Written by Hannah.T, PhD | Reviewed by Josephine, M.Sc. Nutrition and Food Science

Bioactive Peptides: What They Are & Benefits of Supplements

If you’re following trends in nutrition, you may have heard of bioactive peptides, which are short chains of amino acids found in protein-rich foods. They are gaining attention for their health benefits including antioxidant activity and immune support. In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about peptide supplements and Almased, a scientifically studied dietary and peptide supplement, that uses fermentation to release 63 bioactive peptides through its soy-yogurt-honey blend.

What Are Bioactive Peptides?

Peptides are short pieces of protein (1,2). The size and content of peptides vary, but they’re typically made up of 2 to 50 units of the building blocks of protein (called amino acids) (1,2). Peptides can be produced by your own cells, or they can come from foods like milk, soy, meat, and fish (1,2). The term “bioactive” means that the peptides have a function in your body (1). In fact, bioactive peptides seem to play many roles in your body, from your immune system to your heart (1,2).

Proteins derived from food can be made into bioactive peptides in a science lab in a few different ways. One way is fermentation, which is when bacteria called Lactobacillus break the proteins into short peptides (1). You may have heard of fermentation because it’s the same process that makes cheese, beer, and yogurt. A high-protein peptide supplement brand, Almased, uses fermentation to make bioactive peptides (3).

Another way to make bioactive peptides is enzymatic hydrolysis (1). Though it sounds very complicated, enzymatic hydrolysis is just a way to break protein into short pieces. This process uses a special type of molecule called an enzyme. When producing bioactive peptides in a lab, it’s common to use enzymes from the human digestive tract (1). Gastrointestinal enzymes are designed to digest your food. They can easily make bioactive peptides for supplements (1).

Finally, some medicines will need very specific types of bioactive peptides (1). In this case, chemists will make the peptides from scratch rather than taking them from food (1). Chemical synthesis is not usually used for peptide supplements (1).

What Are the Benefits of Peptide Supplements?

Recent research has shown that bioactive peptides can benefit your health and prevent disease (4). Some bioactive peptides are antioxidants (4). They remove oxidative stress that causes cell damage (4). Antioxidants can help lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes (4). Peptides act as antioxidants by getting rid of bad oxygen species called free radicals and binding small bits of metal in your body (1).
Bioactive peptides can also be antimicrobial (4). Some short pieces of protein kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses that are infecting you (4). For instance, peptides from chia seeds have been shown to weaken the defenses of Escherichia coli (E. coli), a common bacteria that causes infection (5).

There’s evidence that peptides can help treat hypertension (high blood pressure) (4). Hypertension can lead to strokes and heart attacks and is a major global health concern in the obesity epidemic (4). Peptides called ACE inhibitors block a reaction that causes high blood pressure (4). These antihypertensive bioactive peptides are found in peas, soybeans, rice, flaxseed, and milk (4).
Anti-aging is another reported benefit of a class of peptides called bioactive collagen peptides (1). As you age, you lose collagen and elastin in your skin, which makes it wrinkly (1). Collagen peptide supplements stimulate new growth of collagen to freshen and restore your skin (1).
Other reported benefits of bioactive peptides from food and supplements include (1):

Anticancer activity
Immunomodulation (modifying the immune system to improve its function)
Opioid activity (for pain relief)
Cholesterol-lowering

Almased’s Bioactive Peptides Improve Your Health

Almased is a peptide supplement

made from three high-quality natural ingredients: soybeans, yogurt, and enzyme-rich honey (6). While bioactive peptides occur naturally in protein-rich foods, fermentation concentrates them in functional forms that may be easier for your body to absorb. Through a careful fermentation process, Almased delivers 80 bioactive peptides, along with 21 vitamins and minerals (3,6).

Let’s look at each of the protein-rich natural ingredients one by one. For more on how Almased verifies ingredient quality, see our safety standards.

Soy Protein

Soybean plants are common sources of protein produced on a large scale in the United States and worldwide (7).The seeds are protein-rich, containing 48% protein (7). You’ll find soy protein in the grocery store in miso, tofu, tempeh, baby formula, soy milk, and more (7). Soy is becoming more important as a protein source since plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan diets have risen in popularity (8).

Soy is also a source of bioactive peptides. When fermented, like in Almased, it breaks down into smaller peptide fragments that your body can readily absorb.

These peptides complement soy's broader nutritional profile, which has a wide array of benefits, including lowering cholesterol (7). There are also reports that soy can help prevent diabetes, cancer, and obesity (7). In a year-long study of prediabetic people, meal replacement with Almased led to a decrease in cholesterol and weight (9). People taking Almased peptide supplements for weight loss also had improved blood pressure (9).

Yogurt

Yogurt is the protein-rich product of milk fermentation (10). The process of fermentation improves digestion and absorption of the milk protein (10). Thus, yogurt is a great source of peptides that can easily be used by the body (10).

Yogurt and yogurt-derived proteins have several nutritional benefits. For one, yogurt has a positive impact on the gut microbiome (the healthy bacteria in your intestines) (11). The bacteria in yogurt that cause these positive changes are called “probiotics”. One study shows that the probiotics from a yogurt diet can cause diabetic-friendly changes (11). Other research has shown that the high-quality protein from yogurt can strengthen muscles (10).

Similarly, Almased leads to diabetic-friendly changes and strong muscles. In one study of overweight middle-aged men, the combination of Almased and resistance training led to stronger muscles (12). The change in strength was greater than resistance training alone (12). The men taking Almased also had improvements in diabetes measures like blood glucose and insulin levels (12).

Honey

You may assume honey is made entirely of sugar because it’s so sweet. But honey also has proteins, enzymes, amino acids, and minerals (13). Antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects have all been attributed to honey (13). In fact, honey has been used by human beings for thousands of years for its health benefits (14). To unleash these advantages, though, honey has to be consumed in large amounts (13). Almased contains 25% natural honey, providing more than enough honey for all the health benefits (6).

Soy-Yogurt-Honey Blend

Altogether, Almased has the combined benefits of bioactive peptides from soy protein, yogurt, and honey. With 27 grams of protein, a single serving of Almased provides high levels of protein but is low in sugar, fat, and calories (6). More than 30 scientific articles have proven the benefits of the soy-yogurt-honey blend (6). Almased leads to weight loss, diabetic-friendly changes, and lower cholesterol (6).

As a meal replacement or a food supplement, Almased can improve your health through bioactive peptides. Give it a try today!

References:

Akbarian M, Khani A, Eghbalpour S, Uversky VN. Bioactive peptides: synthesis, sources, applications, and proposed mechanisms of action. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(3):1445. doi:10.3390/ijms23031445
Chalamaiah M, Keskin Ulug S, Hong H, Wu J. Regulatory requirements of bioactive peptides (protein hydrolysates) from food proteins. J Funct Food. 2019;58:123-129. doi:10.1016/j.jff.2019.04.050
Ingredients. Almased. Accessed December 26, 2023. https://www.almased.com/why-it-works/ingredients
Zaky AA, Simal-Gandara J, Eun JB, Shim JH, Abd El-Aty AM. Bioactivities, applications, safety, and health benefits of bioactive peptides from food and by-products: a review. Front Nutr. 2022;8:815640. doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.815640
Aguilar-Toalá JE, Deering AJ, Liceaga AM. New insights into the antimicrobial properties of hydrolysates and peptide fractions derived from chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.). Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2020;12(4):1571-1581. doi:10.1007/s12602-020-09653-8
Berg A, McCarthy HD. A soy-yoghurt-honey product as a therapeutic functional food: mode of action and narrative review. Heliyon. 2022;8(11):e11011. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11011
Friedman M, Brandon DL. Nutritional and health benefits of soy proteins. J Agric Food Chem. 2001;49(3):1069-1086. doi:10.1021/jf0009246
Storz MA, Brommer M, Lombardo M, Rizzo G. Soy milk consumption in the United States of America: an NHANES data report. Nutrients. 2023;15(11):2532. doi:10.3390/nu15112532
Röhling M, Kempf K, Banzer W, et al. Prediabetes conversion to normoglycemia is superior adding a low-carbohydrate and energy deficit formula diet to lifestyle intervention—a 12-month subanalysis of the ACOORH trial. Nutrients. 2020;12(7):2022. doi:10.3390/nu12072022
Sumi K, Tagawa R, Yamazaki K, et al. Nutritional value of yogurt as a protein source: digestibility/absorbability and effects on skeletal muscle. Nutrients. 2023;15(20):4366. doi:10.3390/nu15204366
Miller B, Mainali R, Nagpal R, Yadav H. A newly developed synbiotic yogurt prevents diabetes by improving the microbiome–intestine–pancreas axis. IJMS. 2021;22(4):1647. doi:10.3390/ijms22041647
Deibert P, Solleder F, König D, et al. Soy protein based supplementation supports metabolic effects of resistance training in previously untrained middle aged males. Aging Male. 2011;14(4):273-279. doi:10.3109/13685538.2011.565091
Bogdanov S, Jurendic T, Sieber R, Gallmann P. Honey for nutrition and health: a review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2008;27(6):677-689. doi:10.1080/07315724.2008.10719745
Jones R. Prologue: Honey and healing through the ages. J ApiProd ApiMed Sci. 2009;1(1):2-5. doi:10.3896/IBRA.4.01.1.02