The 'miracle' peptides that could cause serious damage

Influencers are selling compounds they claim have powerful healing properties.

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“Why would I want to wait six months when I can inject peptides and look like the best version of myself in 30 days?”

Walker Harrell speaks from behind a screen that pans down to show his body – slim, muscular, the kind of physique many can only attain through a strict diet and exercise regime. Except, he tells his audience, hard work isn't how he achieved this. Instead, he says, he has been injecting peptides - and by following the link in his bio, you too can appear “more youthful”, leaner, and tanned.

Social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, are filled with creators claiming they can help promote healing, erase acne, and build thicker muscles, all through a simple injection. Even the popular podcaster Joe Rogan, who does not sell peptides, has claimed on his popular podcast The Joe Rogan Experience to be reaping the benefits of experimental peptide BPC-157 for healing an injury, claiming that the compound fixed tendinitis in his elbow “in two weeks”.

For teenage boys in particular, the messaging can be potent. Videos seen by The Independent tout the compounds as essential for “looksmaxxing” - a trend in which people attempt to boost their physical attractiveness - and even suggest that taking them during puberty can impact your “results” as you move into adulthood. But underneath the ripped torsos and perfect skin, there is a murky world of unknowns and risk.

Peptides were first discovered in the 1920s with the isolation of insulin, now a lifesaving treatment for millions of people with diabetes. But many others - including those being promoted on social media platforms - are still considered “experimental” and have never been subject to rigorous clinical trials. In the UK and the US, these are sold with a warning label: “For research purposes only. Not for human consumption.”

Speaking to