{"id":500512,"date":"2026-06-19T07:57:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T07:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/500512\/"},"modified":"2026-06-19T07:57:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T07:57:24","slug":"influencers-say-peptides-are-miracle-drugs-fit-and-healthy-but-are-they-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/500512\/","title":{"rendered":"Influencers say peptides are miracle drugs fit and healthy. But are they safe?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unrealistic beauty standards are nothing new, but the ever-growing list of solutions people seek out to maintain those standards seems to change day by day. First it was beef tallow<\/a>, then taurine<\/a>, and now peptides<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Influencers across social media<\/a> are promoting peptides as \u201cmiracle\u201d drugs, saying they help with everything from weight loss and cognitive function to anti-aging and getting glowing skin. There\u2019s just one problem: they\u2019re not regulated.<\/p>\n

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While Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced earlier this year the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is weighing whether to loosen restrictions on peptides<\/a>, it hasn\u2019t happened yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, thousands of Americans are too impatient to wait for these drugs to clear the bureaucratic red tape to get the glow up of their dreams. So they\u2019re turning to the so-called \u201cgray market\u201d to get what they\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n

What are peptides?<\/p>\n

Peptides are short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. They\u2019re naturally found in the human body and act as messengers to cells, telling them when to do things like produce hormones, repair damaged tissue, and reduce inflammation, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Insulin, for instance, is one of the most well-known peptides.<\/p>\n

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Peptides like collagen and elastin are widely and safely used in topical forms as part of many skin care routines.<\/p>\n

\u2018Everything comes with a risk \u2026 but for me it\u2019s so worth it\u2019<\/p>\n

While the human body produces its own peptides, many people are turning to lab-made creations to change their look. Despite the lack of regulation, influencers across the internet are touting the injectable drugs.<\/p>\n

Fitness influencer Ryan Johnson, who uses his own glow up<\/a> to promote himself, is a big promoter of peptides, often sharing his experiences using the drugs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was an easy person to disrespect cause I wouldn\u2019t stand up for myself physically or mentally,\u201d he told The Guardian.<\/a> \u201cAnd I get a lot of young men come to me, they\u2019re just like, \u2018I wanna feel respected by the people around me so I wanna get bigger and I wanna look better, you know, but also change what I see in myself.\u2019 Cause if you change what you see in yourself, you won\u2019t allow people to treat you that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Johnson markets peptides as life changing, saying they do everything from help him achieve the perfect tan and \u201cjacked\u201d physique to improve his sex life.<\/p>\n

Many of Johnson\u2019s posts advertise the products, saying he\u2019ll give those who directly message him the information about where he gets his peptides. When asked whether he believes he\u2019s being irresponsible in doing so, Johnson brushed off the concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything comes with a risk, of course, but for me it\u2019s so worth it,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s attitude toward the drugs seems to be common among peptide users. Heather Craig, an artist who said her illnesses kept her from being able to work, told The Guardian it doesn\u2019t matter that the drugs are unregulated, because she doesn\u2019t trust the FDA, anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m honestly not concerned,\u201d Craig said. \u201cIt just doesn\u2019t seem that bad. I mean, like, it\u2019s literally a naturally occurring amino chain acid that happens in your body and they\u2019re recreating it in a lab.\u201d<\/p>\n

But doctors beg to differ, saying you can\u2019t always be sure you\u2019re getting what you order. While there are plenty of legitimate peptides out there (like most GLP-1s), many peptides are manufactured in China and don\u2019t adhere to U.S. health and safety standards.<\/p>\n

A cardiologist, Dr. Eric Topol, told The Guardian that about 20% of the peptides people buy aren\u2019t really what they\u2019re being sold as. Guardian writer Adam Gabbatt tested that himself, ordering peptides from an online pharmacy. An independent lab found his order contained none of the peptide he paid for \u2014 but did contain arsenic and lead.<\/p>\n

\"\"SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA \u2013 DECEMBER 04: Dr. Eric Topol, EVP, Scripps Research speaks onstage during \u201cThe Science of Super Agers\u201d at WIRED\u2019s The Big Interview 2025 at The Midway SF on December 04, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White\/Getty Images for Wired)<\/p>\n

Topol also warns that there\u2019s no scientific evidence to back up the claims about these \u201cmiracle\u201d drugs, and there\u2019s no telling what the long-term effects of using them could be.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the very popular groups of peptides is related to growth hormone and while that could increase some muscle mass, it has no proven effect on promoting longevity or lifespan \u2014 but what it could do is unleash tumor progression,\u201d Topol said.<\/p>\n

The \u2018gray market\u2019<\/p>\n

So, how are people getting their hands on these peptides if they\u2019re not legal? Something called the \u201cgray market.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

The gray market refers to the legal gray area into which these drugs fall. Legally, peptides can be sold for lab and research purposes \u2014 labeled \u201cnot for human consumption.\u201d But once they\u2019ve been shipped off, there\u2019s no way for the manufacturer to know exactly how the drugs are being used and if humans are ignoring the warning.<\/p>\n

Round out your reading<\/p>\n