BPC-157, NAD, and the Truth the Wellness Industry Isn't Telling | Dr. Rachele Pojednic

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Rachele Pojednic, PhD, Chief Science Officer at Restore Hyper Wellness and faculty at Stanford Lifestyle Medicine, to cut through the noise on one of the most talked-about topics in women’s wellness: peptides and NAD. Dr. Pojednic pulls back the curtain on what peptides actually are, why most of the ones being sold online right now have almost no human data behind them, and the very real risks of buying from the gray market. She also explains why NAD IV drips are largely a waste of money (and sometimes genuinely miserable), what the research actually supports for longevity, and why BPC-157 sits at the top of her study list. The conversation ends with a grounding reminder that none of these therapies will move the needle if the foundational behaviors are not already in place.

WHAT WE EXPLORE

* What peptides actually are and why GLP-1 drugs are technically peptides

* BPC-157, growth hormone secretagogues, and the peptides women are hearing about most

* Why almost no human clinical data exists for the peptides flooding the wellness market right now

* The gray market problem: what you are really buying when you order peptides online

* Why NAD IV drips may make you feel awful and what actually works instead

* NR vs. NMN: the right dose, the right form, and what the research actually says

* Why supplement stacking can work against you (and sometimes make things worse)

* GLP-1 drugs at microdose: could they be the longevity therapy of the future?

* The foundational behaviors that determine whether any of this matters at all

* How citizen science models are changing the way longevity research gets done

ABOUT DR. RACHELE POJEDNIC

Dr. Rachele Pojednic, PhD, EdM, FACSM, is a nutrition and exercise scientist, Chief Science Officer at Restore Hyper Wellness, and Director of Education at Stanford Lifestyle Medicine. She holds a PhD in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Tufts University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Pojednic is one of a rare breed of researchers who operates across both academic and industry settings, using her position to conduct IRB-approved studies on the real-world therapies people are actually using, including peptides, NAD, and GLP-1 compounds.

CONNECT WITH DR. RACHELE POJEDNIC

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelepojednic/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelepojednic

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RachelePojednic_PhD

Website:

https://www.rachelepojednic.com/

https://trykiral.com/

Timestamps:

* 00:00 Why Peptides Suddenly Went Mainstream

* 01:26 GLP-1 Is a Peptide: What Most People Don’t Realize

* 03:28 What Compounding Pharmacies Are and Why They Matter

* 05:45 Every Peptide Women Are Talking About Right Now

* 08:00 The Hard Truth: Almost No Human Data Exists

* 11:00 How Peptides Are Actually Sold Online (It’s Sketchy)

* 13:49 Dr. Pojednic Ordered a Peptide from Reddit. Here’s What Arrived.

* 16:07 Why Buying Gray Market Peptides Is Riskier Than You Think

* 18:06 Growth Hormone Peptides: The One Class That Worries Her Most

* 22:00 How She Studies Therapies the FDA Won’t Let Academics Touch

* 28:35 NAD IV Drips Make You Sick Because NAD Lives Inside the Cell

* 33:00 Why NR and NMN Work When IV NAD Doesn’t

* 37:00 NAD Starts Declining at 30, Not 65: Why That Changes Everything

* 44:42 Why Stacking Supplements Can Actually Make Them Work Against You

* 47:10 The Two Peptides with the Most Real-World Promise

* 49:22 Peptides Won’t Work If You Skip the Basics

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