Follistatin vs Teduglutide
Side-by-side comparison of key properties, dosing, and research.
Anabolic & IGF
FollistatinRecovery & Repair
Teduglutide- Summary
- Follistatin is an endogenous glycoprotein that acts as a potent inhibitor of myostatin and activin, two proteins that limit muscle growth. By binding and neutralizing myostatin, follistatin removes the primary brake on skeletal muscle hypertrophy, enabling significant muscle growth beyond normal physiological limits. It is distinct from its isoforms Follistatin 315 and Follistatin 344 in tissue distribution and binding affinity.
- Teduglutide is a GLP-2 (glucagon-like peptide-2) analog with enhanced stability. Unlike GLP-1, GLP-2 specifically acts on the intestinal epithelium to increase intestinal length, villus height, and absorption surface area. FDA-approved as Gattex for short bowel syndrome, it is also being investigated for IBD, leaky gut, and mucosal healing.
- Half-Life
- ~3–5 hours (endogenous form)
- ~2 hours; once-daily dosing due to gut-specific residence
- Admin Route
- IM, SubQ
- SubQ
- Research
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- —
- Typical Dose
- 50–100 mcg per injection site
- 0.05 mg/kg/day
- Frequency
- Every other day or 2–3x per week
- Once daily
- Key Benefits
- Potent myostatin inhibition enabling supraphysiological muscle growth
- Increases skeletal muscle mass and fiber size
- May accelerate recovery from muscle injury
- Potential benefits in muscular dystrophy and sarcopenia
- Synergistic with IGF-1 and growth hormone in anabolic protocols
- Animal studies show dramatic increases in muscle mass
- Reduces muscle fibrosis in dystrophic models
- Increases intestinal villus height and absorption surface area
- Reduces intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
- FDA-approved for short bowel syndrome
- Reduces parenteral nutrition dependence in SBS patients
- Promotes intestinal mucosal healing in IBD
- Increases tight junction proteins ZO-1 and occludin
- Side Effects
- Potential for excessive muscle growth if doses are not controlled
- FSH suppression with implications for fertility in women
- Theoretical risk of cardiac hypertrophy with prolonged high-dose use
- Limited human safety data available
- +1 more
- Injection site reactions
- Abdominal pain and bloating
- Nausea
- Risk of intestinal polyp growth (requires colonoscopy surveillance)
- +1 more
- Stacks With
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