# What each compound changes, side by side > Compare NAD+, Ipamorelin, CJC-1295 and MOTS-c — Compare NAD+, Ipamorelin, CJC-1295 and MOTS-c: what each changed, who was tested, and where the human studies stop. **FOUR COMPOUNDS WITH VERY DIFFERENT HUMAN TESTING** You’ll compare tests of energy, exercise, and growth hormone. You’ll see which findings can speak to your body and which can’t. ## Which compound has the best tests in people NAD+ building forms have the most human studies. In some groups, people walked farther or used insulin better. CJC-1295 has studies of blood changes in people. Those CJC-1295 studies didn’t show better health. Ipamorelin has one Phase 2 human trial. Its main goal wasn’t met. MOTS-c has no human treatment trial. CJC-1295 still has more work in people. None is approved to slow aging. None is approved to raise growth hormone for health. You won’t find a use plan here. Each finding below names the bodies or cells studied. You can begin with trials in people. They’ll give you the closest answer to a human health question. ## What each compound changed and failed to prove **NAD+ — what it does:** Every cell makes NAD+. It carries energy and helps repair DNA. **NAD+ — tests in people:** Its two building forms have several human trials [11][12][13]. A few groups had narrow gains. **NAD+ — tests in animals:** Mice kept more NAD+ after researchers removed one protein. Mouse heart work also improved [16][17]. **NAD+ — rule and risk:** Its building forms are sold as supplements. One pharmacy-made vein product had the most serious kind of recall [11]. **Ipamorelin — what it does:** This lab-made peptide prompts the growth gland. The gland sends out growth hormone. **Ipamorelin — tests in people:** A Phase 2 trial had 114 adults and found no clear gain [3][4]. A short vein study only tracked how the body cleared it [3]. **Ipamorelin — tests in animals:** Rat bone growth and ferret weight loss changed. A related compound harmed rat hearts [1][2][5]. **Ipamorelin — rule and risk:** It’s unapproved. A prescription decision belongs to a licensed clinician, and [FDA’s safety list](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks) still places ipamorelin acetate in the 503B Category 2 group; sport rules also ban it [7]. **The long-acting compound — what it does:** It prompts the same gland another way. Its long form lasts about 6 days. **The long-acting compound — tests in people:** Two blood studies had 11 and 30 healthy adults [8][9][10]. Growth hormone and growth factor 1, a liver-made signal, rose. **CJC-1295 — rule and risk:** It’s unapproved. Federal advisers opposed custom pharmacy batches in 2024, and sport rules ban it. **The long-acting compound — key gap:** Drug testing stopped. Federal reviewers also warned that the immune system might attack it [6][9]. **MOTS-c — what it does:** Your cells make this peptide. Exercise raises it, and it can change how cells use fuel. **MOTS-c — tests in people:** One blood study followed 94 people on kidney dialysis [19]. No one received MOTS-c as treatment. **MOTS-c — tests in animals:** Mice moved better and used more sugar [18][21]. Lab work also found a protein it attaches to. **MOTS-c — rule and risk:** It’s unapproved and banned in sport. Treatment testing stops with animals and cells [20]. You can’t give every study equal trust. You’ll rank a claim by the bodies or cells tested. ## What each compound is made from NAD+ already exists in every living cell. Your body can make it from two forms used in pills. Your gut doesn’t take in plain NAD+ well. That’s why most pill studies use the two building forms. A lab makes ipamorelin from five protein parts. CJC-1295 has a 29-amino-acid chain made from protein pieces. The long form adds a chemical part that attaches to albumin, a blood protein. The short form omits the added part. MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide made from protein pieces. Its DNA instructions sit near the cell parts that make energy [20]. Those differences affect the rules. NAD+ building forms are sold as dietary supplements. A licensed prescriber evaluates each patient; neither a lab label nor a prescription changes the ingredient’s pharmacy status. No human drug testing has begun for MOTS-c. You can start with the kind of test behind a claim. A compound’s name alone tells you very little. The four compounds don’t share one set of rules. You’ll need to check each one on its own. ## Where each compound acts in your body NAD+ carries energy inside your cells. Proteins that repair DNA also use it [14][16]. One of those proteins uses more NAD+ with age. That may help explain why tissue levels fall. Ipamorelin prompts the growth gland. It causes a brief rise in growth hormone [4]. CJC-1295 prompts the gland another way. It can keep growth hormone raised for days [9][10]. MOTS-c helps muscle take in sugar when fuel is low. That work happens inside the cell. Under strain, MOTS-c enters the nucleus, where most DNA sits. It changes which cell-defense genes are used [22]. That action differs from prompting a gland. The compounds don’t start in the same place. Each action can change a blood or cell test. Your health still needs a direct test. One changed test can’t predict your health. Look for what people felt or could do. ## How much human testing each compound has NAD+ building forms lead the human work. One form had a safety study against a placebo, a look-alike pill [15]. Another had a large trial with walking tests [12]. A separate trial checked how women’s muscles used insulin [13]. The 2025 review found steady blood rises [11]. It didn’t find broad health gains that held across groups. CJC-1295 has two human blood papers. They show growth hormone and growth factor 1, a liver-made signal, staying high [9][10]. Drug testing then stopped. The 2025 review explains that history [6]. Ipamorelin has one short vein study [4]. Its Phase 2 trial found no clear gain [3]. No later human drug work followed. A clean lab result didn’t become a clear benefit. MOTS-c rests on mouse studies [18][21]. In human cells, MOTS-c entered the nucleus, where most DNA sits [22]. One study in people linked a blood level with later health trouble [19]. No one has tested MOTS-c as a human treatment. You don’t have equal human testing for all four. You’ll get your clearest lead from trials in people. ## What drug and sport rules mean for you None of the four is approved to help you live longer. None is approved simply to raise growth hormone for health. NAD+ building forms are sold as dietary supplements. Federal officials still dispute whether one form belongs in that group. Ipamorelin and CJC-1295 had a federal review in 2024. Advisers opposed custom batches made by local pharmacies [6]. The CJC-1295 review also warned about an immune attack. Your immune system could attack the compound as a threat. World sport rules ban both growth-hormone compounds. Drug tests can find them [7]. World and US sport rules also ban MOTS-c. They place it with compounds that change hormones or fuel use. NAD+ and its two building forms aren’t on that sport list. That doesn’t prove they’re safe for you. You can’t use sport rules as a safety test. You’ll need your doctor to weigh your health risks. --- An independent literature desk for the growth-hormone axis and longevity research — what the peer-reviewed record actually shows, stated plainly and cited precisely.