{"id":92110,"date":"2026-07-23T13:37:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:37:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=92110"},"modified":"2026-07-23T13:37:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T19:37:04","slug":"peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Peptides are surging in popularity. What are they, and do they work? Why doctors are urging caution."},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><figure id=\"attachment_92118\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-92118\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-92118\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23124506\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.webp\" alt=\"athlete talking to a physical therapist. Injectable peptides for orthopedic and sports injuries, recovery, and more are getting a lot of attention. The hype is outpacing the science.\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-92118\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Injectable peptides for orthopedic and sports injuries, recovery, and more are getting a lot of attention. S far, the hype is outpacing the science. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Podcasters promote peptides. Influencers swear by peptides. Many wellness centers offer peptides. And some medical professionals even endorse them.<\/p>\n<p>More and more patients are asking their providers about using peptides, or they\u2019re bypassing their doctors altogether and are actually injecting peptides \u2014 most of which lack U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.<\/p>\n<p>People who are injecting peptides hope they\u2019ll help with conditions including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/diseases-conditions\/ulcerative-colitis\/\">ulcerative colitis<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/diseases-conditions\/osteoporosis\/\">osteoporosis<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/diseases-conditions\/insomnia\/\">insomnia<\/a>. Promoters claim peptides boost energy, speed recovery and healing, and more. Athletes with muscle, tendon, cartilage, and ligament problems have been particularly curious about peptides, orthopedics and sports medicine experts say.<\/p>\n<p>But what are peptides? What do they actually do? Are they safe? What\u2019s the FDA\u2019s stance on them, and is that changing?<\/p>\n<p>To help answer these and other questions about peptides, we talked with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/jack-spittler-md\/\">Dr. Jack Spittler<\/a>, a family medicine and orthopedics\/sports medicine primary care specialist and orthopedic surgeon, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/provider\/rachel-frank-md\/\">Dr. Rachel Frank<\/a>, who specializes in joint preservation and cartilage restoration.<\/p>\n<p>Frank and Spittler are both team physicians for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/readysetco\/rapids\/\">Colorado Rapids<\/a>, and Frank is a U.S. Soccer team doctor. Spittler also serves as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/readysetco\/nuggets\/\">Denver Nuggets<\/a> team doctor. They\u2019re both fielding more and more questions about peptides.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What are peptides?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Peptides are short chains of the same amino acids that link up to make proteins. The difference is size. Peptides max out at about 50 amino acids; from there, it\u2019s a protein.<\/p>\n<p>The body contains more than 7,000 peptides. They serve as messengers and system regulators in many roles. They are signaling molecules, neurotransmitters, infection-fighters, and growth factors that promote tissue repair and healing. That last area is getting the most attention now.<\/p>\n<p>Insulin, which moves sugar from the bloodstream into cells, is a peptide. So is GLP-1 (synthetic GLP-1s such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wegovy-vs-ozempic-the-truth-about-new-weight-loss-drugs\/\">Ozempic, Wegovy<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/zepbound-weight-loss-drug-compared-to-mounjaro-wegovy-ozempic\/\">Zepbound<\/a> provide a boost for weight loss). Erythropoietin, or EPO, is a peptide that regulates the production of red blood cells. As a drug, it gained infamy as a Tour de France performance enhancer.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What are some examples of synthetic peptides that health influencers promote?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>There are many synthetic peptides, and the number is growing. We\u2019ll start with the seven peptides that the FDA\u2019s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee is considering during a meeting this month. Committee members are examining peptides for designated purposes, but many users claim benefits that go far beyond touted uses. You\u2019ll hear all about peptides as anti-aging therapies and energy boosters, for example.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>BPC-157 (for ulcerative colitis), but this \u201cWolverine peptide\u201d is touted as bringing diverse healing benefits.<\/li>\n<li>TB-500 (wound healing), but it\u2019s also being used to reduce inflammation and injury recovery.<\/li>\n<li>KPV (wound healing and inflammatory conditions).<\/li>\n<li>MOTs-C (obesity and osteoporosis).<\/li>\n<li>Emideltide (opioid withdrawal, chronic insomnia, narcolepsy).<\/li>\n<li>Semax (cerebral ischemia, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia).<\/li>\n<li>Epitalon (insomnia).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>Which peptides are you hearing the most about in sports medicine?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>BPC-157 and TB-500 are the most common peptides that athletes are discussing. Many are seeking faster healing of tendon, ligament, cartilage or muscle damage, said Frank, who is also a <a href=\"https:\/\/som.cuanschutz.edu\/Profiles\/Faculty\/Profile\/27057\">professor of orthopedics<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/medschool.cuanschutz.edu\/\">University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Athletes typically have heard about these peptides through social media, podcasts or people in their circle who have used them, Frank said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think the interest is very understandable. When an athlete has an injury, the concept of something that can accelerate healing or even let them avoid a surgery altogether is very appealing,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I say that with a caveat: The public discussion has evolved and moved much more rapidly than the clinical evidence has proven to be supportive.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What do doctors think of peptides?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI tell my patients that peptides are scientifically interesting, but \u2018promising\u2019 and \u2018proven\u2019 are not the same thing,\u201d said Frank.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_91767\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91767\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-91767\" src=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/06135123\/Rachel-Frank-Jack-Spittler-Rapids-web.webp\" alt=\"Dr. Rachel Frank and Dr. Jack Spittler at Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods Park, where they serve as Colorado Rapids team physicians. Photo courtesy of Dr. Rachel Frank.\" width=\"400\" height=\"297\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-91767\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Dr. Rachel Frank and Dr. Jack Spittler at Dick\u2019s Sporting Goods Park, where they serve as Colorado Rapids team physicians. Photo courtesy of Dr. Rachel Frank.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cSpecific to BPC-157 and TB-500, we just don&#8217;t have the kind of high-quality human evidence that would allow me to directly or confidently recommend a specific product or a dose, or a route, or a treatment protocol for an orthopedic injury, and I tell them to be cautious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Splitter says he cautions his patients to be careful about peptides they\u2019re getting online or from compounding pharmacies because they really don\u2019t know what they\u2019re putting in their bodies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would wait until there are more human trials, and there\u2019s more human evidence,\u201d Spittler said. \u201cI think the risk for me outweighs the benefit right now for several reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How are these peptides different than GLP-1s for diabetes management and weight loss?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The GLP-1s are FDA-approved. FDA-approved drugs have to prove both safety and effectiveness in human bodies. That involves comparing the performance of a drug with that of a placebo. It also involves taking into account factors such as age and other health conditions that might affect the results. That takes randomized, controlled clinical trials. None of the above peptides have gone through one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGLP-1s are FDA-approved medications, so the dosing is dialed in. With these other peptides, nobody knows what the right amount is, what the right ones are. So, it\u2019s a little bit more of the Wild West,\u201d said Spittler, who is also an <a href=\"https:\/\/som.cuanschutz.edu\/Profiles\/Faculty\/Profile\/22790\">associate professor<\/a> at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine.<\/p>\n<p>GLP-1s and other FDA-approved drugs have objective markers to establish whether they actually work, such as HbA1c levels for blood sugar and measurable weight loss. Risks and side effects are also well understood. The fact that many peptide users are taking them for physical performance and healing reasons makes establishing those sorts of metrics harder, Spittler says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomebody might take peptides and do a bunch of PT and get better, but did the peptides actually do anything? It\u2019s tough to say, so we definitely need more hard science to look at that in a more objective way,\u201d Spittler said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Besides the fact that most of these peptides don\u2019t have FDA approval, what concerns do many doctors have about them?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Spittler identified three key areas of concern with peptides as they\u2019re currently being used.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Because peptides typically break down quickly in the digestive tract, most are administered through injections. Taking oral supplements, at least you have your body\u2019s GI tract to regulate things and only absorb and process what you need,\u201d Spittler said. \u201cWhen you inject something, that creates problems, because you\u2019re really bypassing a lot of those defense mechanisms of the body.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Because they\u2019re not FDA-regulated, peptides are being treated as supplements, and they\u2019re often sourced from domestic producers who make them for research purposes \u2014 or from overseas. \u201cWhen you\u2019re buying peptides online, they have no real concept of the purity of what you\u2019re getting, or even if it\u2019s what it says it is at all,\u201d Spittler said. \u201cThere could be heavy metals, there could be other medications, there could be a lot of different things that you\u2019re putting in your body that could actually be very unhealthy.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>They\u2019re marketed as cure-alls. BPC-157 is one example. This popular peptide goes by the nickname \u201cWolverine peptide\u201d after the X-Men character who heals more or less instantly. (BPC stands for \u201cbody protection compound.\u201d) Its purported benefits span healing ulcers, aiding muscle and tendon repair, regenerating nerves, countering neurodegeneration, and shielding from organ injury. \u201cWhich is basically like, \u2018Just take this and it\u2019s going to heal everything. It\u2019s going to fix all your tendon problems, your muscle injuries, you\u2019re going to be stronger, you\u2019re going to be faster,\u2019\u201d Spittler said. \u201cThere\u2019s no miracle product out there that\u2019s going to do all these things.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><strong>Is there proof that injectable peptides work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>So far, there\u2019s very little proof that injectable peptides work. The most compelling studies of efficacy have been done in cell cultures and small animals.<\/p>\n<p>The basic science is intriguing, Frank says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnimal and laboratory studies have suggested that some of these peptides can influence blood vessel formation \u2014 which from an injury perspective, can indicate healing \u2014 fibroblast activity, collagen production, reduce inflammation, and improve the healing response in the things that we&#8217;re most interested in from a sports medicine and surgery perspective: tendons, ligaments, muscles, cartilage, and other tissues,\u201d Frank said.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not clear that the same is true for human patients. Human peptide trials have involved small sample sizes and, sometimes, loose protocols with no <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC2947122\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blinding<\/a> or placebo controls.<\/p>\n<p>A recent <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/41476424\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">review<\/a> in the <em>American Journal of Sports Medicine<\/em> summed up the orthopedic and sports-medicine evidence: \u201cWhile peptide therapy may possess significant therapeutic and regenerative potential, it is critical that orthopaedic and sports medicine providers understand the current lack of evidence to support the clinical use of these peptides,\u201d the authors said. \u201cImportantly, information regarding the indications, dosing, frequency, and duration of treatment remains unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s almost zero \u2014 basically zero \u2014 evidence in human trials,\u201d Spittler said. \u201cThey might look great in an animal model or a research tendon or something like that, but we just don\u2019t know how they affect the human body.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>So, are you saying that injectable peptides don\u2019t work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>No. They may turn out to work well \u2014 just as GLP-1s, synthetic insulin, and EPO work.<\/p>\n<p>Native Americans were chewing on the bark of the white willow for pain relief and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/diseases-conditions\/fever\/\">fever reduction<\/a> long before the bark\u2019s salicin led to the invention (and, later, FDA approval) of aspirin. But too much aspirin can lead to intestinal bleeding, and aspirin during a childhood viral illness can trigger Reye\u2019s syndrome.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, the placebo effect is real. Bottom line is, neither the benefits nor the risks of the vast majority of these peptides have been scientifically proven in humans.<\/p>\n<p>Frank says there have been potential sports medicine treatments that have looked impressive in the lab and go on to work well for humans. But the opposite also happens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA healing rotator cuff tendon in a rat is not the same as a healing human rotator cuff tendon, or a healing ACL reconstruction surgery that&#8217;s augmented with a peptide in a rabbit, which is a common model for ACL studies, does not equate to the human ACL,\u201d Frank said. \u201cAnd so, while those basic-science lab studies and animal studies are promising, before we can really see if the hope matches the hype, we&#8217;ve got to see some additional research.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spittler agreed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s promising, and in 10 years we might say, \u2018Hey, this stuff is great, what you\u2019re giving is pure and safe.\u2019 But right now, it\u2019s just so unregulated that we just don\u2019t know what these things really do in the human body,\u201d Spittler said.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Can peptides cause problems for athletes or military members?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Injectable peptides, including TB-500 and BPC-157, are on the World Anti-Doping Agency\u2019s list of banned substances, and they\u2019re also banned by the U.S. military.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re an athlete, you might run into failed drug tests and miss time because of these,\u201d Spittler said. \u201cThere no use for them in sports medicine until they\u2019re approved.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Do hydrolyzed collagen peptide powders that people mix into their coffee or other drinks work, and are they safe?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Studies, most of them small, have shown collagen peptide supplements to <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8521576\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">improve<\/a> joint\u00a0<span style=\"margin: 0px;padding: 0px\">function, reduce joint pain\u00a0and\u00a0<a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8824545\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contribute to<\/a>\u00a0reducing or delaying <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/26840887\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">skin aging<\/a> while<\/span>\u00a0<a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33742704\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">improving<\/a> skin elasticity and hydration. There\u2019s little evidence that using it enhances your hair or nails.<\/p>\n<p>Collagen peptide powders are generally safe unless you have gout or chronic kidney disease, in which case you should consult a doctor. Because they\u2019re not regulated by the FDA, check that the peptide powder has been tested to be pure by an independent laboratory such as NSF or USP. Also, some collagen protein powders are derived from fish, so those with fish allergies should check the label.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>What is the FDA doing about peptides?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The July 23-24 <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/advisory-committees\/advisory-committee-calendar\/july-23-24-2026-meeting-pharmacy-compounding-advisory-committee-07232026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">meeting<\/a> will consider the seven peptides listed above, the idea being to consider them for approval for the <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/drugs\/human-drug-compounding\/bulk-drug-substances-used-compounding-under-section-503a-fdc-act\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">503A bulk drug substances list<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If the committee recommends it, and the FDA follows that recommendation (which it typically does), the peptide (or peptides) will be added to the list of active pharmaceutical ingredients that licensed pharmacies can use for compounding drugs. That doesn\u2019t mean the FDA is approving the peptide as a safe and effective treatment for a particular condition or problem, Frank cautions.<\/p>\n<p>Of note: Half of the committee\u2019s 12 <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/advisory-committees\/pharmacy-compounding-advisory-committee\/pharmacy-compounding-advisory-committee-roster\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">voting members<\/a> represent companies that offer peptide therapies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s really important to understand what the FDA is doing, who the makeup of the FDA committee members are, what their backgrounds are, what their potential, if any, financial conflicts of interest are, and what their ultimate goals are as individuals and as a committee, because there may be some conflicts with respect to some of these products,\u201d Frank said.<\/p>\n<p>Frank is concerned that the FDA\u2019s narrow recommendations could end up being interpreted as a broad stamp of approval. For example, she said, the FDA committee is evaluating BPC-157 specifically for ulcerative colitis, but wellness clinics may say simply that BPC-157 is \u201capproved,\u201d implying that it is approved for everything.<\/p>\n<p>A bit of regulatory history: In late 2023, the FDA banned compounding pharmacies from preparing 19 widely used peptides. That has, in part, driven the gray market for peptides from questionable sources.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the FDA\u2019s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee <a id=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/advisory-committees\/pharmacy-compounding-advisory-committee\/meeting-pharmacy-compounding-advisory-committee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">will consider<\/a> another five peptides for compounding-pharmacy approval before the end of February 2027:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cathelicidin (LL-37)<\/li>\n<li>GHK-Cu<\/li>\n<li>Dihexa acetate<\/li>\n<li>Melanotan II<\/li>\n<li>Pegylated Mechano Growth Factor (PEG-MGF)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What do you, as a sports medicine physician, want to see before recommending peptides to your patients?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;d want the same things that we demand of any new orthopedic or musculoskeletal treatment,\u201d Frank said. She said those include:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Well-designed, randomized, placebo-controlled human clinical trials for specific diagnoses (ACL tears, cartilage injuries, muscle injuries, rotator cuff tears, and so on).<\/li>\n<li>Standardized manufacturing and independent verification with respect to purity, potency, sterility, and stability. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to give a random peptide to patient A, and then give what I think is the same thing to patient B \u2014 but I don&#8217;t know if it\u2019s the same thing, because it&#8217;s from a different company or it&#8217;s not standardized,\u201d Frank said.<\/li>\n<li>A solid grasp of dosing, delivery, and the number of and length of treatments. Potential interactions with other medications also should be understood.<\/li>\n<li>The establishment of the clinical outcome(s) a peptide should deliver. \u201cIf we inject this, what are we looking for? Is it pain improvement? Is it strength improvement? Functional improvement? Is it symptom-modifying, or is it truly disease modifying? We want to understand what we&#8217;re going for with respect to these treatments,\u201d she said.<\/li>\n<li>Safety monitoring, which Frank said was most important of all. Given that peptide users today are self-selected and tend to be young and healthy, \u201ctheir response may not be translatable to the general patient population who may have more medical comorbidities,\u201d Frank said.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m excited about the potential for peptides, but we need the science to match the excitement,\u201d Frank said. \u201cI tell patients I&#8217;m not anti-peptide. I\u2019m just pro-evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Podcasters promote peptides. Influencers swear by peptides. Many wellness centers offer peptides. And some medical professionals even endorse them. More and more patients are asking their providers about using peptides, or they\u2019re bypassing their doctors altogether and are actually injecting peptides \u2014 most of which lack U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. People who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":92118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8],"tags":[988,743,276,183,65,63,351,395,551,748],"class_list":["post-92110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","category-news","tag-diabetes-endocrinology-care","tag-digestive-health-liver-and-pancreas-gastroenterology","tag-nutrition-services","tag-orthopedics","tag-pain-care-and-management","tag-pharmacy","tag-primary-care","tag-sports-medicine","tag-weight-and-metabolism","tag-wound-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Peptides: Doctors explain the benefits, risks and FDA concerns - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From BPC-157 to TB-500, experts separate peptide hype from evidence and explain safety concerns as federal regulators review more peptides.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Peptides: Doctors explain the benefits, risks and FDA concerns - UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From BPC-157 to TB-500, experts separate peptide hype from evidence and explain safety concerns as federal regulators review more peptides.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-23T19:37:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23124506\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Peptides are surging in popularity. What are they, and do they work? Why doctors are urging caution.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"12 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911\"},\"headline\":\"Peptides are surging in popularity. What are they, and do they work? Why doctors are urging caution.\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-23T19:37:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":2622,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/23124506\\\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Diabetes &amp; endocrinology care\",\"Digestive health\",\"Nutrition services\",\"Orthopedics\",\"Pain management\",\"Pharmacy\",\"Primary care\",\"Sports medicine\",\"Weight and metabolism\",\"Wound care\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Healthy living\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/\",\"name\":\"Peptides: Doctors explain the benefits, risks and FDA concerns - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/23124506\\\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-23T19:37:04+00:00\",\"description\":\"From BPC-157 to TB-500, experts separate peptide hype from evidence and explain safety concerns as federal regulators review more peptides.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/23124506\\\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/23124506\\\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.webp\",\"width\":800,\"height\":533,\"caption\":\"Injectable peptides for orthopedic and sports injuries, recovery, and more are getting a lot of attention. The hype is outpacing the science. Photo: Getty Images.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Peptides are surging in popularity. What are they, and do they work? Why doctors are urging caution.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uchealth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/uchealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/14839\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911\",\"name\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\"},\"description\":\"Todd Neff has written hundreds of stories for University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth. He covered science and the environment for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and has taught narrative nonfiction at the University of Colorado, where he was a Ted Scripps Fellowship recipient in Environmental Journalism. He is author of \u201cA Beard Cut Short,\u201d a biography of a remarkable professor; \u201cThe Laser That\u2019s Changing the World,\u201d a history of lidar; and \u201cFrom Jars to the Stars,\u201d a history of Ball Aerospace.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/author\\\/tneff\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Peptides: Doctors explain the benefits, risks and FDA concerns - UCHealth Today","description":"From BPC-157 to TB-500, experts separate peptide hype from evidence and explain safety concerns as federal regulators review more peptides.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Peptides: Doctors explain the benefits, risks and FDA concerns - UCHealth Today","og_description":"From BPC-157 to TB-500, experts separate peptide hype from evidence and explain safety concerns as federal regulators review more peptides.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-23T19:37:04+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23124506\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Peptides are surging in popularity. What are they, and do they work? Why doctors are urging caution.","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","Est. reading time":"12 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/"},"author":{"name":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911"},"headline":"Peptides are surging in popularity. What are they, and do they work? Why doctors are urging caution.","datePublished":"2026-07-23T19:37:04+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/"},"wordCount":2622,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23124506\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.webp","keywords":["Diabetes &amp; endocrinology care","Digestive health","Nutrition services","Orthopedics","Pain management","Pharmacy","Primary care","Sports medicine","Weight and metabolism","Wound care"],"articleSection":["Healthy living","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/","name":"Peptides: Doctors explain the benefits, risks and FDA concerns - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23124506\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-23T19:37:04+00:00","description":"From BPC-157 to TB-500, experts separate peptide hype from evidence and explain safety concerns as federal regulators review more peptides.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23124506\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/07\/23124506\/GettyImages-1166375246-peptides-PT-talking-to-patient-web.webp","width":800,"height":533,"caption":"Injectable peptides for orthopedic and sports injuries, recovery, and more are getting a lot of attention. The hype is outpacing the science. Photo: Getty Images."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/peptides-benefits-risks-and-fda-concerns\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Peptides are surging in popularity. What are they, and do they work? Why doctors are urging caution."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911","name":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth"},"description":"Todd Neff has written hundreds of stories for University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth. He covered science and the environment for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and has taught narrative nonfiction at the University of Colorado, where he was a Ted Scripps Fellowship recipient in Environmental Journalism. He is author of \u201cA Beard Cut Short,\u201d a biography of a remarkable professor; \u201cThe Laser That\u2019s Changing the World,\u201d a history of lidar; and \u201cFrom Jars to the Stars,\u201d a history of Ball Aerospace.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/tneff\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":23,"name":"Todd Neff","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/tneff\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92110"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92124,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92110\/revisions\/92124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}