What we talk about when we talk about peptides

March 29

1h 17m

Episode Description

Correction (March 30, 2026, 12:26 PM CST): At one point in the episode, I compare Ozempic to Wegovy. I should have compared it to Zepbound, instead.

If you had a coworker who seemed to transform one month, what would you do?

What if she seemed to have more pep in her step, a glow in her skin, more focus and more charm? Would you ask her what was going on?

You might assume she had found a fresh romance, but what if she reached into her bag, pulled out a little pouch and opened it up to show you a bunch of nasal sprays and said: “I’ve been shooting these on the reg and I feel like I’m 17 again.”

If she swore to you that she knows a dozen other people doing the same thing and that they all report similar results, with no noticeable downsides, what would you do?

Would you order a few bottles?

That’s roughly a conversation that’s taking place on the West coast quite a bit right now. I am willing to bet it’s coming to your backyard sooner than you think. The driver of the conversation: synthetic peptides. Sprays and injections that enter our body and imitate little proteins that have always been good at telling our bodies to do the things we need them to do.

Peptides have been an ambient topic for me over the last three or four years. It all started with Ozempic, of course, but I’ve come across people experimenting with other peptides as well, for things like healthy skin.

It felt like one of those frontier topics that I should have a look into, but once I started poking around YouTube videos and podcasts exploring the topic, I realized how exciting this new kind of hacking really looks to be.

Here’s a heuristic about technology that has never let me down: If lots of smart people and smart money moves into a sector, it can’t lose. Something valuable will come out of it.

We are in the rebel phase of peptide experimentation and entrepreneurship. It’s a point at which it makes sense to look directly at the rhetoric around peptides in order to see whether or not it sounds similar to (perhaps misguided) rhetoric we have heard about other topics in other times.

This is not a peptides explainer. This is an exploration of the explanations. All I want to convince you of is this: an important conversation about healthcare, health hacking and health sovereignty is underway in this country.

And, of course, there are major vested interests naysaying the whole conversation. Also, Martin Shkreli naysays it.

🖤 To subscribe to Diamond Rhino in a pod player, click on any of these links:

* Spotify

* Apple Podcasts

* Pocket Casts

* Overcast

Sources

Silicon Valley's new miracle drugMarch 6, 2026Good Work

How Peptides Conquered the InternetFeb 13, 2026Search Engine

The Booming Business of Chinese PeptidesDec 19, 2025Odd Lots

The Great Peptide Debate, Musk Driving on the Moon, AI Coming for Zuck’s Job, Unitree S1TBPNMarch 23, 2026Martin Shkreli v. Max Marchione

The Truth About Popular Peptides (What Works, What’s Overhyped) | Peptide Tier List pt.1Dec 22, 2025Dr. Alex Tatem

Dr. Josh Axe: On Mitochondrial Health, Peptide Therapy and Parasite Infections | TUH #205The Ultimate HumanGary BreckaSept 30, 2025

Before You Start Peptides: A Doctor Answers Your Biggest QuestionsNov 29, 2025Dr. Ashley Froese

Joe Rogan Experience #2376 - Brigham BuhlerSept 9, 2025

Narrative note

I’m super skeptical of personal stories from founders and influencers. I included one tiny one. The low trustworthiness of personal storytelling at this point obviously complicates this narrative, and something I will work to remain mindful of going forward.

Notes

The Peptide Craze, Ground Truths

Life on Peptides Fees Amazing, NY Mag

People are buying unregulated, injectable peptides from Chinese factories. Are they safe?**

I Talked to 100 People on PEPTIDES - Here’s What They Said, Feb 10, 2026, Dr. Ashley Froese

They Went on Ozempic—and Gave Up on Life, by Evan Gardner, The Free Press, March 26, 2026

The Ozempicization of the Economy, Kyla Scanlon, March 26, 2026

Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks, FDA

Which 14 of the 19 Peptides Are Becoming Legal Again?, OpenLoop, March 13, 2026

Music in the episode:

“Data Breach” by FASSounds

“Fortnite Roblox Minecraft Video Game Music,” by MFCC