SS-31 / Elamipretide — mitochondrial targeting, anyone running it?

SS-31 Phase 3 data in primary mitochondrial myopathy was disappointing. That doesn't mean the mechanism is wrong, it means the effect size in that population was smaller than hoped. Extrapolating to healthy longevity users is a big leap.

Ran 2 mg/day for 6 weeks. Subjectively felt 'tighter' during cardio — perceived exertion a little lower at the same pace. Could be placebo. Labs didn't move meaningfully.

SS-31 is a classic example where the mechanism is cool but the therapeutic window for a generally healthy person is probably small. Most of the upside is in compromised mitochondria. Healthy mitochondria don't have much room to 'tighten.'

If you want to improve mitochondrial phenotype as a healthy adult, Zone 2 cardio + heat + cold dominates any peptide. SS-31 is a rescue compound for dysfunctional mito, not a performance enhancer for working ones.

Agree on the rescue-vs-enhancement distinction. Running SS-31 prophylactically without a specific mitochondrial deficit is optimizing a variable that's already near ceiling.

Good pushback, appreciated. I'll hold off and stick with MOTS-c for the mito lever.

If you did want to run SS-31, I'd do it as a time-limited experiment (6-8 weeks) with specific mitochondrial markers (lactate at submax, perceived exertion at fixed power) rather than vague 'feels better.'

Yeah the mechanism stuff is neat but honestly I got sidetracked reading about cardiolipin biology for like two hours and ended up going down a rabbit hole on how mitochondrial dysfunction correlates with sarcopenia in aging, which then led me to thinking about whether SS-31 even crosses the BBB or if it's mostly peripheral. The thread consensus seems right though, rescue compound not enhancement. I'd be more curious if anyone's stacking it with something like urolithin A or NAD precursors for synergy but prob not worth the hassle for someone without actual mito issues.

The real question nobody's asking is what your baseline mitochondrial function actually is. Like, did any of you get a DEXA, VO2 max test, or lactate threshold measured before even considering this? Because running SS-31 "prophylactically" without knowing if you actually have a deficit is just expensive pissing in the wind. Even epi_cycler's 6-8 week experiment doesn't help if you don't have concrete pre/post data. Just saying "I feel better" after spending money on peptides is how people end up chasing their tails for years.