peptides vendor. This is for good reason.
Furthermore, they also offer a popular ipamorelin + CJC-1295 No DAC blend for researchers that offers exceptional purity.
Bacteriostatic Water and Ipamorelin
When researching peptides, supplementary materials like bacteriostatic water, sterile vials, alcohol swabs and more are required. To successfully prepare and store Ipamorelin and other peptides, it is important that researchers are properly equipped.
Yet, finding and purchasing all the necessary supplies can be a challenge and headache for many researchers.
However, it is essential.
Ipamorelin Benefits | Verdict
Having reviewed the available research, it is clear that ipamorelin offers a number of proven and purported benefits. Ipamorelin has the ability to increase GH levels in the body and its interactions with the GI tract appear to be an important factor in determining overall body composition and levels of body fat.
Hopefully, this guide has drawn the researchers’ attention to ipamorelin as a potent and selective GH stimulator that significantly influences body composition, adiposity, and the GI system. Adverse effects appear to be rare, and this peptide definitely warrants further human studies to evaluate its effects. It is certainly an interesting candidate for future research.
Researchers wishing to investigate ipamorelin’s benefits may visit our top-rated supplier for more information.