The latest fad taking over the wellness world comes in the form of something a little more extreme than usual; an injection. However, as we know from the famous slogan ‘beauty is pain,’ people are willing to try almost anything in the pursuit of everlasting youth and a better body — especially celebrities.
Although it sounds dramatic, and certainly is for that matter, people puncturing their skin to “look better” has been around for over a century.
Between bodybuilders injecting steroids to bulk up, and age-defying celebs like Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow singing their praises; the peptide craze should come as no surprise.
To learn more about these mysterious jabs and all of the miracles they claim to perform, WHO spoke to Ian Musgrave, a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology at Adelaide University.
What are injectable peptides?
Injectable peptides are short strings of amino acids that “typically mimic natural hormones” according to Musgrave.
For example: Retatrutide acts like the hormone Glucagon and helps to control blood sugar and appetite, and BPC-157 is based on the naturally occurring gastric hormone that helps with healing.
Where can you buy injectable peptides?
Injectable peptides are available for purchase online for “research purposes,” however, sites selling the freeze-dried peptide powder require no ID, no age verification and no proof of your research organisation.
The expert warns that these peptides are “not manufactured to the standard used in medicine” and “they may be 99% pure but the remaining 1% may be problematic.”
He also added that unlike approved peptides like insulin, growth hormone or semaglutide, sterility is not guaranteed.
“As well there have been instances of counterfeit peptides which may not even contain any valid peptides,” Musgrave adds.
Are injectable peptides a bad thing?
Whether injectable peptides are a “bad thing” or not really depends on how well they’ve been tested, how they’re made, and how you’re using them.
According to Musgrave, some peptides like Retatrutide are actually being properly studied in medical trials.
Early results show it can help people with type 2 diabetes control blood sugar and lose weight, however, the drug is not approved for weight loss yet.
“It is likely to be,” Musgrave says, before adding that “serious side effects like pancreatitis with Retatrutide are rare”, however, taking a “research grade” peptide that has not been formulated to medical grade standards without supervision means that side effects can turn problematic quickly.
In good news for animals, BPC-157 has been proven effective in models, unfortunately, the same cannot be said for people as the only human clinical trial was cancelled with no results reported.
“This is particularly concerning,” Musgrave explains, “At the very best you are paying good money for a placebo, at the worst you are risking severe side effects because the peptide has not been characterised for safety.”
Can they really help slow down the signs of aging and improve body composition?
“Retatrutide can definitely improve body composition in Type II diabetics,” says Musgrave, “but we are awaiting clinical trial confirmation of this for non diabetics.”
He also added that AOD9604 (marketed as a fat loss drug), BPC-157, Thymosin Beta 4 (said to speed up recovery), GHK-Cu / copper tripeptide (marketed as an anti-ageing drug) and many others have no good evidence of any effect in humans.
“Most of the injectable peptides for sale on the internet are basically expensive placebos,” he concludes.
What demographic of people are you seeing using injectable peptides?
“Amateur athletes and gym users, seeking an edge in performance or improved tissue healing, body builders and people seeking weight-loss,” Musgrave reveals.
What are the negative side effects of injectable peptides (short term and long term)?
Side effects depend very much on the peptide.
For retatrutide, Musgrave says that “nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and constipation, were reported in 35% of subjects in a clinical trial. Severe side effects are rare, for example pancreatitis was seen in between 0.3-1% of recipients.”
However, Musgrave explained that the risks for the others are unknown as insufficient controlled clinical trials have been conducted.
“One issue that is poorly understood is that although peptides from ‘research’ sources may have the correct sequences, the peptides may misfold and aggregate, which could lead to immunogenicity and potential immune reaction or even anaphylaxis on repeat exposure.
“This is not an issue in tissue culture of one-off animal experiments, but a real issue for people repeatedly injecting themselves.”
As an expert on the matter would you ever recommend injectable peptides to someone?
“No, if the peptide is not an approved medication, there is no good evidence the peptide works, no good evidence on safety, and the preparation has not been manufactured according to Good Manufacturing Practice for human mediations. The chance of encountering a counterfeit product is also high,” Musgrave says.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
