GLP-2
Glucagon-Like Peptide-2
Also called teduglutide, GATTEX, Revestive, glucagon-like peptide-2
The gut growth factor
GLP-2 is the gut's own repair signal, and the drug version of it is one of the few peptides here that is a proper approved medicine. It makes the lining of the small intestine grow, which is life-changing for people who cannot absorb enough food. It is prescribed for a serious bowel condition, not for general gut complaints.
GLP-2 is the signal your own gut uses to repair and rebuild its lining, released every time you eat. The drug version, teduglutide, is one of the few compounds in this whole library that is a fully approved medicine rather than a research chemical. It is prescribed for people who have lost much of their small intestine and cannot absorb enough food to live on, and for them it can be the difference between eating normally and being fed through a drip. It is not a supplement for a bloated stomach.
- Half-life
- Around two hours for the drug version; natural GLP-2 lasts minutes
- Route
- Injection under the skin, once a day
- Typical dose
- 0.05 mg per kg of body weight daily, prescribed
- Availability
- Research-only
Studied in people, and well studied in animals
What people use GLP-2 for
Reported uses, roughly in order of how often they are the reason someone goes looking. Whether it works for any of them is a separate question, answered under each one.
- Short bowel syndrome
- The approved use, and the reason it exists. People who have lost much of their small intestine often depend on being fed through a drip. This makes the remaining gut lining grow and absorb more, and many patients reduce or escape that dependency.
- Gut lining repair generally
- The reason it turns up in peptide discussions. The mechanism is real and it is genuinely a barrier-repair drug, but it has been tested for a specific severe condition, not for the bloating and irritation most people mean by gut health.
Mechanism of Action
How GLP-2 works
Your gut already makes this. The drug is a version that survives long enough to be useful.
- What it normally does. Cells in your intestine release GLP-2 when food passes by. It tells the lining to grow: taller folds, more surface, better blood flow, tighter seals between cells. It is basic maintenance, running constantly.
- Why a drug was needed. Natural GLP-2 is destroyed within minutes by an enzyme. The medicine changes a single building block so that enzyme cannot get a grip, which stretches its life from minutes to hours.
- What that achieves. More absorbing surface. For someone missing most of their small intestine, that is the whole ballgame: it decides whether food eaten by mouth is enough to live on.
- Why the side effects make sense. A drug whose entire job is making gut tissue grow will cause problems where growth is unwelcome, which is why blockages and existing surgical sites are what prescribers watch.
GLP-2 dosage calculator
Opens at 0.05 mg, from the doses reported for GLP-2. Change any box to match your own vial. It works out where to pull the plunger to.
How much is in the vial?
Printed on the label, in milligrams
How much water did you add?
Bacteriostatic water, in millilitres
What dose are you taking?
The dose you already intend to use
Which syringe?
Barrel size, printed on the wrapper
Draw to
1 units
on a 0.5 mL insulin syringe (0.01 mL)
That lands under 2 units, which is very hard to draw accurately by eye. Adding more water spreads the same dose over more of the barrel.
- Strength once mixed
- 5 mg/mL
- Doses in the vial
- 200
10 mg in 2 mL makes 5 mg/mL. A 0.05 mg dose is 0.01 mL of that, which is 1 units.
Want a rounder number? Adding 20 mL instead would put this dose at exactly 10 units, which is easier to draw accurately.
This is arithmetic, not advice. It converts a dose you already have into a mark on a syringe. It does not tell you what dose to take, and GLP-2 is not prescribed by us. Dosing belongs with a qualified clinician.
GLP-2 side effects: what people reported
Most of what people report follows directly from what the drug does. It makes gut tissue grow, so the complaints are about the gut growing.
What most people notice
- Stomach pain and swelling
- Nausea
- Injection-site reactions
- Fluid retention, particularly in the first weeks
Worth keeping an eye on
- Blockage where the bowel narrows, because the tissue growth is the point
- Existing stoma sites swelling and needing adjustment
- Gallbladder and pancreas problems, which is why prescribers monitor them
The one prescribers watch for
- It encourages growth in the bowel lining, so anyone with a history of gastrointestinal cancer is screened before and during treatment
Source: Clinical trial and post-marketing experience with teduglutide. This is a summary of published findings, not a complete safety profile and not medical advice. GLP-2 should only be considered with a qualified clinician who knows your history.
Your Genetics & GLP-2
The genes involved in how GLP-2 works
GLP-2 works through the receptors these genes build, and the genes vary from person to person. Researchers have linked some of that variation to differences in how people respond. A DNA report tells you which versions you carry.
Variants in the GLP-2 receptor gene affect receptor density and binding affinity. Reduced-function variants may require higher doses of GLP-2 to achieve therapeutic intestinal growth responses.
FUT2 · ••
Non-secretors (AA genotype) have altered gut mucosa glycosylation and microbiome composition. The resulting mucosal vulnerability makes GLP-2's barrier-restoration and growth effects particularly relevant.
DPP-4 is the enzyme that rapidly cleaves and inactivates native GLP-2. Variants affecting DPP-4 activity alter GLP-2 half-life — high DPP-4 expressors clear GLP-2 faster, potentially benefiting from DPP-4-resistant analogs like teduglutide.
GLP-2's intestinal growth effect is partly mediated through local IGF-1 release. Variants affecting IGF-1 expression may modulate the downstream proliferative response to GLP-2 receptor activation.
The dots after each gene are where your own result goes. Your report fills them in with the two letters you carry at that position.
Which variants do you carry?
Upload your DNA data, or get tested through our partner, to find out.
Commonly combined with
What GLP-2 is most often paired with, and why:
KPV
Gut Repair + Anti-Inflammatory StackEmerging EvidenceKPV (Lys-Pro-Val)
A three-amino-acid fragment snipped off the end of a hormone your body already makes. Almost every page describes it as switching on a melanocortin receptor; the research fairly clearly says it does not. What it appears to do instead is more interesting, and it is why nearly all the good data is about the gut rather than skin.
4
Gene variants
15+
Studies
BPC-157
Complete Gut Restoration StackModerate EvidenceBody Protection Compound 157
BPC-157 is the peptide people reach for when something will not heal. Tendons, ligaments, a gut that has been irritated by painkillers, an injury that has stalled. It is a short chain of amino acids copied from part of a protein your stomach already makes, and the animal research on it is unusually consistent for this category: across a lot of separate rat studies, injured tissue healed faster than it did without it. The gap is that this has largely not been repeated in people, and it is not an approved medicine, so nobody is checking what is in the vial you buy.
3
Gene variants
19+
Studies
Sourcing & access
Where to buy GLP-2
GLP-2 is sold as a research compound, not a licensed medicine, so quality and legal status vary widely by country and vendor. If you're sourcing it, treat independent purity testing as non-negotiable.
- Insist on a recent third-party Certificate of Analysis (COA) for the exact batch — labs like Janoshik verify purity and identity.
- Check the legal status where you live before ordering — it differs from country to country.
- Reconstitute correctly with bacteriostatic water and start at a conservative dose.
Before you buy: see whether your DNA actually responds to GLP-2, and at what dose. Analyze my DNA — $99 →
Educational information only, not medical advice. Some outbound links are affiliate links (disclosed, at no extra cost to you). Most peptides are not FDA-approved — consult a qualified professional and check your local laws before purchasing.
Worth knowing before you consider GLP-2
Interactions and situations where there is a specific reason to be careful. Where the honest answer is that nobody has studied something, it says so and says what that leaves open.
- This is a prescription medicine, not a research vial
- It is approved, expensive and prescribed for a narrow condition. Because it is an approved drug it cannot legally be made up by a compounding pharmacy either, so there is no grey-market route that is the real thing.
- Not a leaky-gut supplement
- The gap between what it does and what it is marketed for online is wide. It was tested in people missing much of their small intestine, and that is not the same problem as feeling bloated.
Last updated
Frequently Asked Questions
What is GLP-2 used for?
GLP-2 is used to stimulate intestinal growth, repair gut barrier function, and enhance nutrient absorption. Its FDA-approved analog teduglutide (Gattex) treats short bowel syndrome. In peptide protocols, GLP-2 targets gut permeability, malabsorption, and intestinal recovery after damage from IBD, chemotherapy, or chronic inflammation.
How is GLP-2 different from GLP-1?
GLP-1 and GLP-2 are co-secreted by intestinal L-cells but have different targets. GLP-1 acts on the pancreas (insulin secretion) and brain (appetite suppression) — it's the basis for semaglutide/Ozempic. GLP-2 acts on the intestine itself, driving epithelial growth and repair. They are complementary, not interchangeable.
Does genetics affect GLP-2 response?
Yes. GLP2R variants affect receptor binding and signaling efficiency. DPP-4 variants determine how quickly your body degrades native GLP-2. FUT2 secretor status influences baseline gut mucosal health. Genetic testing identifies these factors to optimize protocol design and dosing strategy.
Learn more about GLP-2
peptide guides
In depthGLP-2 Gut Healing: The Forgotten GLP Peptide That Actually Repairs Your Gut Lining
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peptide guides
In depthBest Peptides for Gut Health in 2026: KPV, GLP-2, and the One That Actually Has Human Data
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genetics
Akkermansia Gut Repair: Why Your Genetics Decide If It Works
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In depthWhy Leaky Gut Destroys Your Liver (And How BPC-157 and GLP-2 Stop the Damage)
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How to Read Peptide Bloodwork: 7 Numbers That Actually Matter
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stacking
Semax, Selank, Dihexa Stack: 7 Rules for Dosing by Genotype
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Your next move
Two ways forward with GLP-2.
Not sure it's for you?
How does GLP-2 relate to your genes?
Your report scores GLP-2 against your receptor, pharmacogene and pathway variants and shows the genetic markers relevant to it, with commonly cited dosing information to review with a clinician.
Analyze my DNA — $99