IGF-1 DES
Also known as: des(1-3)IGF-1, Des(1-3) IGF-I, DES IGF-1, Truncated IGF-1, IGF-1 DES 1-3
Key Facts: IGF-1 DES
- Category
- Growth Hormone
- FDA Status
- Not FDA Approved
- Clinical Status
- Not approved anywhere - research chemical only. No human clinical trials. WADA: prohibited at all times under S2.3 (growth factors), which names IGF-1 and its analogues.
- Banned in Sport (WADA)
- Prohibited at all times under WADA S2.3 (growth factors), which names IGF-1 and its analogues.
- Administration
- Intramuscular or subcutaneous injection (community practice); studied by injection in animals only
- Typical Dose
- Community-reported 20-100 mcg per day
- Frequency
- Usually once daily on training days
- Duration
- Community reports describe short cycles of about 4-6 weeks; there is no human data on safe duration
How does IGF-1 DES work?
Like regular IGF-1, des(1-3)IGF-1 activates the type 1 IGF receptor, a tyrosine kinase receptor closely related to the insulin receptor. That switches on PI3K/Akt and MAPK signalling, which drives cell growth, protein synthesis and glucose uptake. The difference is the binding proteins. In the body almost all IGF-1 rides around bound to IGFBPs, which limit how much can hit the receptor. Removing the N-terminal tripeptide (Gly-Pro-Glu) sharply weakens IGFBP binding while leaving receptor binding intact. In a 1992 JCI study on rat granulosa cells, des(1-3)IGF-1 was about 10 times more potent than intact IGF-1 when binding proteins were present, and roughly equal once they were removed, which shows the extra potency comes from dodging the binding proteins rather than a stronger receptor hit. The trade-off: unbound IGF-1 is cleared fast, so its action is short and local, which is why people inject it into a specific muscle. It also carries IGF-1's insulin-like effect on blood sugar.
What does the research show?
The research is old, small, and entirely in cells and animals. Sara, Carlsson-Skwirut and colleagues isolated a truncated variant of IGF-1 from human fetal brain in 1986 (PNAS). In GH-deficient lit/lit mice, Gillespie and colleagues (J Endocrinol, 1990) found that 3 microgram daily injections of des(1-3)IGF-1 increased body length about as much as 30 micrograms of regular IGF-1, confirming its higher potency in a living animal; organ weights (kidney, heart) also rose. Adashi and colleagues (JCI, 1992) showed the roughly 10-fold potency gain disappears when IGF binding proteins are removed. Beyond that, it is mostly a lab tool for studying the IGF system. There are no human trials, no pharmacokinetic data in people, and no safety data. Claims about local muscle hyperplasia, fat loss, or recovery are bodybuilding lore built on IGF-1 biology, not on studies of this peptide. Theoretical risks are the same as for IGF-1 and other analogues: low blood sugar, and long-term concerns about feeding the growth of existing tumours, since IGF-1 signalling is a known growth pathway in several cancers. Quality is another unknown: the material sold online has no pharmaceutical oversight.
What doses have been studied?
Note: Animal study doses may not translate directly to humans.
Typical Dosingⓘ
Community experience
Community-reported 20-100 mcg per day
20-100 mcg (community reports, no clinical data)
Usually once daily on training days
No human trial has ever tested this peptide, so there is no validated dose. Community numbers are extrapolated from anecdote. It is more potent per microgram than IGF-1, and hypoglycemia is the main acute risk; people who use it typically eat carbohydrates around injections. Anyone with a history of cancer should not be experimenting with IGF-1 analogues.
Research Dosingⓘ
Scientific studies
No approved or clinically studied human dose exists. Figures below are animal doses or community reports, not recommendations.
Doses from Studies
3 or 30 micrograms per day for 3 weeks (mice)
Duration
Community reports describe short cycles of about 4-6 weeks; there is no human data on safe duration
Administration
Intramuscular or subcutaneous injection (community practice); studied by injection in animals only
When and how is IGF-1 DES taken?
Best Time to Take
Around training, per community practice
Once daily on training days in community reports
Food Recommendation
Take with food
Why This Timing?
Its short action and weak binding-protein attachment mean any effect is brief and local, which is why users inject it near training into the worked muscle. There is no human data on timing. Taking it fasted raises the hypoglycemia risk.
What are the side effects of IGF-1 DES?
Not everyone experiences these effects. Individual responses vary based on dosage, duration, and personal factors.
- ●Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), the most commonly reported problem
- ●Dizziness or lightheadedness
- ●Injection site pain or swelling
- ●Water retention
- ●Theoretical: growth of existing tumours (IGF-1 signalling drives some cancers)
- ●Theoretical: organ growth with chronic use (seen in animal studies)
- ●Unknown purity and contamination risk in unregulated products
- ●No human safety data at all
References
- https://jci.org/articles/view/116028
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2280209/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des(1-3)IGF-1
Research This Peptide Further
Frequently Asked Questions
What does IGF-1 DES do?
IGF-1 DES is insulin-like growth factor 1 with its first three amino acids chopped off, leaving a 67-residue peptide. That small cut makes it bind poorly to the IGF binding proteins that normally keep IGF-1 in check, so more of it reaches the receptor and it acts stronger, but shorter. It occurs naturally in small amounts (it was first isolated from human fetal brain tissue) and is sold online as a muscle-building research peptide. There are no human trials of it at all, so everything said about it in people is extrapolation.
How does IGF-1 DES work?
Like regular IGF-1, des(1-3)IGF-1 activates the type 1 IGF receptor, a tyrosine kinase receptor closely related to the insulin receptor. That switches on PI3K/Akt and MAPK signalling, which drives cell growth, protein synthesis and glucose uptake. The difference is the binding proteins. In the body almost all IGF-1 rides around bound to IGFBPs, which limit how much can hit the receptor. Removing the N-terminal tripeptide (Gly-Pro-Glu) sharply weakens IGFBP binding while leaving receptor binding intact. In a 1992 JCI study on rat granulosa cells, des(1-3)IGF-1 was about 10 times more potent than intact IGF-1 when binding proteins were present, and roughly equal once they were removed, which shows the extra potency comes from dodging the binding proteins rather than a stronger receptor hit. The trade-off: unbound IGF-1 is cleared fast, so its action is short and local, which is why people inject it into a specific muscle. It also carries IGF-1's insulin-like effect on blood sugar.
Is IGF-1 DES FDA approved?
No, IGF-1 DES is not currently FDA approved. Current status: Not approved anywhere - research chemical only. No human clinical trials. WADA: prohibited at all times under S2.3 (growth factors), which names IGF-1 and its analogues.
Is IGF-1 DES banned in sport?
Prohibited at all times under WADA S2.3 (growth factors), which names IGF-1 and its analogues.
What are the side effects of IGF-1 DES?
Reported side effects include: Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), the most commonly reported problem, Dizziness or lightheadedness, Injection site pain or swelling, Water retention, Theoretical: growth of existing tumours (IGF-1 signalling drives some cancers). Individual responses vary based on dosage, duration, and personal health factors.
What is the typical dose of IGF-1 DES?
Community-reported common dose: Community-reported 20-100 mcg per day (Usually once daily on training days). Range: 20-100 mcg (community reports, no clinical data). Administration: Intramuscular or subcutaneous injection (community practice); studied by injection in animals only. Community-reported doses. Not medical advice. Consult healthcare provider.
Related Peptides
Peptides commonly compared with IGF-1 DES or used in similar applications.
MK-677
Clinical TrialsMK-677 (ibutamoren) is not actually a peptide, it is a small, orally active non-peptide molecule that mimics ghrelin, your hunger and growth-hormone hormone. Taken as a daily pill, it reliably pushes up growth hormone and IGF-1 levels, which is why it is popular for muscle and recovery. It has been through real human trials but was never approved as a drug, and the trials that mattered most for older adults and Alzheimer's came up short.
Growth HormoneHGH (Somatropin)
FDAHuman growth hormone is the real thing rather than a secretagogue: a 191-amino-acid protein identical to what your pituitary makes, produced recombinantly since the 1980s. It is a properly approved medicine for growth hormone deficiency, and it is also the most misused compound in this entire space. Almost everything you read about HGH for anti-aging or physique traces back to a single small 1990 study whose own author later disowned how it was used.
Growth HormoneGHRP-6
Clinical TrialsGHRP-6 is a synthetic six-amino-acid peptide (His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2) that tricks the body into releasing its own growth hormone. It was one of the first growth hormone secretagogues ever made, and the hunt to find out why it worked led scientists straight to the discovery of ghrelin. It has no approval as a drug anywhere and is used only as a research compound.
Growth HormoneGHRP-2
Clinical TrialsGHRP-2 (generic name pralmorelin) is a synthetic hexapeptide growth hormone secretagogue and a second-generation cousin of GHRP-6. It prompts the pituitary to release growth hormone and is the one peptide in this family with an actual regulatory approval: it is licensed in Japan as a diagnostic agent for growth hormone deficiency. Outside that narrow diagnostic use it has no approval and is sold elsewhere only as a research compound.
Growth HormoneMecasermin
FDAMecasermin is recombinant human IGF-1, identical to the 70-amino-acid hormone your liver makes in response to growth hormone. Sold as Increlex, it was FDA approved in 2005 for a narrow group: children with severe primary IGF-1 deficiency (mostly Laron syndrome) or a growth hormone gene deletion with antibodies against GH. In those kids it is the only thing that works, because GH cannot do its job. It is not a GH substitute, and its real risks (low blood sugar, tonsil overgrowth, cancer warnings) are why it stays a specialist drug.
Growth HormoneIpamorelin
Clinical TrialsIpamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide growth hormone secretagogue developed by Novo Nordisk and derived from GHRP-1. It is researched mainly for stimulating the body's own growth hormone (GH) release, and was studied in humans primarily for postoperative ileus and gut motility rather than anti-aging. It is not an approved drug anywhere: it reached Phase II trials, was discontinued for insufficient efficacy, and is now sold only as a research chemical.
Growth HormoneWant updates on IGF-1 DES research?
Get an email when we add new research here, when it is back in stock, or when the price drops.