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- The Peptide Stack For Kidney Health
Happy Friday!
When I first got into biohacking, I honestly didn’t think much about kidney health.
I was focused on testosterone, peptides, fat loss, and feeling better.
However, once I started working with real people, I realized how many folks around the world struggle with kidney disease.
Recent data shows that chronic kidney disease is now in the top ten causes of death worldwide and is affecting close to 800 million people.
In the United States alone, about one in seven adults (roughly 37 million people) has some level of chronic kidney disease, and most have no clue.
So I decided to put together my best version of a kidney health peptide stack.
I just released a new deep dive on Spotify that walks through this entire protocol in detail.
This email is the written companion to that episode.
As always, this is not medical advice, and I am not a doctor.
It is simply what I have seen work when you combine published data with real-world experience in the peptide world.
Let’s dive in!
FYI, BioLongevity Labs is running a sale on the following items below. They are 20% off and you can get an additional 15% off when you use code HUNTERW at checkout!
Agent 1 - SS-31
If you have followed me for any amount of time you know how much I love SS-31.
In simple terms, SS-31 is a mitochondria-targeted peptide that slides into the inner mitochondrial membrane and helps electrons flow more efficiently.
When electrons leak, they create reactive oxygen species that beat up your kidney cells day after day.
SS-31 reduces that leak, preserves ATP production, and slows the rate of tubular cell death.
It also calms down inflammatory signaling in stressed kidneys.
For everyday longevity, many people take 1 or 2mg per day.
For actual kidney disease, I like to increase the dose.
In this protocol, I use 10mg per day subcutaneously for 12 weeks.
You can run it five days on and two days off or just every day if you tolerate it. Is that expensive right now?
Yes.
Is it the most powerful single piece of this stack?
In my opinion, also yes.
I have seen people’s labs and symptoms change dramatically in a way that lower doses do not touch.
Agent 2 - Jardiance
Most people still think of Jardiance as a diabetes drug.
I see it as a kidney and longevity drug that also happens to lower blood sugar.
If you are insulin-resistant, prediabetic, or diabetic, your kidneys are basically walking around with a sixty-pound weight vest on all the time.
They are trying to reabsorb large amounts of glucose, which causes hyperfiltration and mechanical stress on the glomerulus.
Over time, that beats up the filtration barrier, and you start leaking protein into the urine.
Jardiance blocks glucose reabsorption in the proximal tubule and restores a more normal feedback loop in the kidney.
That lowers intraglomerular pressure, protects podocytes, and slows down the scarring process.
On top of that, it nudges you toward mild ketosis and activates AMPK, which shuts down some of the fibrotic and inflammatory pathways that trash kidney tissue.
The dose I like here is 25mg per day taken orally.
If my labs and my doctor were on board, I would be happy to use it indefinitely for kidney and cardiovascular protection.
In a stack like this, it is the quiet workhorse that keeps stress off the system while the peptides go in and rebuild.
Agent 3 - Glutathione
Glutathione is your master antioxidant.
As we age, our natural glutathione levels decline, and the kidneys lose an important layer of protection against reactive oxygen species and bloodborne toxins.
Glutathione is the fire suppression system that puts out the little fires that still pop up here and there.
For this protocol, I like 200mg intramuscularly three times per week for at least 12 weeks.
You can absolutely go higher if you have a heavy toxic burden, but most people will get a lot of benefit at this baseline dose when it is stacked with everything else.
The goal is to restore a robust antioxidant shield so your kidneys are not being peppered by oxidative hits every second of the day.
When you combine SS-31 with glutathione, you create a much calmer internal environment for kidney cells to repair, rather than constantly defending.
Agent 4 - ARA-290
ARA-290 is derived from erythropoietin but modified so it doesn’t crank your red blood cell count through the roof.
Instead, it binds to a receptor called the innate repair receptor and activates a suite of anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and tissue-protective signals.
Clinically, it has been used a lot for diabetic neuropathy and nerve pain, but when you look at the data, you see very compelling evidence for kidney protection as well.
In models of kidney ischemia-reperfusion, ARA-290 improves kidney function, reduces acute tubular injury, and lowers tissue levels of inflammatory cytokines.
It also supports endothelial health and microvascular repair, which matters because the tiny vessels feeding your nephrons are life-or-death for filtration.
The dose I like in this stack is 2mg per day subcutaneous for 12 weeks.
I see ARA-290 as the peptide that helps break the cycle in which stress triggers inflammation, which triggers fibrosis, which triggers more stress.
Agent 5 - MOTS-c
Most people know MOTS-c as a performance and fat loss peptide, but in the context of kidney health, it is really about lowering the metabolic burden that is crushing your kidneys over time.
MOTS-c is a mitochondrial-derived peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA that acts like a systemic stress signal.
It activates AMPK, enhances insulin sensitivity, promotes fatty acid oxidation, and ramps up your own antioxidant defenses.
In people with chronic kidney disease, MOTS-c levels are often low, which makes sense when you realize the entire organism is under metabolic strain.
The dose I like for this kidney stack is 1mg subcutaneously per day for 12 weeks.
When you pair MOTS-c with Jardiance, you get reduced glucose reabsorption in the kidneys and a more youthful metabolic profile that feeds into the system.
That means fewer blood sugar spikes, less lipid accumulation in the tubules, less metabolic exhaust driving oxidative stress, and more margin for the kidneys to do their job.
Final Thoughts
Here’s a summary table just for reference:
Compound | Dose & Schedule |
|---|---|
SS-31 | 10 mg per day, subcutaneous, for 12 weeks |
Jardiance (empagliflozin) | 25 mg per day, oral, ongoing (no planned stop) |
Glutathione | 200 mg intramuscularly, 3× per week (e.g. Mon/Wed/Fri) |
ARA-290 (cibinetide) | 2 mg per day, subcutaneous, for 12 weeks |
MOTS-c | 1 mg per day, subcutaneous, for 12 weeks |
Will this magically fix end-stage kidney disease?
No.
But if you are in that borderline zone where your eGFR is slipping, your albumin-to-creatinine ratio is creeping up, and you know you have metabolic stress on board, I truly believe this stack can take a lot of weight off your kidneys and help you trend back in the right direction.
If you want to go deeper on how all of this works, definitely listen to the new Spotify episode.
And if you know someone dealing with kidney issues, forward this email to them.
These are all tools they can research and discuss with their own clinician inside a Medicine 3.0 framework.
Thank you, as always, for reading, listening, and caring about your health at this level.
It means the world to me that I get to bring this information to you!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Hunter Williams
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