Podcasts · The Real Science of Sport Podcast
The Science-Backed Truth About Peptides
· 1 h 21 min · S8 E18
Episode The Science-Backed Truth About Peptides
Everywhere you look people are talking about peptides. But what exactly are they, how do they work and how safe are they for human consumption? Mike and Ross review the evidence, discuss the politics that continue to muddy the waters around peptide efficacy and regulation, and examine the dangers of using untested peptides. The team also look into the role of the popular GLP-1's that have revolutionised diabetes and weight loss and the controversial BPC-17 peptide, touted as a miracle treatment for tissue repair.
Links
The Undark article that describes the history of BPC157
More on the FDA and the complex regulation of peptides
A report on one of the FDA decisions about peptides - in this case BPC157 and KPV
A paper from the discoverer of BPC157, who has published more than three-quarters of the research on it
The human safety study on BPC157, with its two participants
Systematic review of BPC157 evidence, suggesting promise but caution
A well researched article by Dr Eric Topol raising concerns about safety and regulatory decisions
Example of a public warning from a regulatory body, this one from South Africa
Follow the money - Fortune 500 piece on why deregulation could create a multibillion dollar market
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Links in the notes 11
- https://undark.org/2026/02/03/bpc-157-peptide-fda/
- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/30/peptide-fda-rfk-jr-drug-regulation
- https://www.raps.org/resource/fda-advisory-committee-backs-two-controversial-peptides.html
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40573323/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40131143/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40756949/
- https://erictopol.substack.com/p/the-peptide-craze
- https://www.sahpra.org.za/peptide-products-public-information/
- https://fortune.com/2026/07/20/the-fda-peptide-vote-could-create-telehealths-next-multibillion-dollar-market-telehealth-hims-ro-glp1-ozempic-injectables/
- https://www.patreon.com/c/thescienceofsport/membership
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