Neuroscientist Andrew Huberman appeared on the a16z podcast to discuss peptides, sleep technology, and the future of obesity treatment. During the conversation, he talked about peptides and specifically, melanotan.
He first introduced it while listing peptides that have actual human data behind them: “There are human data on things like melanotan which makes people tan from the inside, raises energy and libido dramatically, fat loss dramatically.”
When the interviewer asked whether that placed melanotan in the “looks maxxing” category, Huberman pushed back slightly: “I don’t know, or energy maxxing or something… There’s a lot about melanotan and some similar peptides that have been FDA approved for hyposexuality in women… Men take it too.”
He was quick to follow the appeal with a serious caution: “Those dr**s, melanotan, are very risky. Some of the skin color changes, the kind of oranging of the skin, can be permanent. This isn’t the kind of thing you do to like go on vacation. It might have more permanent effect.”
He then addressed a risk specific to men: “There’s the risk for men of priapism, which, you know, the last erection you may ever have. It might last eight hours, but that might be the last one you ever have. It can cause damage to the nerves and penile tissues. People hear erection, fat loss, energy, tan, like, oh great, and you think, you got to be real careful with these things if they do get abused.”
Beyond the risks, Huberman found the underlying biology genuinely compelling. “The melanotan whole pathway is super interesting because it raises dopamine. Dopamine and pigmentation are linked through an enzyme called tyrosinase. Not to get technical here, but some animals look like they’re albino in the winter, except they have dark eyes, like an arctic fox. And then the summer sunlight comes, hits this pathway, increases dopamine, pigments the fur, and they breed. So there’s a relationship between sunlight, dopamine, fecundity, and these kinds of things.”
His message on the peptide category applied directly to melanotan: “Anytime you’re stimulating cell growth, it could start going awry and then get a tumor or something like that. If that’s within your margins of risk, that’s up to you.”
For those still drawn to it, Huberman outlined a sourcing hierarchy, recommending pharmacies over gray market sources, and gray market over black market. He also noted that gray market vendors at least provide purity data sheets confirming what is actually in the vial.
