On June 16th, 2025, The Guardian posted

a YouTube video featuring fitness

influencer Ryan Johnson. And what he

revealed in his fridge might surprise

you.

>> So, right here in the middle drawer is

where we have all the special

supplements.

>> Wow.

>> Got a wide variety of them.

>> What you're looking at here are

peptides, short chains of amino acids

that send signals to cells in the body.

These peptides are backed by claims that

sound almost too good to be true. They

can melt your fat, give you a

blemish-free face, and even help you get

it up in the bedroom.

>> That makes your skin tanner, but also

increases uh sexual libido. That's why

there's that PT-141 peptide.

>> Ryan is just one of thousands of

influencers now promoting these often

unregulated drugs to people in their

late teens and early 20s. But just how

realistic are these health benefits? Can

they really come with little to no risk?

And what is this say about the growing

body image issue in the modern world?

Contrary to the peptide craze we usually

hear about now, the first major

therapeutic peptide began with one of

the greatest medical breakthroughs in

history, insulin. When researchers

Frederick Banting and Charles Best

isolated insulin in 1921, they

transformed diabetes from a near certain

death sentence into a manageable

disease. Insulin became the first

peptide drug used in medicine in 1922

and was commercialized shortly

afterward. Then in the 1950s, scientists

learned to synthesize peptide hormones

such as oxytocin and vasopressin,

opening the door to a much larger

peptide drug industry. Advances in

peptide synthesis and later recombinant

DNA technology dramatically increased

the number of peptides that could be

manufactured safely. Over the following

decades, peptide-based drugs were

approved for conditions ranging from

growth hormone deficiencies and

infertility to osteoporosis,

HIV-associated complications, and

metabolic disorders. By the early 2000s,

peptides became a legitimate

pharmaceutical industry, though they

were still largely confined to hospitals

and endocrinology clinics. Then in 2005,

a new peptide would get approved that

would change the way we injected

ourselves with stuff we don't understand

forever. GLP-1 GLP-1 or glucagon-like

peptide-1 is a hormone your body

naturally releases after you eat.

Produced primarily in the intestines, it

acts as a messenger that tells the

pancreas to release insulin, slows the

rate at which food leaves the stomach,

and signals to the brain that you've had

enough to eat. The problem is that

natural GLP-1 doesn't stick around for

long. An enzyme called DPP-4 breaks it

down within minutes, making it difficult

as a practical medication. For years,

researchers searched for a version that

could survive long enough in the body to

have meaningful effects. And the

breakthrough came from a surprisingly

unlikely place, the venom of a lizard.

In the early 1990s, researchers

discovered a peptide called exendin-4 in

the saliva of a Gila monster. Exendin-4

behaves similarly to human GLP-1, but

was much more resistant to breakdown.

Scientists realized they had stumbled

upon a molecule that accomplished what

natural GLP-1 could not, remain active

in the body long enough to become a

useful drug. That discovery led to

exenatide, marketed as Byetta, which

became the first GLP-1 receptor agonist

approved by the FDA in 2005 for people

with type 2 diabetes. Unlike many

diabetes medications before it,

exenatide not only helped lower blood

sugar, but also caused many patients to

lose weight. At the time, that was

viewed as a useful side effect, but in

hindsight, it was the first glimpse of a

much larger phenomenon. This diabetes

treatment would eventually evolve into

the common GLP-1 drugs we know of today,

such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound.

Medications so effective at suppressing

appetite that they would ignite a global

obsession with injectable peptides,

transform the weight loss industry, and

convince millions of otherwise healthy

people that the future of

self-improvement might come in the form

of a weekly shot. Enter the peptide gold

rush. For most of modern history,

injectable drugs were associated with

serious medical conditions. Diabetics

injected insulin, and patients with

hormone deficiencies injected hormone

replacements. The average healthy person

wasn't browsing online forums for

compounds to inject into their stomach

unless you were a bodybuilder on

bodybuilding.com forums. But that began

to change as millions of people watch

celebrities, influencers, and even some

of their close friends rapidly lose

weight using GLP-1 injections. As public

trust in peptide drugs increased, many

peptide curious users began scouring the

internet for other similar injectable

remedies that could improve other areas

of their lives such as their recovery,

muscle growth, tanning, aging, or focus.

Thus, a parallel peptide economy was

about to emerge, one with many less

guarantees and potentially many more

side effects.

>> Things like GP 157 definitely do

accelerate the healing of an injury

>> [music]

>> and there's no question about that. And

I had a tendinitis in my elbow that I

just could not fix. Yeah. I started

using BPC 157, it was gone in 2 weeks.

>> That's a clip from the Joe Rogan podcast

where he's interviewing famous

neuroscientist Andrew Huberman who

swears by the recovery benefits of one

of the most famous unregulated peptides,

BPC 157. The initials stand for body

protection compound. Researchers derived

it from a protein naturally found in

human gastric juice and began studying

its effects on wound healing and tissue

repair in animal models. And now, with

the endorsement of health influencers or

just influencers with no sort of

credentials whatsoever, online

communities are treating it as a near

mythical recovery drug capable of

healing everything from tendon injuries

to gut problems. Looking at a YouTube

video analyzing the Rogan podcast, we

can see tons of positive anecdotes in

the comments. BPC 157 literally saved me

from an 8-year journey looking for ways

to heal my stomach issues. These issues

caused depression, constant pain, etc.

BPC healed it completely after a month

or so. I got one bottle of BPC 157 and

in 2 weeks, I feel about 90 to 95%

better. BPC 157 sorted my tendinitis in

my forearm in about 5 days. Then came TB

500, a synthetic fragment of thymosin

beta 4, a naturally occurring protein

involved in cell migration and tissue

repair. Yeah, a lot of this stuff is

just labeled with really complicated

verbiage. That's just what scientists

do. Combining this with BPC 157 creates

what some users refer to as the ultimate

recovery stack. Growth hormone-related

peptides soon followed. CJC 1295 was

developed the release of growth hormone

by mimicking growth hormone-releasing

hormone. No, that isn't a typo or a

miswrite. Ipamorelin works through a

different pathway, mimicking ghrelin and

triggering additional growth hormone

release. Together, CJC and Ipamorelin

became staples of anti-aging clinics and

bodybuilding circles, marketed as a

safer alternative to direct growth

hormone injections. And now there's more

peptides that target entirely different

bodily desires, but have managed to

become just about as popular. Melanotan

II, for example, originated from

research into a hormone and was designed

to increase skin pigmentation. Users

quickly discovered that it could produce

a deep tan without extensive sun

exposure, turning it into an underground

cosmetic phenomenon. And the last of

these really popular ones that I could

find is something called GHK-Cu.

This is a copper-binding peptide first

isolated from human plasma in the 1970s.

Researchers investigated its potential

role in collagen production and tissue

regeneration, leading many enthusiasts

to view it as this miracle anti-aging

breakthrough. This growing peptide trend

has even reached the early adopter

capital of the world, Silicon Valley,

where peptides have become the latest

biohacking obsession among tech workers

chasing everything from better cognition

and injury recovery to longer lifespans.

Now, it would be one thing if people

were sticking a needle in their butt

with a bunch of regulated drugs, an

already questionable decision unless

your life depends on it or you have a

prescription. But the real reason why

these peptides are potentially really

dangerous is where they come from, how

people get their hands on them, and the

lack of adequate research. It is here

where we must talk about the often long

and expensive process of FDA approval.

Before a drug reaches your medicine

cabinet, it typically spends years

moving through a gauntlet of trials.

Researchers first investigate whether

the compound appears safe in cells and

animals. If those results look

promising, the drug enters phase one

trials where small groups of human

volunteers are monitored for side

effects and safety concerns. If it

survives that stage, it advances to

phase two and phase three trials where

hundreds or even thousands of

participants are studied to determine

whether the drug actually works and

whether its benefits outweigh its risks.

The process is notoriously expensive.

Estimates vary, but getting a new drug

approved can cost hundreds of millions

of dollars and in some cases well over a

billion dollars. As a result, many of

these compounds fail along the way. Some

of them just straight up don't work.

Others produce side effects that only

appear after a long amount of time and

after being tested on enough people. But

that's precisely the point. They need to

do that much research to see not just if

the drug produces the desired effect,

but also discover everything else it

does. And this is where the peptide gold

rush becomes much more concerning. Many

of the internet's favorite peptides

never made it through this process. Some

never entered large-scale human trials

at all. Others showed promising results

in rodents or small pilot studies, but

lacked the evidence necessary for

regulatory approval. But somewhere along

the line, a growing amount of people

started treating promising and proven as

if they were the same thing. If you

spend enough time in online fitness

circles, you've probably seen this logic

before. A study finds that a compound

accelerated healing or recovery in rats.

Then a podcast host mentions it or their

guest does. Then a YouTube creator makes

a video about it and a few users in the

comments report incredible results.

Before long, thousands of people are

injecting it into their bodies under the

assumption that somebody else has

already done the hard work of proving it

safe, even though they have it. As I was

doing research for this video, I found

one of the most dystopian influencers

promoting these peptide products. Her

name is sarah.pepkit on TikTok. She has

almost 3,000 followers and she talks

about her peptide usage and things you

should know while plugging a link for a

peptide tracking app in her bio. Sarah

does not exist. Sarah is AI. I know it

goes without saying for most of you, but

please do not download or buy anything

being promoted by an AI influencer. I

mean, [ __ ] is just getting crazy out

here. Is there anything more creepy or

uncanny or dystopian about an AI

influencer posting about unregulated

peptides and trying to get people to

take them or download this app that is

in her bio. I mean, it's shit's just

it's just crazy, man. But if they're

totally unregulated, how are these

products being sold in the first place?

The answer is one of the most bizarre

legal gray areas on the internet. Visit

enough peptide vendors and you'll

eventually encounter the same disclaimer

repeated over and over again, "For

research purposes only." The implication

is that these products are supposedly

intended for scientific research rather

than personal use. But many of the same

websites simultaneously advertise all

those benefits we talked about like

recovery, anti-aging, muscle growth, fat

loss, or skin health. And that's where

things become especially risky. When you

receive an FDA-approved medication,

there are strict manufacturing

requirements. The company creating the

medication must govern the purity, make

sure to test for contamination, and keep

adequate storage conditions, dosage

consistency, and quality control. But

with many gray market peptide products,

consumers are often forced to trust the

claims of companies operating outside of

that system. In fact, most of these

companies get their unregulated peptides

from random Chinese factories. Because

of this, the concentration listed on the

label as opposed to what's actually in

the vial can sometimes vary wildly.

>> I sent in a bottle of Red and True Tide

to get tested that claimed it had 60 mg.

Turned out it had 108 mg.

>> Or a bunch of other [ __ ] can go wrong

regarding contamination and storage,

only further proving that this peptide

trend has gone much too far. As I

finished research for this video, I

couldn't help but keep coming back to

the what and how of all of this. Like,

what type of person do you need to be to

even get to a point where you feel like

you need to take a bunch of unregulated

drugs just to improve yourself. And I

think the answer reveals itself when we

return to Ryan. Ryan was someone who

felt disrespected by those around him

for his appearance. A pretty natural

thing for a young teenage guy to go

through before you've had the

opportunity to mature and find firm

footing in this world.

>> This would have been like 17 years old.

I was an easy person to disrespect. Cuz

I wouldn't stand up for myself

physically or mentally.

>> Mhm.

>> Right? And I get a lot of young men come

to me that was like, I want to feel

respected by the people around me. So, I

want to get bigger and I want to look

better.

>> Mhm.

>> You know, but also change what I see in

myself. So, if you change what you see

in yourself, you won't allow people to

treat you that way.

>> But without proper guidance, Ryan felt

like he couldn't get to the point where

his kindness or his positive actions

were ever enough to get people to

respect and like him. So, instead of

focusing on the internal root causes, he

focused on the external. He got jacked,

he started an online fitness business,

and the numbers and validation poured

in, giving him more validation to

continue on this trajectory. And I can

only imagine that that addictive feeling

of finally being respected led him to

pursue an even higher state of

validative ecstasy. If you're constantly

getting feedback from your external

environment that bigger muscles or a

better tan is what gets you attention

and respect, and you haven't taken the

time to resolve of deeper insecurities,

more muscle or money will never feel

like it is enough and you will resort to

the most extreme measures such as taking

unregulated peptides. That's the type of

people these drugs attract. Those whose

upbringing never taught them to reach a

state of self-acceptance that repels the

idea of abusing your body with needles

full of a bunch of different things. And

the theme of building an identity full

of self-confidence that comes from

within is one of the central ideas of my

debut novel Echoes Across Infinity.

Echoes Across Infinity is a story about

a 21-year-old named Elliot who lives in

the modern world, our [music]

post-pandemic world, who loses his

mother in an unexplainable accident.

Through the trauma he endures, he begins

to have uncontrollable visions, which he

soon discovers are glimpses into a

parallel reality he can learn to access.

And a good portion of this book is

Elliot coming to term with his

insecurities and learning to accept and

overcome them. It's a blend of sci-fi,

psychology, and philosophy and the first

person who ever reviewed the book on

Amazon said they almost finished it in a

single sitting. So, shout out to that

guy. If the themes of grief, loneliness,

and self-improvement resonate with you,

you can pick up my debut novel by going

to the first link in the description or

scanning the QR code that you see on

screen right now. Now, let's go back to

Ryan. I want to make it clear that this

is not a diss at Ryan. Honestly, I

watched that Guardian video and my first

thought was, "Well, Ryan actually seems

like a genuinely cool dude." He has

great energy and it's clear that he just

wants to help guys feel respected and

feel better about themselves. And I love

people who uplift other people. I just

don't agree with the methods he promotes

to get there. If you know anyone who is

taking these peptides or considering

taking these peptides, I encourage you

to show them this video and highlight

the consequences. While we might

eventually find out that some of these

peptides do end up providing significant

benefits with little downsides, it's

important to wait until proper testing

and regulation has been put in place.

Even if RFK Jr. is trying to ease limits

on them because he's quote used them

himself and with really good effect on a

couple of injuries. Taking care of

yourself, eating well, and moving your

body is absolutely essential to feeling

your best and therefore respecting

yourself and having others respect you.

But there's a limit you need to put on

your incessant desire to self-improve

before it starts to do the opposite.

Let me know your thoughts as always in

the comments and if you enjoyed this

video, you'll probably enjoy my video

about the male body image crisis

specifically focusing on men's body

image in this bigorexia that's been

going around, kind of the opposite of

anorexia where men just need to get as

much muscle as possible to feel like

they're worth something in this world

now and why that's the case. Yeah, go

check it out if you want to. Thank you

very much for watching and also check

out my novel if you want to read it,

link in the description like I said, and

now I'm leaving.