What You Need To Know About BPC-157

If you’re a fitness buff, you may have heard about Body Protection Compound-157, more commonly known as BPC-157. Popular influencers claim that this experimental peptide can do it all, from helping your muscles recover more quickly after a workout to preserving your brain health as you age. But is it too good to be true?

The honest answer is: We don’t know yet. And neither do the people hyping it up.

Lifestyle, obesity and functional medicine specialist Layth Tumah, MD, explains why you should skip BPC-157, at least for the time being.

What is BPC-157?

BPC-157 is a synthetic peptide, a short chain of amino acids created in a lab. It’s based on a substance found in gastric juices. It’s an experimental compound that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t approved for use in humans. That means you can’t legally market or sell it as a pharmaceutical.

“It’s a drug candidate that’s essentially stuck in the early stages of the clinical research pipeline,” Dr. Tumah says. “We simply haven’t done human clinical studies to establish safety or efficacy — most of the research that’s been done is preclinical.”

How does it work?

The excitement around BPC-157 centers around its potential to speed healing. Early preclinical studies suggest that the peptide may encourage angiogenesis, the creation of new blood vessels that support soft tissue repair.

But there’s an important catch.

“We understand how BPC-157 might work in a test tube. But that doesn’t mean it’ll work the same way — or have the same effect — in people,” Dr. Tumah notes.

Alleged benefits

Despite being touted as a miracle cure by popular wellness and fitness influencers, there’s no proof that BPC-157 can cure, treat or prevent any health condition. But that’s not stopping people from claiming it can:

• Speed healing after an injury (to muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons and even nerves)
• Relieve joint pain
• Help manage symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)
• Reduce symptoms of mental illnesses like schizophrenia
• Improve brain health and prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease

While early results may be promising, there’s no way to know if BPC-157 will work in humans the same way it works in those studies.

That doesn’t mean BPC-157 isn’t worth researching. If this peptide can do what advocates claim, it could be very important.

“BPC-157 is an exciting area of research,” Dr. Tumah notes. “We just aren’t that far along yet. Most of the things people are claiming it can do haven’t been tested in humans, so we’re still years away from getting the compound approved as a treatment for any condition.”

BPC-157 risks and side effects

Because BPC-157 hasn’t been studied extensively in humans, we don’t know how safe it is or what kind of side effects it could cause.

And as it can’t legally be sold as a pharmaceutical in the U.S., the only place to get BPC-157 is online, where it’s sold for “research purposes only.” It’s one of many substances on what Dr. Tumah calls “the gray market.”

“I draw a distinction between the safety of the actual compound and the safety of the places you get it from because those are two different things,” he shares. “One of the major concerns that we have now is the sourcing of these products.”

If you use BPC-157 now, you run several risks. The experimental compound may:

• Fall below quality standards: There’s no guarantee the product you’re buying is actually BPC-157. There’s also no guarantee about its purity. It may contain other ingredients, including undeclared allergens. It could also be expired or contaminated with toxins or heavy metals like lead or arsenic.
• Cause injection-related complications: BPC-157 is usually taken by injection. Before self-injecting anything, Dr. Tumah emphasizes that you need professional guidance to understand the risks, how to self-inject safely, complications to look out for and the importance of never sharing or re-using needles.
• Lead to an overdose: It’s not clear how much BPC-157 you’d need to inject to overdose, or what the consequences of an overdose would be. “Right now, we don’t have universal direction or guidance regarding how much BPC-157 to take, how often to take it or how long to take it for,” Dr. Tumah clarifies.
• Interact with other drugs: As BPC-157 hasn’t undergone large clinical trials, we can’t be sure how it will interact with other medications, supplements or substances. An interaction could make it less effective, trigger harmful side effects or cause unexpected health problems.
• Have unintended consequences: BPC-157 has the potential to speed healing because it stimulates blood vessel growth. But researchers worry that it may also promote cancer growth. “It’s a theoretical concern,” Dr. Tumah stresses. “More research is needed to rule the possibility in or out.”

When to talk to your provider

If you’re considering BPC-157, it’s vital to talk to a healthcare provider first.

“The best time to see your doctor about BPC-157 is before deciding to use it,” Dr. Tumah urges. “Have a conversation about the pros and cons.”

If you do decide to use it, your provider will need to account for it when interpreting test results and monitor you for possible complications. It also allows them to pass along more complete information if you have a medical emergency, which will help emergency workers prevent (or address) unexpected medical outcomes or complications.

Competitive or professional athletes should be extra transparent about their use of BPC-157, too.

“Depending on the body that’s overseeing your sport, it may be a banned substance,” Dr. Tumah cautions.

Focus on the fundamentals

There may be reason to be excited about BPC-157. Early research suggests it may deserve at least some of the hype it’s getting. But it could also carry unknown risks, especially if you’re purchasing it through the gray or black market.

Until we have more scientifically sound information about it, Dr. Tumah recommends sticking with the basics.

“Healthy eating, regular exercise and other healthy lifestyle habits should always come first,” he advises. “Those are the foundations of health, and they need to be addressed before looking to experimental therapies.”