A popular peptide rests on 35 animal studies and one human

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland searched three decades of medical literature for every study of BPC-157 relevant to muscle, tendon, ligament and bone injuries, in a peer-reviewed systematic review.

Of 544 articles screened, 36 met the criteria, and 35 of them were preclinical studies in animals or cells. In those models BPC-157 improved healing of muscle, tendon, ligament and bone. The single human study was a small retrospective chart review of knee pain.

The review found no clinical safety data at all, noted that BPC-157 is cleared from the body in under 30 minutes, and warned of risks from unregulated manufacturing and contamination. The peptide is banned in professional sports, and the authors rated the whole evidence base at the lowest levels of quality.

Thirty-five animal studies, one human, no safety data.