Peptide therapy is popular, thanks in part to the Trump administration's more liberal policy on these treatments. (Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
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There’s a peptide craze in America. Believed by some to help with healing, recovery and reduction of inflammation, advocates go so far as to suggest peptides can increase longevity. Millions of Americans are currently injecting unapproved chemicals like peptides promoted by a hodgepodge of wellness influencers and celebrity podcasters. They are turning to these people for a lot of their health information and even for treatment, often in the form of unproven therapies.
This reflects a larger and perhaps insidious problem in the United States, where there’s been an erosion in trust in public health, in doctors and in the medical profession as a whole.
Roughly half of Americans under 50 get their health information from (wellness) influencers. Here, it appears a libertarian-inspired approach to healthcare has caught on. The “do your own research” crowd suggests people should gather information on remedies, often promoted and used by influencers, to inform choices with respect to which (alternative) treatments to pursue and from whom. From the anti-parasitic ivermectin to psilocybin ("magic mushrooms") to peptides, people are self-treating for a variety of health conditions without professional clinical guidance.
Worldwide, the wellness industry is lucrative, as it’s worth trillions of dollars and is growing substantially. But the risks of taking the wrong substance, dose or combination of products are real.
Furthermore, it’s conspicuous that a Pew Research Center analysis of thousands of large wellness accounts found that only around 40% have a formal medical professional background. The majority are business owners and so-called life coaches. Relying on these sources for health advice and products may not be in the interests of consumers’ well-being.
Promoted by influencers and supporters of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, peptides promise to heal injuries, build muscle and improve sex drive, among other things. But most peptides have limited clinical evidence to support health benefits or demonstrate their safety.
Journalist Sara Talpos wrote a brilliant exposé on peptides in Undark, revealing intriguing facets of peptide-based therapies, including their history and applications. Peptides are short and simple chains of amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. In the body, they often serve as an inter-cellular communication system. Some peptides are approved for marketing by regulatory authorities like the Food and Drug Administration and taken regularly as medicines by tens of millions of people annually. Examples include insulin for diabetics, as well as GLP-1s such as Ozempic and Wegovy that can be used for weight loss. Others, such as BPC-157, have been embraced by wellness influencers and popular podcasters like Joe Rogan as a treatment for patients seeking relief from health conditions that may not be well-managed with conventional medical treatment.
BPC-157 is a synthetic peptide derived from gastric juice. It’s touted by influencers for its potential to accelerate tissue healing and gut repair. But human data is currently limited to several small studies. And there are concerns regarding possible negative effects of angiogenesis associated with peptides. This is the process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing ones and is essential for normal cellular growth and wound healing. However, it also plays a role in cancer where it supplies tumors with the oxygen and nutrients needed to grow and spread.
Americans are self-administering unapproved peptides like BPC-157 based on what they see on forums such as Reddit, and generally not from what the advice of their physicians.
MedPage Today reported this week that at the annual meeting of the American Medical Association delegates urged the FDA to do a better job regulating unapproved peptides. The group recommends that unapproved synthetic peptide products, currently being obtained from mostly unregulated sources in the “gray market,” undergo rigorous regulatory review and clinical trials before marketing in proper channels.
Traditionally, the FDA has strongly warned against using unapproved peptides owing to a lack of data from clinical human trials, the risks of allergic reactions and unknown manufacturing impurities, particularly when compounded.
But Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to loosen restrictions on experimental medical treatments, including unapproved peptides. And as a top federal government official whose allies include numerous wellness folks, it appears Kennedy is taking the role of unconventional influencer to the next level.
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