Study roundups · evidence desk
Studies
STACKD roundups synthesize the research so you don't start by drowning in tabs. They are sorted below by how strong the underlying human evidence is, so you can read the best-supported work first and see where the science thins out.
Stronger clinical signal
Supported by larger clinical trials in defined medical populations.2 roundupsSTACKD summary
Incretin metabolic peptides: what the trials actually show
A STACKD synthesis of the GLP-1 / GIP / glucagon class most people mean by “metabolic peptides.”
6 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
Tesamorelin and visceral fat
An approved GHRH analogue, but studied in a very specific population.
2 sourcesRead →
Emerging
Mostly preclinical or early signals; human athletic data is thin.7 roundupsSTACKD summary
Soft-tissue recovery peptides: BPC-157 and TB-500
Why the online enthusiasm runs well ahead of the human evidence.
4 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
MOTS-c: a mitochondrial peptide, mostly in mice
Compelling metabolic biology with a large mouse-to-human gap.
1 sourceRead →
STACKD summary
Epitalon and longevity claims
Historical, largely preclinical, and short on modern replication.
1 sourceRead →
STACKD summary
MGF, PEG-MGF, IGF-1 LR3, and Follistatin-344: the muscle-signaling peptides
Real underlying biology in animals and cells, and almost nothing tested in the injectable forms actually sold.
4 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
Thymalin and thymosin alpha-1: thymic peptides for immune support
One is a Zadaxin-branded drug approved in 35+ countries; the other is single-institute Russian research that's never been independently replicated.
4 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
SNAP-8 and the topical anti-wrinkle peptides
A crowded skincare-ingredient category where independently published clinical trials are the exception, not the rule.
3 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
Dihexa and 5-Amino-1MQ: single-target research chemicals with zero human data
Two mechanistically unrelated compounds, one for cognition and one for fat metabolism, that share the exact same evidence gap.
4 sourcesRead →
Limited human data
Some human pharmacology or small studies; outcomes for fitness use remain limited.8 roundupsSTACKD summary
GH-axis secretagogues: CJC-1295 and ipamorelin
What's actually measured (GH pulses) vs. what's usually claimed (physique).
2 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
GHK-Cu and skin remodeling
Topical skin research is the strong part, injectable claims are not.
1 sourceRead →
STACKD summary
AOD-9604: an old GH-fragment idea
Early fat-metabolism research that modern therapeutics have outrun.
1 sourceRead →
STACKD summary
Semax, Selank, and Noopept: the Russian nootropic peptides
Decades of domestic clinical use, but almost no independent international replication.
5 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
Sermorelin and the GHRP family: two doors into the same GH pulse
GHRH-class sermorelin vs. ghrelin-receptor GHRPs (hexarelin, GHRP-2, GHRP-6), each with real but decades-old human pharmacology.
5 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
SS-31 (elamipretide) and MOTS-c: mitochondria-targeted peptides
One has an FDA approval for a rare disease; the other is still almost entirely mouse biology.
4 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
Melanotan I, Melanotan II, and bremelanotide: the melanocortin peptide family
Same receptor family, three very different regulatory outcomes, from an approved skin-disease implant to a gray-market tanning shot.
3 sourcesRead →
STACKD summary
Gonadorelin and kisspeptin-54: upstream reproductive-axis peptides
Two different entry points into the same hormone cascade, one with decades of clinical use, the other still in early-phase trials.
4 sourcesRead →