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\n Dr Catherine Conlon <\/p>\n
THE US SECRETARY of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d supporters and online influencers are promoting them, while social media is awash with the putative ability of peptides, advertised as \u201cnot fit for human consumption\u201d to enhance fitness, wellness, scar-free skin and luxurious mops of hair.<\/p>\n
A recent RT\u00c9 Prime Time investigation has explored the claims, the safety standards and the possible long-term risks of peptide injectables that are being sold on a grey market in Ireland.<\/p>\n
RT\u00c9 News<\/a> \/ YouTube<\/p>\n Do the claims for enhanced performance, longevity and healing from the use of injectable peptides live up to the hype?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what the science says\u2026\n<\/p>\n What are peptides?<\/p>\n Peptides are molecules that our body uses to send signals from cell to cell and tissue to tissue. They are short strings of amino acids \u2013 the building blocks of proteins. Scientists have identified about 7,000 peptides in the human body.<\/p>\n They act as lightning-fast messengers, conveying signals from one organ to another \u2013 \u201cjust ate lunch,\u201d \u201ctime to sleep,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m hungry.\u201d The GLP-1 peptide is produced in the gut when we eat a meal and travels to the brain and pancreas, telling these organs we are full and to start releasing insulin into the bloodstream.<\/p>\n Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n The first peptide-based medicine, insulin, was discovered in 1921. It also became the first synthetically manufactured peptide in 1982.<\/p>\n Since then, the US FDA has approved 100 different peptide therapeutics for conditions ranging from diabetes to multiple sclerosis to septic shock.<\/p>\n Injectable peptides, containing synthetic sequences built in a lab that are promoted on social media, are different. Most of them, whether it\u2019s helping to heal a sports injury or building muscles, were never developed as medications. There\u2019s not much information on the products\u2019 effectiveness and even less on their safety.<\/p>\n There is a whole plethora of these peptides available online including BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu, MOTS-c that are marketed as having muscle building, fitness, recovery, longevity and other beauty benefits. The social media craze seems to have taken off around 2022, when injecting drugs became \u201cnormalised,\u201d including GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic that were shown to be effective for weight loss.<\/p>\n The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has warned<\/a> against using any injectable substance from unregulated sellers, pointing to risks of infection, contamination and dosage errors. The problem with many of these injectable peptides is that the widely touted benefits refer to what has been seen on a petri dish or in animal studies with limited evidence of what happens in humans.<\/p>\n It works in animals so it should work in humans?<\/p>\n The gap between what works in animal research and what works in humans is enormous. A paper in JAMA (2020) suggested<\/a> that the vast majority (85%) of drugs that show promise in early research fail in clinical trials.<\/p>\n This is very relevant when we look at the claims that are being made for injectable peptides, based on the results of animal studies, in products that have never undergone a high-quality clinical trial.<\/p>\n BPC-157 \u2013 the \u201cWolverine\u201d peptide is a good example. One of the most aggressively marketed peptides, the label \u201cWolverine\u201d comes from the Marvel character that possesses a range of superpowers including highly advanced self-healing abilities and a prolonged lifespan.<\/p>\n Alamy Stock Photo\n<\/p>\n BPC-157 is promoted as having powerful regenerative abilities \u2013 capable of healing tendons, ligaments and muscle injuries. On the recent Prime Time investigation, bodybuilder Neil Rennie took what is known as the \u201cWolverine peptide stack,\u201d a combination of peptides BPC-157 and TB-500, following a serious hamstring and adductor tear. He said the estimated recovery time was six months, but he returned to training in just two months.<\/p>\n In terms of the evidence, animal studies \u2013 predominantly in rodents \u2013 show it may influence angiogenesis (new capillary blood cell formation), collagen synthesis and growth factor signalling in tissue repair.<\/p>\n To date, one human clinical study, published in HSS Journal (2025), involved<\/a> just 12 patients with chronic knee pain receiving BPC-157 injected into the joint. Seven patients reported pain relief lasting more than six months, but the study had significant flaws including no control group to compare results in those who were treated with those who were not.<\/p>\n![\"embargoed-to-0001-wednesday-march-8-file-photo-dated-161024-of-semaglutide-glp-1-weight-loss-drug-wegovy-ads-for-an-online-pharmacy-have-been-banned-for-promoting-prescription-only-weight-loss-me\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792912811_647_.jpeg\")
\n Weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro are peptides. Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n![\"peptides-in-vials-on-a-white-background-with-a-miniature-shopping-cart\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792912812_846_.jpeg\")
\n Alamy Stock Photo<\/p>\n
![\"body-builder-sitting-on-bench-in-gym\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792912813_653_.jpeg\")