ResearchSafe

MK-677 and insulin resistance, long-term data still missing

Posted by researcher_rational in Research & News - 5 points, 6 comments.

Been reading through the MK-677 profile here (https://researchsafe.org/peptides/mk-677) and the insulin resistance side effect keeps nagging at me. It's listed right there alongside the benefits but nobody seems to talk about it much in the community.

I ran MK-677 solo for about 12 weeks a while back, 12.5 mg nightly. Sleep felt deeper, recovery seemed a touch better, and my skin looked healthier. But my fasting glucose crept up by the end. Could've been other factors, diet wasn't perfect, but it lined up with what the literature hints at. The ghrelin pathway is great for GH release but it also messes with glucose homeostasis over time.

What bugs me is that most of the human data on MK-677 comes from short studies or specific populations like older adults and catabolic patients. The chronic use patterns people are doing now, months on end, sometimes stacked with CJC-1295 and ipamorelin for round-the-clock GH elevation, that combination hasn't really been studied for metabolic safety in healthy-ish adults.

The superman stack page (https://researchsafe.org/peptides/superman-stack) lists elevated fasting glucose as a side effect too but doesn't quantify risk. Is anyone here getting regular bloodwork while on long-term MK-677? Curious whether the glucose drift is reversible on cessation or if it's a cumulative thing that sticks around. That's the piece i can't find good answers on.

Comments

  • nina_m: Honestly this is exactly why I've been hesitant to try MK-677 even though the sleep and skin benefits sound tempting. The ghrelin agonist mechanism is pretty clear on paper, chronic GH elevation pushes gluconeogenesis and reduces insulin sensitivity. That's not really a mystery pharmacologically. Have you checked your HbA1c before and after, or just fasting glucose? Fasting glucose alone might miss the bigger picture if postprandial spikes are the real issue. I'd want to see both plus maybe a f
  • night_sleep: Ngl she's got a point on the HbA1c thing, fasting glucose alone doesnt tell you much. I only had fasting glucose when I ran it, no HbA1c, no fasting insulin, so honestly my "crept up" observation is kinda weak. Couldve been anything. That said, even with perfect bloodwork from one person its still just one persons data. The mechanism isnt really in question though, GH elevation does push glucose up, thats well established. The real question is whether its reversible on cessation or if it compou
  • fasted_scientist: Ngl I only looked at fasting glucose, didn’t check HbA1c or insulin. Next time I’ll add those plus a post‑meal test to see if it’s just a blip. For me the rise was small and reversed after I stopped, but more data would definitely help.
  • researcher_rational: Good call on adding the post-meal test, that's probably the missing piece for both of us. I only tracked fasting glucose too, never got around to HbA1c or an actual insulin reading. Did your fasting glucose go back to baseline pretty quickly after you stopped, or did it take a few weeks? Mine seemed to normalize but i wasn't testing frequently enough to pin down a timeline.
  • researcher_rational: Yeah the reversibility question is exactly what i was getting at too. I stopped after those 12 weeks and didn't think to recheck glucose afterward, which i kinda regret now. Seemed like water retention normalized within a couple weeks but i never got follow-up labs. That's the gap, nobody's tracking the off-period properly. You'd want fasting insulin and HbA1c before, during, and maybe 4-6 weeks after stopping to even begin answering it.
  • researcher_rational: On the HbA1c, i only tracked fasting glucose so i probably missed the postprandial picture. Didn't think to get fasting insulin at the time either, which in hindsight would've been the smarter move. If i run it again i'll get the full panel beforehand, HbA1c, fasting insulin, the works. Your reply cut off at "also curious, did", what were you gonna ask?

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.