Do Peptides Really Promote Better Health?
Search the term “peptides” and a long list of online retailer options will pop up. You’ll be offered vials of molecules with funky names that sound like exoplanets: GHK-CU, CJC12-95, Thymosin Beta-4. These synthetic peptides are growing popular among biohackers and wellness influencers. They take them, often via injection, in hopes they’ll enhance athletic performance and optimize health.
Among scores of enthusiasts online, fitness TikToker Noah Jay claimed in a recent video that the peptide BPC-157 healed his shoulder injury: “I absolutely love this stuff!” Like many influencers talking up peptides, his profile links to a discount code for an online retailer. (NPR reached out to Noah Jay through his TikTok and Instagram accounts for comment and to ask if he receives any income from the peptide sales, but did not receive a reply.)
But there are risks when using substances that aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration for human use. Here’s what doctors and scientists say about the trend.
Excerpted from NPR
