MOTS-c
A peptide your mitochondria encode themselves. Interesting biology, almost entirely animal evidence.
Not approved anywhere
| What it is | A 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA rather than nuclear DNA. |
|---|---|
| How it is thought to work | Appears to act through AMPK, improving insulin sensitivity and metabolic flexibility in animal models. Levels fall with age. |
| What the evidence actually shows | Mouse studies show improved insulin sensitivity and exercise capacity. Human work is observational — associations between circulating levels and fitness or metabolic health — rather than interventional. |
| Regulatory status | Not approved. Sold as a research chemical. |
| Dosing | No established human dose. No interventional human trial has set one. |
| In the catalog as |
Risks and cautions
- Essentially unknown in humans. Absence of reported harm is not evidence of safety when nobody has looked systematically.
Why this matters specifically with EDS
Mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported in hypermobile EDS in a 2025 scoping review, which is why this compound comes up in EDS groups. That review describes an association; it does not show that supplementing a mitochondrial peptide changes anything.
Sources
Before you act on any of this
This page describes what is known and what is not. It is not a recommendation to use anything, and it is not a protocol. Compounds listed as research chemicals are not approved medicines and are not sold for human use. Talk to a doctor who knows your history.