Peptides 'all natural': what bodybuilding TikTok gets wrong
Quick answer
The creator's core argument addresses the additive metabolic risk of combining MK-677, a ghrelin mimetic that impairs insulin sensitivity in documented trials, with a high-calorie, low-quality diet that independently elevates cardiovascular and glycemic risk markers. This is a clinically coherent concern, though the creator overstates MK-677's direct role in hypertension and does not substantiate their preference for IGF-1 as a safer alternative. Patients using any growth hormone secretagogue should have baseline and follow-up metabolic panels including fasting glucose, HbA1c, and blood pressure.
Our take · Written by FormBlends editorial team · Reviewed by FormBlends Medical Team· This is not a transcript. It is our independent review of the video above.
What did @kodi_dyel actually say?
The creator made three distinct arguments: dirty bulking is unnecessary and damaging to health markers like cholesterol, blood sugar, and skin; MK-677 carries a real side effect burden including insulin resistance, water retention, edema, and high blood pressure; and combining poor diet with MK-677 specifically amplifies those risks into something genuinely dangerous. They also expressed a preference for IGF-1 over MK-677, calling themselves a "certified MK hater."
To be clear, this is a creator who coaches bodybuilders and is speaking from an applied, practical standpoint. They are not citing studies, they are drawing on observed client outcomes. That context matters when we evaluate the accuracy of what they said.
Does the science back this up?
On the diet side, yes, largely. On MK-677's side effect profile, also yes, with some nuance.
The claim that "calories in versus calories out" does not govern cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar is directionally correct. Diet quality, independent of caloric balance, affects metabolic health. A 2019 review by Hu et al. in The New England Journal of Medicine confirmed that ultra-processed food intake is independently associated with cardiovascular risk markers even when caloric intake is controlled. Acne worsening with high-glycemic and high-fat diets is supported by work from Kwon et al. (2012, Acta Dermato-Venereologica), which found dairy and high-glycemic foods elevated IGF-1 locally and worsened acne severity.
On MK-677: it is an oral ghrelin mimetic and growth hormone secretagogue, not a peptide in the classical injectable sense. Studies confirm the side effect profile the creator lists. Nass et al. (2008, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism) documented increased fasting glucose and insulin resistance in older adults using MK-677 for two years. Edema and joint discomfort were also reported. The vivid dreams and numbness claims are less robustly studied but are consistently reported in user populations.
What did they get wrong (or right)?
They got the core argument right: stacking a compound that already impairs insulin sensitivity with a diet high in refined carbohydrates and saturated fat is a compounding problem, not just an additive one. That is a reasonable and defensible clinical concern.
Where they are imprecise: calling MK-677 a direct cause of high blood pressure is overstated. The Nass et al. trial did not find statistically significant hypertension as a primary outcome. Fluid retention can raise blood pressure indirectly, and that distinction matters. The creator conflates the two.
The preference for IGF-1 over MK-677 is interesting but the creator does not explain it, and IGF-1 carries its own risk profile including potential mitogenic effects. Swapping one secretagogue for another is not automatically a safer path. That claim is left unsubstantiated here.
- Dirty bulking harms health markers beyond body fat: accurate
- MK-677 causes insulin resistance: accurate, with caveats on magnitude
- MK-677 directly causes high blood pressure: overstated
- IGF-1 is the better alternative: unsubstantiated as stated
What should you actually know?
If you are using or considering MK-677, the side effects the creator lists are real and documented, not bro-science. The insulin sensitivity issue is the one worth taking most seriously. A 2017 placebo-controlled trial by Murphy et al. in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found MK-677 increased GH and IGF-1 but also increased fasting glucose in a dose-dependent pattern. If your diet is already heavy in processed carbohydrates, you are starting with compromised insulin function and adding a compound that worsens it.
MK-677 is not approved by the FDA for any indication and is classified as a research chemical in most jurisdictions. It is not a peptide in the regulated compounding sense. Anyone considering growth hormone secretagogues should have a full metabolic panel, including fasting glucose, HbA1c, and blood pressure monitoring, before and during use.
The broader point about bodybuilders attributing health problems to their compounds while ignoring diet quality is fair and underappreciated. Both matter. Neither is a free pass for the other.
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Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue
Background source for ipamorelin selectivity and GH-secretagogue mechanism.
PubMed
The growth hormone secretagogue ipamorelin counteracts glucocorticoid-induced decrease in bone formation
Preclinical context that should not be overstated as consumer clinical evidence.
PubMed
The human peptide GHK-Cu in prevention of oxidative stress and degenerative conditions of aging
Anchor review for copper peptide gene-expression and tissue-repair claims.
PubMed
Effects of glycyl-histidyl-lysine-Cu on wound healing
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The creator's core argument addresses the additive metabolic risk of combining MK-677, a ghrelin mimetic that impairs insulin sensitivity in documented trials, with a high-calorie, low-quality diet that independently elevates cardiovascular and glycemic risk markers.
FormBlends verdict
The creator's core argument addresses the additive metabolic risk of combining MK-677, a ghrelin mimetic that impairs insulin sensitivity in documented trials, with a high-calorie, low-quality diet that independently elevates cardiovascular and glycemic risk markers. This is a clinically coherent concern, though the creator overstates MK-677's direct role in hypertension and does not substantiate their preference for IGF-1 as a safer alternative. Patients using any growth hormone secretagogue should have baseline and follow-up metabolic panels including fasting glucose, HbA1c, and blood pressure.
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What it helps with
- The creator's core argument addresses the additive metabolic risk of combining MK-677, a ghrelin mimetic that impairs insulin sensitivity in documented trials, with a high-calorie, low-quality diet that independently elevates cardiovascular and glycemic risk markers. This is a clinically coherent concern, though the creator overstates MK-677's direct role in hypertension and does not substantiate their preference for IGF-1 as a safer alternative. Patients using any growth hormone secretagogue should have baseline and follow-up metabolic panels including fasting glucose, HbA1c, and blood pressure.
- MK-677 is not an approved drug or regulated peptide; it is classified as a research chemical in most jurisdictions and carries a documented metabolic risk profile
- Nass et al. (2008, JCEM) found two years of MK-677 use increased fasting glucose and insulin resistance in a randomized placebo-controlled trial
What it may miss
- It may not cover eligibility, contraindications, medication interactions, lab history, or dose escalation.
- Compound access, legal status, and product quality still need a separate safety check.
- Social video captions rarely show the full evidence base behind a claim.
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Compare the claim against a FormBlends guide, safety page, and licensed-provider review before acting.
Start provider reviewWhat You'll Learn
- MK-677 is not an approved drug or regulated peptide; it is classified as a research chemical in most jurisdictions and carries a documented metabolic risk profile
- Nass et al. (2008, JCEM) found two years of MK-677 use increased fasting glucose and insulin resistance in a randomized placebo-controlled trial
- Diet quality independently affects cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure beyond caloric surplus, per Hu et al. (2019, NEJM) on ultra-processed food intake
- MK-677's association with hypertension is indirect, mainly via fluid retention, not a primary outcome in controlled trials, so the creator overstates that specific risk
- High-glycemic diets worsen acne severity through IGF-1 and insulin signaling pathways, per Kwon et al. (2012, Acta Dermato-Venereologica), supporting the creator's skin claim
- Anyone using growth hormone secretagogues should have baseline fasting glucose, HbA1c, and blood pressure measured before starting and monitored throughout use
- The creator's preference for IGF-1 over MK-677 is stated without evidence and should not be taken as a clinical recommendation; both carry meaningful risks
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About the Creator
Kodi DYEL · TikTok creator
3.5K views on this video
all natural #teamdyel #bodybuilding #fitnesstips #ifbbpro #personaltrainer
Sources & references
Citations extracted from our medical team's review. Click any citation to search PubMed.
Read More on This Topic
Our written guides go deeper with dosing details, comparison tables, and medical-team reviewed protocols.
Not medical advice. This video was made by Kodi DYEL, not by FormBlends. Our write-up above is an editorial review, not a medical recommendation. Talk to your doctor before making any decisions about medications or treatments.