EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 Peptides are showing up everywhere on social media, promoted as the next big thing in health and wellness. But a local doctor is urging people to be cautious about what\u2019s being sold online and where it\u2019s coming from.<\/p>\n
Dr. Luis Ortiz, once again joining ARC El Paso for the weekly segment: Medical Mythbusters, says peptides are \u201cbasically short chains of amino acids and noted the body naturally produces thousands of them.<\/p>\n
Ortiz said many common medical therapies are peptide-based, including insulin, GLP-1s and oxytocin.<\/p>\n
But he drew a distinction between established medications and what he described as \u201cresearch peptides\u201d being marketed in the wellness space. Ortiz pointed to products such as BPC-157, TB-500 and GHKQ, which he said are being sold and promoted as cutting-edge health and wellness solutions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is that these peptides are really similar to the ones we already have in the market, but these peptide wellness are largely unstudied in human trials,\u201d Ortiz said. He said results being promoted often come from animal studies and that the products are not regulated for safety or whether they work.<\/p>\n
Ortiz also raised concerns about the quality and sourcing of some of these products, saying many come from different countries and may carry risks related to effects, side effects, dosing and purity.<\/p>\n
He said consumers should also understand that the wellness industry is not required to go through rigorous clinical trials. Ortiz said companies can rely on preclinical trials involving mice and rats and then market products using anecdotal stories.<\/p>\n
Ortiz urged people to be careful about relying on social media claims and influencer promotions when it comes to products they put into their bodies.<\/p>\n
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