Are Peptide Shots Safe?

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The FDA held a meeting at last Friday to define what constitutes “from foods” in dietary supplements. The focus was on peptides, short chains of amino acids that have many functions in the body. For example, GLP-1 receptor agonists that are popular for type 2 diabetes and weight loss is a peptide. Insulin is also a peptide. There are an estimated 300,000 peptides that have various functions in the body. We only know what a few hundred do, but there’s great hope for what peptides can do in the body to address specific needs.

The dietary supplement industry has a great interest in having peptides classified as a food so they wouldn’t require the same proof of benefit as pharmaceuticals must meet. There are two problems as I see it. First, there are no research studies from human trials to support the notion that the peptides are safe. We don’t know proper dosing, side effects, nor adverse events in humans. There seems to be plenty of testimonials that circulate on social media but no real trials to assess safety.

Second, and more important, the delivery system has to be intravenous or intramuscular. That means a person will have to inject themselves with a liquid and trust that it’s manufactured under sterile conditions with no contaminants. I don’t know about you, but I draw the line when there is no safety data if I have to break the skin to inject something into my body.

If you want to know more about these peptides and their safety, the research that has been done, the potential benefits they could have, and the general tone of the FDA meeting, sign up to be a Member or Insider as I’ll cover them in the monthly update. The audio should land sometime Friday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Everything Old Is New Again

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In Tuesday’s Memo, I said I’ve heard this song before. Actually, I’ve heard it twice before. Due to the nature of this trip around the world of high protein, the song “Everything Old is New Again” seems completely appropriate.

The first time I heard the high-protein song was in the early 1990s. When the first Dietary Guidelines were published after the 1977 McGovern Report on American Diet recommendations, every manufacturer tried everything they could to get fat out of their products; that led to products high in sugar and food additives to give the sensation of fat on the tongue. Remember the Snackwell cookies? It also led to other low-fat and low-sodium foods such as Healthy Choice brands. If you could pick one time that jumpstarted the countless ultra-processed foods we have today, I would pick that time.

The second time was the low-carb craze that began with the second generation of the Atkins Diet craze in the early 2000s. I can remember low-carb stores opening just about everywhere. They closed just about as fast; that wave didn’t last long. Evidently, people aren’t interested in foods without carbs that don’t taste very good. Who knew?

This time around, after the ketogenic diet has gained a foothold in society, the movement has been aided by the recent 2025 USDA Dietary Guidelines that focus on higher protein but combining it with lower fat intake. I’ve seen products come to market without gluten and just a few carbohydrates. That’s why a beef-based breakfast food you add milk to, preferably full-fat milk, doesn’t really surprise me. Whether this is a healthy trend or not is to be decided.

I’ll say it again because it isn’t complicated: Eat less. Eat better, and by that I mean foods as close to natural as possible. And then move more. That’s the path to health—no gimmicks required.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Hamburger Cereal?

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Paula mentioned in passing that she had read about a hamburger cereal. I just shook my head, and then it really hit me: a hamburger cereal? I had to check it out. Turns out there is a “cereal” out there that contains 20 grams of protein from dehydrated ground beef per ½ cup serving.

The dried beef makes a crunchy texture. There are two flavors: Chocolate Peanut Butter and Maple Cinnamon. All natural ingredients with no preservatives or colors—just pour on the milk, preferably full-fat milk.

Except for one thing: this processed food is not a cereal. By definition, a cereal must be plant-based. We don’t need to argue the semantics of cereal, but here’s the most important thing: the product contains no fiber. You may get more protein, but why this way? I’ve heard this song before, and I’ll talk about it on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Vitamin D vs. Long COVID

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Returning to the vitamin D study, the rest of the headline suggested that taking vitamin D upon getting COVID may reduce symptoms of long-term COVID (LTCOVID), a serious aftereffect of a COVID infection that can impact the nervous and muscular system. Brain fog, chronic fatigue, and pain are some of the common symptoms.

The reason for hope with LTCOVID symptoms is that those subjects who continued to supplement with vitamin D showed a lower propensity for LTCOVID symptoms than the placebo group. It was not statistically significant with 21% of the vitamin D group showing symptoms of LTCOVID versus 25% in the placebo group, but it provided hope for further research; there were no differences in serious adverse events between the placebo and vitamin D groups.

Two things I found interesting: first, those subjects in either group who had normal vitamin D levels in their blood didn’t have an advantage over those who had very low or low levels of vitamin D. That surprised me as one would think that having a good baseline would be protective in some way. Maybe not.

Second, whether vitamin D impacted COVID as to length of symptoms, it showed that vitamin D supplementation at the first symptom of COVID may be protective. The amounts used in the study were two days at 9,600 IU and then 3,200 IU daily for eight weeks or more, based on the length of the study.

Why would vitamin D be beneficial after a person contracted the virus? Speculation by two researchers, one of the authors and a scientist from another lab, was that vitamin D boosts the immune system by reducing inflammation during the infection. The only way we’ll know for sure is by doing more research.

For now, it’s up to you and your healthcare professionals how best to deal with your next COVID infection. Vitamin D seems to be a viable option.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: J Nutr. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101398

Does Vitamin D Beat COVID?

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My Monday morning news feed contained at least three referrals to a recent article published in the Journal of Nutrition. The headlines were all about the same: vitamin D supplementation is ineffective in the short term as a treatment for COVID but provides insight into how to reduce the risk of long-term COVID symptoms. I think it deserves a look.

Researchers selected a large group of potential subjects in the US and Mongolia. Subjects were notified of the trial by the testing companies within seven days after a positive COVID test. If the subjects passed criteria for inclusion in the trial, they were assigned to a placebo or vitamin D supplement group. The subjects were required to perform surveys periodically about symptoms with the primary outcome being further professional treatment or death. There were a number of secondary criteria related to worsening symptoms requiring more than a single visit to a healthcare professional or hospital.

In short, there were no observable differences between those who used vitamin D supplements for the four-week trial or the placebo group in those who required additional treatment. A disappointment for vitamin D users? We’ll dig a little deeper on Saturday.

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Tomorrow night is the monthly Insider Conference Call. On the agenda is the farming techniques used in dietary supplements, one more thing about those Dietary Guidelines, and answers to your questions. Become an Insider by 8 p.m. ET tomorrow night and you can join in the conversation. For more info, scan the QR code and sign up today.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: J Nutrition. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2026.101398

What Changed? 2015 vs. 2025 Dietary Guidelines

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If you read any of the commentary about the latest dietary guidelines, you would have thought there were radical changes. “Eat or drink full-fat dairy! Use beef tallow! Ultra-processed food should be eliminated!”

If you took the time to read the synopses, there are very few differences between the recommendations. They still use the same base of 2,000 calories per day. The recommended percentage of fat intake is the same. The same number of fruits and vegetables are recommended—still way too low at two and three respectively. Sodium intake—the same. Eat whole grains, not refined carbohydrates. So where did all the discussion come from? Let’s take a look.

“Higher Protein Intake”

The recommendation is warranted given that we don’t get enough protein, based on the most recent research. If you want more details, purchase my latest webinar Taking Back Your Muscle, Part 2: Protein, and I’ll explain it in detail. Maybe there’s slightly more emphasis on animal protein, but all plant-based sources of protein are given just like they always have been.

Because both sets of guidelines talk about adjusting nutrient intake based on stages of life, there’s an increase of protein recommended at different life stages.

“Full-Fat Dairy and Tallow for Cooking”

Although the focus on these two stirred a lot of online commotion, these are not meaningful changes in the recommendation for consuming dairy products or deep-fat frying in oils. While the commentary reached a high-pitched crescendo, you probably figured out why it was meaningless. If you read the recommendations, in 2015 and 2025 the guidelines say not to exceed 10% of daily calories from saturated fat. One cup of milk would contain five grams of saturated fat, about 25% of the recommended daily intake for the average person. Fry something in beef tallow and depending on the food, that could use up the rest of the day’s fat recommendation. This is not different from the 2015 recommendations in any substantive way.

“Fewer Ultra-Processed Foods”

One more time, there’s no difference in the recommendations for avoiding ultra-processed foods. The 2015 guideline didn’t call them ultra-processed foods, but the pictures definitely show foods high in processed carbohydrates, sugars, and fats.

The Bottom Line

The real problems with the 2015 guidelines are two-fold and will probably happen again for 2025 guidelines:

  • Most Americans will never read the synopsis.
  • Even if they did, they wouldn’t change their eating habits to a more nutritious diet that’s based on vegetables, fruits, quality protein from all sources, whole grains, and a reasonable intake of fat.

I’ll throw in my two cents and make it even simpler: Eat less. Eat better. Move more. That’s the way to better health.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

The 2015 and 2025 Dietary Guidelines

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What were the Dietary Guidelines that were published for 2015? Can you remember any of them? What are the Dietary Guidelines for 2025? Did you read them? Here’s your chance.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines were released 10 years ago; the 2025 version about a month ago. Research was reviewed. Meetings were held. Comments were given. Experts gave input to both. Millions of dollars were spent. Was there anything groundbreaking in the 2015 Guidelines? The 2025 version? Maybe you’ve heard about the emphasis on protein and saturated fat in the 2025 version.

Here’s what I want you to do: I want you to take about 10 minutes and read the summaries of each of the Dietary Guidelines at these links:

I edited the documents down to the visual summaries designed for consumers, because the actual guidelines exceed hundreds of pages and I know you don’t want to read that much. Let me know what you think, especially if you couldn’t answer the questions I posed in the beginning. Do your part, and I’ll give you my thoughts on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Clock-Changing Solutions

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We’ve become so obsessed with sleep, even our watches can track the amount of quality sleep we get, so we can expect something unusual tonight. We go to bed at our usual time and for most of us in the U.S., we wake up one hour earlier than planned because the clocks have changed. As someone who adapts to sleep changes well, I empathize with those who don’t. Here are a couple of solutions I’ve found, one societal and one personal.

Don’t Change the Clocks

Researchers from Stanford undertook a very complicated theoretical study. By using county solar light patterns, time policy, and health data with circadian models, they calculated the relationship of those variable conditions and diseases. Let’s just say this would be impossible without the number crunching ability of today’s computers.

What they found was that a shift to Standard Time year-round would decrease the occurrence of stroke and obesity. A permanent shift to Daylight Savings Time would also decrease the occurrence of stroke and obesity as well, although not to the same extent. It should be noted that the impact was dependent on both latitude and longitude of people within the time zone.

How big of an impact? With Standard Time it could potentially reduce the risk of obesity by 0.78% and the risk of stroke by 0.09%. Not a big deal? Based on the current population, that could mean a reduction of the cases of obesity by 2.6 million cases and 300,000 cases of stroke per year in the U.S. While this is an emotional as well as political land mine for many proponents and opponents of time changes, this is one variable that deserves consideration.

Naps

Getting some additional sleep, even as little as a 20-minute nap, can be beneficial. Researchers in Greece found that people who took a nap in the afternoon had a lower rate of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD). How much lower? 37%!

This was confirmed by a study published last month suggesting that naps under 30 minutes reduced CVD outcomes—however, naps longer than 60 minutes increased the risk of CVD events. Speculation was that long naps interfered with nighttime sleep patterns.

The Bottom Line

We all look for an easy way to reduce our risk of heart attacks. Sometimes, the simplest solution is the correct one, and you can’t get much simpler than sleep. It can be challenging to fit in a nap during the day, but if you can do it, it may help you to be more effective in what you’re doing and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and possibly other diseases as well. As for a permanent switch to Standard Time for more early sunlight? That will be open for debate, so we have to do what we can control.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2508293122
2. Arch Intern Med. 2007 Feb 12;167(3):296-301. doi: 10.1001/archinte.167.3.296
3. Pub Health Rev. 2026. doi: 10.3389/phrs.2026.1609013.

Warning: Spring Ahead

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This coming weekend, the clocks are moved ahead one hour in most states here in the U.S. This seems to impact some people more than others; our bodies are more sensitive to the effects of changing sleep patterns than we think. I first wrote about this 10 years ago, and I wanted to check to see if anything has changed.

In a 2008 study, Swedish researchers found that when the clocks are turned ahead one hour in the spring, the number of heart attacks increase on the following Monday and stay elevated above the mean for the rest of that week. This was confirmed in a 2020 study that examined the same question in a larger population of Swedish and U.S. citizens.

What about the opposite situation? In the fall after the clocks are turned back, the number of heart attacks goes below the mean for the following week. One hour—that’s all we’re talking about, and it has a profound effect for about 1% of the population. Does one percent sound like no big deal? That’s over 3.3 million people who could be impacted over the next couple of weeks.

Is there a solution to this? I’ll let you know on Saturday. In the meantime, perhaps going to bed a few minutes earlier every night until then may help.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. NEJM. 2008. Oct 30;359: 1966-1968.
2 Arch Intern Med. 2007 Feb 12;167(3):296-301.
3. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1007927

Immune Booster 2 and 3

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Continuing with our look at how to approach the first tickle of a cold or seasonal allergies, we’ll finish up with the final two parts of our immune boosting supplements.

Garlic

The second part of our immune boost supplements is garlic; it’s been noted to have beneficial properties for over 5,000 years. Garlic thins the blood, thereby benefiting blood pressure, and helps lower cholesterol. Garlic does many things, but what benefits our immunity is its ability to boost the immune system while reducing inflammation.

There’s little question that garlic helps the immune system. It’s been used as a dietary treatment to help the immune system recover from chemotherapy; it’s also been used in supplement form to help the immune system get and stay stronger. That’s an obvious way it helps with viruses and allergies, but it also acts as an anti-inflammatory. It’s important to remember that inflammation occurs whenever our body is under attack—not necessarily broken-leg inflammation, but the release of negative hormones. Garlic helps reduce that type of inflammation.

Just as with echinacea, it’s important to begin as soon as the first tickle occurs. The quantity would be 600 mg taken three times a day. That makes our immune system start to work better.

Vitamin C

The third part of our immune system boost is vitamin C; also known as ascorbic acid, it’s best known as an antioxidant. From the research of Linus Pauling until today, vitamin C has been studied extensively. Even though vitamin C hasn’t been proven to prevent a cold, it does seem to reduce the symptoms of a cold. That may be the result of its antioxidant capacity to reduce inflammation.

When the body is exposed to viruses or allergens, the immune response is triggered. That’s desirable, of course, but what we don’t like are the symptoms associated with the response, such as watery eyes, runny nose, congestion, and on and on. While the exact mechanism is unknown, what may be happening is that vitamin C may be clearing up the free radicals in immune response cells, thereby allowing them to function better. No one knows, but it makes sense.

Take 250–500 mg three times a day. Some people increase their C to 10 times that amount, but my strategy is always to take the lowest amount to get the result I want.

The Bottom Line

The old adage “There’s no cure for the common cold!” was correct and still is as of this date. But if you want to reduce the symptoms and possibly the duration of common infections such as colds, the flu, or even seasonal allergies, remember the immune boosting trio.

Let’s summarize our immune boost formula, keeping in mind the number of tablets can vary depending on brands. Three times per day, take these:

            500 mg echinacea

            600 mg garlic

            250–500 mg vitamin C

Remember: the first tickle in your throat is the best time to start the immune boost trio.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Nutrients. 2022. https:// doi.org/10.3390/nu14214604