Peptides and supplements, in plain English.
no sales. no sponsors. no hype.
What each one is. What the proof says. What people are combining.
Information only. Not medical advice. For adults. We show what studies found. We never tell you what to take.
A claim we checked
"BPC-157 is proven to heal tendons."
35 animal or lab studies. 3 tiny ones in people.
How we grade proof
Strong human proof
Big trials in people, and it worked.
Some human proof
Small, early or mixed results in people.
Animals and lab only
Looks good in rats or in a dish. Not proven in people.
worked in rats
Forum talk
No published proof. Forum talk, or trials that never reported results.
a stack is only as strong as its weakest grade
The grade is for the use people talk about, not for every use. A drug can be approved for one thing and unproven for another.
Fresh from the audit
Tendon recovery is live. Four compounds checked against published reviews. See the grades
75 compounds in the stack builder. All are checked against published sources. Try it
Nine goal pages are live. Muscle, fat loss, sleep, skin and hair, anti-aging, gut, SARMs and more, each with the gym lore checked against the studies. See them all
Five sellers flagged. Each got an FDA warning letter in August 2026. Vendor watch
Start here
Five minutes. No science degree needed.
What's a peptide?
A short chain of amino acids, the same building blocks that make protein. Your body makes thousands of them. Insulin is one.
Why is everyone talking about them?
A few became huge medicines, like semaglutide for weight loss. That put a spotlight on dozens of others that are still experimental.
Are they legal?
Some are FDA-approved and need a prescription. Most of the ones sold online are not approved for people. Sellers label them "for research use only." The FDA has said that label does not protect a seller who is really selling to people.
What about supplements?
Things like NAC, CoQ10 and fish oil are sold over the counter. They are legal and easy to buy. That does not mean they are proven. We grade them the same way.
What's a stack?
Two or more compounds taken together for one goal. Stacks are popular. Studies on stacks barely exist.
What's the catch?
- Most of the proof for peptides comes from animals.
- What's in the vial or capsule may not match the label.
- We found no long-term studies.
How do I use this site?
Pick a goal. Read the grade before the hype. Use the stack builder to see what is known about each pair. Ask real people in the forum. Then talk to a doctor who knows your history.
Pick a goal
Each goal gets the same treatment: what people use, what the proof says, and the grade.
Tendon and injury recovery
4 compounds graded 14 checkedOver-the-counter supplements
Grades, timing and example products 39 on itThe shelf
Over-the-counter picks, each with its grade and a plain store search LiveMuscle
What works, and the gym lore checked LiveFat loss
GLP-1 drugs, and the gym lore checked LiveAnti-aging
Longevity claims, checked LiveSleep and stress
Melatonin, magnesium and the sleep peptides LiveSkin and hair
What works, and the glow stacks checked LiveSARMs and SERMs
Trial results, FDA warnings, what is in the bottle LiveGut health
Fiber, probiotics and the gut peptides NewHim, her and other
Who was in the studies, what differed by sex, and why 72 pagesEvery compound, A to Z
One page each: the grade, what studies saw, the sourcesOver-the-counter supplements
Legal and easy to buy. Graded the same way as everything else.
Before you read the list
All 14 are checked against published sources. The products are examples. We have not lab-tested them, and nobody paid to be listed.
Build a stack with these → The shelf: a plain store search for each one →Sources
- Alpha-GPC and stroke risk. JAMA Network Open, 2021. Journal page
- Bacopa, review of nine trials. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2014. Journal page
- Lion's mane in mild memory loss. Phytotherapy Research, 2009. Journal page
- L-theanine with caffeine. Nutritional Neuroscience, 2008. Journal page
- Saffron, review of five trials. Journal of Integrative Medicine, 2013. Journal page
- Magnesium L-threonate trial. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, 2016. Journal page
- NMN and NR, review of trials. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2025. Journal page
- TUDCA and insulin sensitivity. Diabetes, 2010. Journal page
- TUDCA combination drug in ALS. Clinical Drug Investigation, 2024. Journal page
- CoQ10 in heart failure (Q-SYMBIO). JACC Heart Failure, 2014. Journal page
- CoQ10 and statin muscle aches. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2018. Journal page
- Vitamin D (VITAL). New England Journal of Medicine, 2019. Journal page
- Omega-3 and atrial fibrillation. Circulation, 2021. Journal page
- Choline fact sheet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. NIH
- Folate fact sheet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. NIH
- Vitamin D fact sheet. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. NIH
- Alpha-GPC, single-dose trial in 20 men. Nutrients, 2024. Journal page
- Alpha-GPC, one-week trial in 48 men. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017. Journal page
- Alpha-GPC, six-day strength trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2015. Journal page
- Alpha-GPC use in Korean dementia care. Alzheimer's and Dementia (New York), 2024. Journal page
- Soy phosphatidylserine trial. Nutritional Neuroscience, 2001. Journal page
- Cow-brain phosphatidylserine trial. Aging (Milan), 1993. Journal page
- NAC for acetaminophen overdose, review of 16 studies. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2013. Journal page
- NAC in chronic bronchitis, review of 11 trials. European Respiratory Journal, 2000. Journal page
- NAC and exercise performance, review. Sports Medicine, 2017. Journal page
- Acetylcysteine drug label. DailyMed
- NAC and supplement status. FDA
Last checked November 11, 2026. Information only. Not medical advice.
Tendon and injury recovery
Tendons heal slowly because they get little blood. That is why so many people look to peptides here.
The short version
We found no human trial showing a peptide heals a tendon. The animal results are strong. The human results are thin. The only item here with human trials is collagen with vitamin C, tested alongside rehab exercise.
The grades
BPC-157
35 animal and lab studies. Three tiny human studies, about 30 people in all, none with a comparison group. The most studied of the group, and still unproven in people.
read the full page →
TB-500
A lab-made piece of thymosin beta-4, a protein your body makes. A 2026 review mapped 80 studies. The human ones were on eyes and skin wounds, using the full protein. Only one looked at TB-500 itself. No human tendon trials.
GHK-Cu
A copper peptide found in your blood. The human studies are on skin creams. For ligaments there is a rat study, and the benefit faded once treatment stopped.
Collagen + vitamin C
A food supplement with human trials. Small studies found better collagen building when taken shortly before tendon exercise, and less pain in Achilles tendon patients doing calf rehab. Bigger trials are running. It has only been tested alongside loading exercise, never on its own.
The popular stack
BPC-157 + TB-500
Often called the "Wolverine" stack.
This is the pairing you'll see everywhere. We found no human study of the two together. The stack grade is C because both parts are C.
Check it in the stack builder →Sources
- Vasireddi et al., HSS Journal, 2025. BPC-157 in sports medicine, systematic review. PubMed
- McGuire et al., 2026. Thymosin beta-4 and TB-500 scoping review. Preprint
- Fu et al., 2015. GHK-Cu in a rat ACL model. PubMed
- Praet et al., Nutrients, 2019. Collagen peptides in Achilles tendinopathy. Journal
- Buchalski et al., 2026. Collagen and tendon outcomes, systematic review. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. Journal
- van Dam et al., Trials, 2023. JUMPFOOD trial plan. PMC
Last checked November 11, 2026.
BPC-157
Animals and lab only
Lots of rat studies. Almost nothing in people.
What a 2025 review found
What it is
A lab-made chain of 15 amino acids. It is based on a protein found in stomach juice.
Why people use it
Tendon, ligament and muscle injuries that won't heal. Some use it for gut problems.
What we know
- In animals, mostly rats, injured tendons, ligaments, muscle and bone healed faster and stronger.
- In the best-known human study, 12 people with long-running knee pain got a shot in the knee. 7 said the pain stayed better for more than six months. A 2026 review counts three human studies in all, about 30 people, none with a comparison group.
- With no comparison group, nobody can say the shot was the reason.
What we don't know
- Whether it works in people.
- Whether it is safe in people. The 2025 review found no human safety studies.
- What it does over years.
- What is really in a vial bought online.
The rules right now
- Not FDA-approved for anything.
- Banned in tested sport.
- Pharmacy status is in flux. The FDA's safety-risk page now lists it as "nominated but withdrawn": it used to be in the risky group, and the people who nominated it pulled the request. The page still gives the FDA's safety concerns. An FDA advisory panel reviewed it in July 2026. In late October 2026, the US health department said it will not go after licensed pharmacies and doctors that make it to order. The same goes for epitalon, KPV, MOTS-c, Semax and TB-500. That is a temporary enforcement policy. It is not an FDA approval.
Sources
- Vasireddi et al., HSS Journal, 2025. PubMed · Full text
- Frier Levitt, 2026. FDA Category 2 list changes. Article
- AJMC, August 2026. The July advisory panel meeting. Article
- Healio, October 29, 2026. HHS interim policy on six compounded peptides. Article
Last checked November 11, 2026. Information only. Not medical advice.
Muscle
The boring stuff has the best proof. The exciting stuff mostly does not.
The short version
Two cheap things have strong human proof: creatine and extra protein, both alongside lifting. Growth hormone adds lean weight on the scale but did not make people stronger. The peptides people stack for muscle have almost no human proof at all.
What has proof
Creatine + lifting
A review pooling 22 trials in 721 older adults found about 1.4 kg more lean tissue with creatine than without, plus small strength gains. A 2026 review of 39 trials in young men found the body-composition gain only showed up in people who were actually training.
no training, no gain
Protein + lifting
A review of 49 trials in 1,863 adults compared lifting with extra protein to lifting alone. With extra protein, people could lift about 2.5 kg more for one rep. They also gained about 0.3 kg more lean weight. Past about 1.6 g of protein per kg of bodyweight a day, more protein added nothing further. The effect was smaller in older people and bigger in people already trained.
a real effect, and a small one
Growth hormone itself
A review covered 27 groups, 303 fit young people in all, who were given growth hormone. They gained about 2.1 kg of lean weight. They did not get stronger. They could not exercise any harder. Lactate during exercise ran higher in 2 of 3 studies that measured it. Swelling and tiredness were more common.
heavier on the scale, not stronger
MK-677 (a pill, not a peptide)
In a 2-year trial of 65 healthy adults aged 60 to 81, it added about 1.1 kg of fat-free mass and 2.7 kg of body weight. Strength and function did not change. Appetite rose, fasting blood sugar rose, and insulin sensitivity fell.
Gym lore, checked
Gym lore is what people say, not what we recommend. Each one is followed by what studies in people show. Stories are real experiences. They are not proof.
"ipamorelin makes you hungry"
Half right, and untested in people. Ipamorelin works on the same receptor the hunger hormone ghrelin uses. In mice it raised food intake and body fat. We found no human study that measured hunger on ipamorelin. The related pill MK-677 did raise appetite in a two-year human trial, which is probably where the belief comes from.
"no carbs around your shot, sugar kills the GH spike"
A real lab finding. No proof it changes results. In small studies, a sugar drink shortly beforehand cut the growth hormone response roughly in half. But the same sugar load a few hours later pushed growth hormone up instead, so the effect flips over time. We found no study of the real question. Does food timing change how much muscle or fat a person ends up with?
"CJC-1295 and ipamorelin together build more muscle"
Not tested, as far as we can find. We found no study that gave people both and measured their muscle. A 2026 review of these peptides found two thirds of all the research was in animals, and the human studies were few and mostly uncontrolled.
"insulin builds muscle, just keep sugar on hand"
We never write how-tos. This one shows why. In a survey of 41 non-diabetic lifters who used insulin, more than half had their blood sugar crash, and one lost consciousness. A separate case report describes a 30-year-old bodybuilder found in a coma who needed glucose put straight into his veins in hospital. A blood sugar crash can happen while you are asleep or driving, and sugar tablets do not help someone who is already unconscious.
this is the one that puts people in comas
What we don't know
- Whether any growth hormone peptide builds real muscle in people. No trial has shown it.
- What any of these do over years. The human studies run weeks.
- What is actually in a vial bought online.
Sources
- Creatine and resistance training in older adults, review of 22 trials. Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, 2017. Journal page
- Creatine in young men, review of 39 trials. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2026. Journal page
- Protein supplementation and resistance training, review of 49 trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018. Journal page
- Growth hormone and athletic performance, systematic review. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2008. Journal page
- MK-677 in older adults, 2-year trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2008. Journal page
- Ipamorelin after bowel surgery, trial in 114 patients. International Journal of Colorectal Disease, 2015. Journal page
- Ipamorelin, food intake and fat in mice. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2001. Journal page
- Glucose and the growth hormone response to GHRH. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 1997. Journal page
- Glucose and the response to a GH-releasing peptide. European Journal of Endocrinology, 1997. Journal page
- Peptides and musculoskeletal outcomes, 2026 scoping review. American Journal of Sports Medicine. Journal page
- Insulin use in non-diabetic lifters, survey of 41. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 2012. Journal page
- Bodybuilder in hypoglycemic coma, case report. Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2019. Journal page
Studies found on PubMed. Last checked November 12, 2026. Information only. Not medical advice.
Fat loss
This is the one area with real, approved drugs and big trials behind them. It is also full of knock-offs.
The short version
In large trials, people on the GLP-1 drugs lost weight. Two things the ads leave out: some of what you lose is not fat, and most of the weight comes back if you stop. In trials, people who lifted while losing weight kept more lean mass.
Gym lore, checked
Gym lore is what people say, not what we recommend. Each one is followed by what studies in people show. Stories are real experiences. They are not proof.
"you lose muscle on these drugs"
Partly true, and it is not special to the drugs. In the tirzepatide body-scan substudy, about a quarter of the weight lost was lean mass, the same share as placebo. A 2026 review looked at 20 trials in 15,782 people. It asked how much of the lost weight was lean mass. For semaglutide it was about 35%. For tirzepatide, about 25%. For lifestyle changes alone, about 26%. One caution: "lean mass" on a scan includes organs and water, not just muscle.
"it all comes back when you stop"
True, in both big trials. One part of the semaglutide trial followed people after they stopped. That group had lost 17.3% of their weight over 68 weeks. In the next year, about two thirds of it came back. They ended about 5.6% below where they started. In the tirzepatide withdrawal trial, people who switched to placebo regained 14% over 52 weeks, while those who stayed on lost a further 5.5%.
"lift and eat protein and you keep your muscle"
Supported, and it reduces the loss rather than stopping it. A review of 114 trials in 4,184 people found lean mass was held when resistance training was added to eating less. Higher protein kept about 0.43 kg more. A 2026 trial followed 120 people on tirzepatide. Those who lifted weights lost 3.57 kg of lean mass. Those who did not lift lost 4.67 kg. The lifters got stronger. The others got weaker.
"compounded or research-grade is the same drug"
No. The FDA says these are not approved or checked for safety, quality or strength. Some use a different form of the ingredient, such as semaglutide sodium or acetate, which is not the same active ingredient. Dosing mistakes have put people in hospital. As of May 31, 2026 the FDA had 990 adverse event reports for compounded semaglutide and over 730 for compounded tirzepatide, and also warns about counterfeit product.
"microdosing gives the benefit without the side effects"
No trial found. We found no published trial of below-label doses for weight loss. One study looked at the records of people who stayed on the lowest approved dose. After 12 months, weight had changed by about 2.2% on semaglutide and 5.5% on tirzepatide. Side effects were still recorded.
The grades
Semaglutide and tirzepatide
FDA-approved, prescription only. About 15% and 21% of body weight lost in their main trials. See the stack builder for each one.
Tesamorelin
Approved only for extra deep belly fat in adults with HIV-related fat buildup, and the label says it is not for weight loss. In the trials deep belly fat fell about 15% over 26 weeks. It came back after stopping.
AOD-9604
Sold as a fat-burning peptide. It was tested in people for obesity and development was stopped in 2007. The weight-loss results from those trials were never published in a journal we could find. A safety paper covering six placebo-controlled trials in 893 people reports safety only, no weight results.
no published proof it works
5-amino-1MQ
Only mouse and cell studies. Obese mice gained less fat. We found no published human study.
worked in rats
Sources
- Tirzepatide body composition substudy. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2025. Journal page
- Lean mass with GLP-1 drugs, review of 20 trials. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2026. Journal page
- What "lean mass" includes. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2024. Journal page
- Weight regain after stopping semaglutide (STEP 1 extension). Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2022. Journal page
- Tirzepatide withdrawal trial (SURMOUNT-4). JAMA, 2024. Journal page
- Resistance training and lean mass during weight loss, review of 114 trials. Obesity Reviews, 2022. Journal page
- Higher protein and fat-free mass during weight loss, review of 24 trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2012. Journal page
- Resistance exercise with tirzepatide, trial in 120 people. Nature Medicine, 2026. Journal page
- FDA on unapproved and compounded GLP-1 drugs. FDA
- Low-dose GLP-1 records study. Biology Methods and Protocols, 2026. Journal page
- Commentary on microdosing evidence. Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy, 2026. Journal page
- Tesamorelin phase 3 pooled results. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2010. Journal page
- Tesamorelin, fat returning after stopping. AIDS, 2008. Journal page
- Tesamorelin FDA label. FDA
- AOD-9604, phase IIa note. PubMed 15134286. PubMed
- 5-amino-1MQ in mice. Biochemical Pharmacology, 2018. Journal page
Studies found on PubMed. Last checked November 12, 2026. Information only. Not medical advice.
Sleep and stress
The sleep aisle makes big promises. The studies measure the difference in minutes.
The short version
Nothing here knocks you out. Melatonin got people to sleep about 7 minutes faster. Magnesium, ashwagandha and theanine showed small gains in small studies. We found no study showing the famous sleep peptides improve sleep in people.
What has proof
Melatonin
A review of 19 trials in 1,683 people with sleep problems: they fell asleep about 7 minutes sooner, slept about 8 minutes longer, and rated their sleep slightly better. The effect did not fade with continued use.
proven, and small: about 7 minutes
Magnesium
A 2026 review of 12 trials found the results inconsistent and the certainty low. An older review added together 3 trials in 151 older adults. People fell asleep about 17 minutes sooner. But the trials were weak. One trial of the glycinate form in 155 adults found a small improvement on an insomnia score.
small, and the studies disagree
Ashwagandha
One pooled analysis of 9 trials in 558 people found lower stress, anxiety and cortisol. Another found cortisol down but felt stress unchanged. For sleep, 5 trials in 400 people found a small benefit. Doctors have also reported liver injury: 5 cases in Iceland and the US, and 8 in India, where 3 people who already had liver disease died.
rare liver injury is on record
L-theanine
A review of 19 trials in 897 people found they rated their sleep slightly better. Few trials tested theanine by itself.
Glycine
We found only three small trials, and each found some benefit. One had just 7 men and was run by a single company on its own employees.
Chamomile and apigenin
A review of 10 chamomile trials in 772 people found they rated their sleep a little better, but they did not sleep longer. We found no trial of apigenin by itself for sleep in people.
Gym lore, checked
Gym lore is what people say, not what we recommend. Each one is followed by what studies in people show. Stories are real experiences. They are not proof.
"epitalon resets your body clock and adds deep sleep"
Sleep was never measured. We found no human trial that tested whether epitalon improves sleep. Two small studies from one circle of researchers found it raised melatonin, which is not the same as sleeping better. A 2026 outside review found no proper randomized trial.
"DSIP is the sleep peptide"
The name promises more than the trials found. DSIP stands for delta sleep-inducing peptide. In tiny trials from the 1980s and 1990s the results conflicted. Two controlled trials found little real benefit. Two smaller ones, of 14 and 7 patients, reported improvement.
"growth hormone peptides give you deeper sleep"
True for a lab drip. Not shown for the peptides. In a sleep lab, 7 young men got the body's own growth hormone signal through a drip. Their deep sleep rose from 14% of the night to about 20%. It was much weaker in older men. A trial of a sermorelin-type drug in 19 people found sleep quality unchanged. We found no sleep study of CJC-1295 or ipamorelin.
What we don't know
- Whether any sleep peptide improves sleep in people.
- Whether a small gain on a sleep survey means better health.
- What years of nightly use does, for most of these.
Sources
- Melatonin for sleep disorders, review of 19 trials. PLoS One, 2013. Journal page
- Magnesium for insomnia, 2026 systematic review. Journal of Dietary Supplements. Journal page
- Magnesium in older adults, review of 3 trials. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 2021. Journal page
- Magnesium bisglycinate trial in 155 adults. Nature and Science of Sleep, 2025. Journal page
- Ashwagandha for stress and anxiety, review of 9 trials. Explore, 2024. Journal page
- Ashwagandha, cortisol and stress, pooled analysis. Nutrition and Health, 2025. Journal page
- Ashwagandha for sleep, review of 5 trials. PLoS One, 2021. Journal page
- Ashwagandha liver injury, Iceland and US cases. Liver International, 2020. Journal page
- Ashwagandha liver injury, India cases. Hepatology Communications, 2023. Journal page
- L-theanine and sleep, review of 19 trials. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2025. Journal page
- Glycine and sleep, 2026 scoping review. Journal of Dietary Supplements. Journal page
- Glycine trial in sleep-restricted men. Frontiers in Neurology, 2012. Journal page
- Chamomile and sleep, review of 10 trials. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2024. Journal page
- Epitalon, 2026 review of the evidence. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Journal page
- DSIP in chronic insomnia, controlled trial. Neuropsychobiology, 1992. Journal page
- DSIP in insomnia, 14-patient trial. European Neurology, 1987. Journal page
- DSIP in insomnia, 7-patient study. European Neurology, 1984. Journal page
- GHRH and deep sleep in young men. Neuroendocrinology, 1992. Journal page
- GHRH and sleep in older men. Neurobiology of Aging, 1997. Journal page
- GHRH analog and sleep quality, trial in 19 people. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 1997. Journal page
Studies found on PubMed. Last checked November 12, 2026. Information only. Not medical advice.
Anti-aging
The longevity shelf is mostly mouse results. The one thing with strong human numbers is not for sale.
The short version
We found no trial showing a pill or peptide makes healthy people live longer. Several move a lab number without making people healthier. The strongest human signal by far is fitness.
What has human numbers
Being fit
A study followed 122,007 adults for a median of 8.4 years after a treadmill test. The least-fit quarter died at about 5 times the rate of the fittest 2%. Being below average instead of above average carried about the same extra risk as smoking. This kind of study shows a link. It cannot prove cause.
the strongest number on this page
NMN and NR (NAD boosters)
They do raise NAD in the blood. A review of 12 trials in 513 people found most health results no different from placebo. Other reviews found no gain in muscle, grip strength, weight, blood sugar or cholesterol.
moves the number, not the health
Urolithin A
Two trials, both co-written by staff of the company that makes it. One trial had 66 older adults. Their muscles lasted longer before tiring. But the trial had two main goals: walking distance and how much energy the muscles made. On both, it did no better than placebo. In middle-aged adults, strength rose about 12%, but the main goal, peak power, did not improve.
side results up, main results flat
Rapamycin (prescription drug)
Mice given it late in life lived longer. A 48-week trial in healthy adults missed its main goal: belly fat did not change. Lean mass and pain improved only in women in one group. Every author worked for the company that ran the trial. No study shows people live longer.
worked in mice
Metformin (prescription drug)
We found no finished trial that tested it against aging in people. In a 14-week trial of 94 healthy adults over 65 doing strength training, the placebo group gained more muscle than the metformin group.
older lifters built less muscle on it
Gym lore, checked
Gym lore is what people say, not what we recommend. Each one is followed by what studies in people show. Stories are real experiences. They are not proof.
"epitalon lengthens your telomeres"
Only in a lab dish. Telomeres are the caps on the ends of your chromosomes. They got longer in cells in a dish, first in a 2003 Russian study and again in a 2025 study, which also saw it in cancer cells. A 2026 review found no proper randomized trial in people. The claim about living longer rests on one 266-person study by the same Russian group, using a different extract.
"MOTS-c is exercise in a vial"
Mice only, so far. MOTS-c helped mice move better, and your own body makes more of it when you exercise. A related drug finished an early safety study that enrolled 88 people, and no results have been published. The FDA's safety-risk page lists concerns about MOTS-c. It sits in that page's "nominated but withdrawn" table.
"senolytics clear out your zombie cells"
Early and tiny. In a 9-person study with no placebo group, fat and skin samples showed fewer worn-out cells after a drug pair. A randomized trial in 60 older women missed its main bone goal. A 10-person pilot of fisetin saw a biological-age test go down in 4 people and up in 5.
"thymosin alpha-1 boosts your immune system"
A hepatitis drug abroad. Not an approved drug in the US. A 2009 review reported approval in more than 35 countries, mainly for hepatitis B and C. The FDA says there is too little safety information on compounded versions. The largest trial, in 1,106 adults with sepsis, found deaths about the same as placebo: 23.4% versus 24.1%.
What we don't know
- Whether any of these makes a healthy person live longer. No trial has run long enough to tell.
- Whether raising a blood marker like NAD means anything for health.
- What years of use does.
Sources
- Fitness and death rates in 122,007 adults. JAMA Network Open, 2018. Journal page
- NMN, review of 12 trials. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2024. Journal page
- NMN and NR in older adults, muscle outcomes. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2025. Journal page
- NAD boosters and metabolic outcomes, review of 15 trials. Nutrients, 2026. Journal page
- Urolithin A in older adults. JAMA Network Open, 2022. Journal page
- Urolithin A in middle-aged adults. Cell Reports Medicine, 2022. Journal page
- Rapamycin in healthy adults (PEARL). Aging, 2025. Journal page
- Rapamycin and lifespan in mice. Nature, 2009. Journal page
- Metformin and strength training in older adults (MASTERS). Aging Cell, 2019. Journal page
- Epitalon, 2026 review of the evidence. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Journal page
- Epitalon and telomeres in cells, 2025. Biogerontology. Journal page
- Epitalon and telomeres in cells, 2003. Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine. Journal page
- MOTS-c and physical performance in mice. Nature Communications, 2021. Journal page
- CB4211 early safety study, registry entry NCT03998514. ClinicalTrials.gov
- FDA list of substances that may be risky to compound. FDA
- Senolytics, 9-person pilot. EBioMedicine, 2019. Journal page
- Senolytics in older women, bone trial. Nature Medicine, 2024. Journal page
- Thymosin alpha-1 review. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 2009. Journal page
- Thymosin alpha-1 in sepsis, trial in 1,106 adults. BMJ, 2025. Journal page
Studies found on PubMed. Last checked November 12, 2026. Information only. Not medical advice.
Skin and hair
The stuff with real trials sits on a pharmacy shelf. The trendy stuff has almost no human testing.
The short version
Daily sunscreen and tretinoin have real trials behind them for skin. Minoxidil and finasteride beat placebo for hair, with modest gains. Collagen only looked good in company-funded studies. We found no human study of the injectable "glow" blends.
What has proof
Daily sunscreen
A trial followed 903 adults for 4.5 years. People told to use sunscreen every day showed no detectable increase in skin aging, 24% less than people who used it when they felt like it.
the skin product with the best trial on this page
Tretinoin (prescription cream)
A review of 8 trials in 1,361 people found it improved fine and coarse sun wrinkles compared with plain cream.
Minoxidil and finasteride for hair
Twelve trials tested finasteride in 3,927 men. Hair count was about 9% above placebo within a year, and about 24% after two. About one extra man in six noticed an improvement. Erection problems roughly doubled, about one extra case per 82 men. Minoxidil in women: 157 of 593 reported moderate or better regrowth, against 77 of 555 on placebo.
real but modest: more hairs, not a full head
Collagen for skin
A review of 23 trials in 1,474 people found better hydration, elasticity and wrinkles overall. But the trials not funded by companies found no effect, and neither did the best-run trials. The authors concluded there is no clinical evidence to support it for skin aging.
only worked in company-funded studies
Copper peptide cream (GHK-Cu)
Few careful tests have been done in people. In those, it did not beat the comparison cream. A 13-person trial after laser treatment found no difference. A trial in 86 people with leg ulcers found it no better than placebo. Most of the good results come from lab and animal work.
worked in the lab
Gym lore, checked
Gym lore is what people say, not what we recommend. Each one is followed by what studies in people show. Stories are real experiences. They are not proof.
"the GLOW and KLOW stacks give you glowing skin"
Never tested in people. GLOW is BPC-157, TB-500 and GHK-Cu in one shot. KLOW adds a fourth, KPV. No study of either blend in people has been published. We found no human study of KPV for any condition, on PubMed or in the trial registry.
"Melanotan II is a safe tan and protects you from skin cancer"
We found nothing that shows protection. Doctors have reported harm. Case reports describe melanomas in young users, including a 20-year-old and a 22-year-old, plus new and darkening moles. A 2026 review of 68 studies also lists muscle breakdown, a blocked blood supply to the kidney, and long, painful erections. Case reports cannot prove the drug was the cause. Nothing we found shows it protects against skin cancer.
a new or changing mole needs a doctor, not a forum
"glutathione shots brighten your skin"
The one fair test did not clearly work, and people got sick in 2026. A 2024 review found one placebo-controlled trial of the drip: 6 of 16 people responded, against 3 on placebo. That is not a clear difference. In August 2026 the FDA reported at least 30 patients who reacted to glutathione drips made from supplement-grade ingredient that is not meant for injection.
"biotin grows hair"
Not if your levels are normal. A 2024 review found three studies. The best one, with a placebo group, showed no difference in hair growth. The reported successes were all in people with an underlying problem. The FDA also warns that biotin can make some blood tests read wrong, including a test used to spot heart attacks.
"copper peptides regrow hair"
Mixes showed more hairs in small studies. Copper peptide alone is untested. A 2026 review found 14 small trials of peptide blends. One placebo-controlled trial in 45 men used a blend containing a GHK peptide and found more hairs after 6 months, but no change in thickness. We found no trial of copper peptide by itself for scalp hair.
What we don't know
- Whether any injected "skin peptide" does anything in people.
- The long-term safety of tanning peptides.
- What is actually in a vial or drip that did not come from a pharmacy.
Sources
- Daily sunscreen and skin aging, trial in 903 adults. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2013. Journal page
- Tretinoin for sun-aged skin, review of 8 trials. Dermatology Practical and Conceptual, 2025. Journal page
- Finasteride for male hair loss, review of 12 trials. Archives of Dermatology, 2010. Journal page
- Treatments for female pattern hair loss, Cochrane review, 2016. Journal page
- Hair loss treatments compared. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2017. Journal page
- Collagen and skin aging, review of 23 trials by funding source. American Journal of Medicine, 2025. Journal page
- Copper peptide after laser resurfacing, trial. Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, 2006. Journal page
- Copper peptide cream for leg ulcers, trial. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 1992. Journal page
- GHK-Cu, 2026 review. Pharmaceutics. Journal page
- Melanoma after Melanotan II and sunbeds, case report. Dermatology, 2014. Journal page
- Mouth melanoma in a nasal tanning spray user, case report. International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 2025. Journal page
- Melanotan harms, 2026 systematic review. PubMed 41890775. PubMed
- Glutathione for skin lightening, 2024 systematic review. International Journal of Dermatology. Journal page
- FDA on supplement-grade glutathione in injectables, August 27, 2026. FDA
- Biotin for hair, 2024 review. PubMed 39148962. PubMed
- Biotin for hair and nails, review of case reports. Skin Appendage Disorders, 2017. Journal page
- FDA on biotin and troponin lab tests. FDA
- Peptides for hair, 2026 systematic review. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. Journal page
- GHK peptide blend for hair, trial in 45 men. Annals of Dermatology, 2016. Journal page
Studies found on PubMed. Last checked November 12, 2026. Information only. Not medical advice.
SARMs and SERMs
SARMs are sold as steroids without the downsides. The trials and the lab tests say otherwise.
The short version
SARMs are unapproved drugs. In trials they added a little lean weight and lowered men's own testosterone. About half the products sold online did not contain what the label said. SERMs are real prescription drugs made for other uses, and the gym use of them has almost no trials behind it.
What's a SARM?
Short for selective androgen receptor modulator. A lab-made drug that flips the same switch in the body that testosterone does. None is approved by the FDA.
What's a SERM?
Short for selective estrogen receptor modulator. A prescription drug that blocks estrogen in some parts of the body. Tamoxifen and clomiphene are the best known. They were made for breast cancer and for fertility treatment in women, not for the gym.
What the trials found
Ostarine (enobosarm)
In a 12-week trial of 120 older adults, lean mass rose about 1.3 kg at the highest amount tested, clearly more than placebo, and stair-climbing power improved. In cancer patients, lean mass rose 1 to 1.5 kg. Two large late-stage trials then tested lean mass and stair-climbing power together. A later review says lean mass improved but function did not. It is not FDA-approved.
heavier on a scan, not clearly stronger
Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
One 21-day trial in 76 healthy men. Lean mass went up. Their own testosterone and their "good" HDL cholesterol went down. Both returned to normal after they stopped.
lean mass up, testosterone down
RAD-140
We found no human trial of it for muscle. Its first human trial was in 22 women with advanced breast cancer. The most common side effect was abnormal liver blood tests. Up to 59% of the women had them. Doctors have also published cases of liver injury in men using RAD-140 or LGD-4033 products. They recovered over about three months after stopping.
liver injury is on record
Cardarine (GW501516)
Sold next to SARMs, but it is not one. It works on a different target. Anti-doping agencies say its maker dropped it after animal tests showed serious harm, including cancer. The human trials we found measured blood fats, not muscle or endurance. It has turned up inside products sold as SARMs.
dropped by its own maker
Clomiphene and enclomiphene, in men with low testosterone
In trials they raised testosterone readings, and unlike testosterone gel they did not lower sperm counts. Neither is FDA-approved for men. One 2026 review found lower sex-drive scores than with gel.
Tamoxifen, for breast growth in men
The good studies are in men taking prostate cancer drugs: 9 trials in 1,573 patients found it sharply cut breast growth. That use is not on its label. The label warns of dangerous blood clots. In one large prevention trial in women, clots in the lung were three times as common on tamoxifen, 18 cases against 6.
tested in cancer patients, not lifters
Gym lore, checked
Gym lore is what people say, not what we recommend. Each one is followed by what studies in people show. Stories are real experiences. They are not proof.
"SARMs build muscle without shutting down your testosterone"
Wrong, by the trials. In the ligandrol trial, men's own testosterone fell while they took it. In the ostarine trial, total testosterone fell in men at the two highest amounts tested.
"it's sold as a supplement, so it's legal and safe"
The FDA says no to both. The FDA says SARMs are not approved drugs and are not dietary supplements, even when sold as supplements. The harms it lists include heart attack or stroke, liver injury and liver failure, hallucinations, sleep problems, infertility and testicular shrinkage. A 2023 review of 33 studies counted 15 published reports of liver injury in SARM users.
"what's on the label is what's in the bottle"
About half the time. Researchers bought 44 products sold online as SARMs and tested them. Only 23 contained a SARM at all. 17 contained a different unapproved drug. 4 contained nothing active. The amount matched the label in just 18 of the 44.
"PCT with a SERM brings your natural testosterone back"
Never tested in a proper trial. PCT means post-cycle therapy: taking a SERM after steroids or SARMs. No randomized trial has tested it. What exists is doctors looking back at records and men answering surveys. A 2026 review says most men's hormones recover by themselves within months of stopping, calls the benefit uncertain, and says it is generally not recommended.
What we don't know
- The long-term effects of any SARM. The trials ran weeks to months.
- Whether any SARM makes people stronger or more able, not just heavier on a scan.
- What is in any given bottle.
- Anything about andarine (S-4), S-23, YK-11 or SR9009 in people. They are sold alongside these, and we found no human trial of any of them. YK-11 and SR9009 are not SARMs.
Sources
- Enobosarm in older adults, trial in 120. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2011. Journal page
- Enobosarm in cancer patients, trial. Lancet Oncology, 2013. Journal page
- Enobosarm late-stage trial design. Current Oncology Reports, 2016. Journal page
- Review reporting the late-stage enobosarm results. Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care, 2018. Journal page
- LGD-4033 in healthy men, trial in 76. Journals of Gerontology Series A, 2013. Journal page
- RAD-140 in women with breast cancer, first human trial. Clinical Breast Cancer, 2022. Journal page
- Liver injury with RAD-140 and LGD-4033, case report. ACG Case Reports Journal, 2020. Journal page
- Liver injury with LGD-4033, case report. ACG Case Reports Journal, 2020. Journal page
- Liver injury with SARMs, two cases. World Journal of Clinical Cases, 2021. Journal page
- What is in products sold as SARMs, analysis of 44. JAMA, 2017. Journal page
- FDA warning on SARMs, April 2023. FDA
- USADA on GW1516. USADA
- Cardarine trial in 268 adults. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, 2012. Journal page
- USADA on SARMs and substances sold as SARMs. USADA
- SARM side effects in healthy adults, review of 33 studies. Journal of Xenobiotics, 2023. Journal page
- WADA alert on GW501516, 2013. WADA
- Enclomiphene in men with low testosterone, two trials. BJU International, 2016. Journal page
- Clomiphene in men, review of 19 studies. Andrology, 2022. Journal page
- Clomiphene versus testosterone, 2026 review. European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Journal page
- Tamoxifen for breast growth in prostate cancer patients, review of 9 trials. Current Oncology, 2012. Journal page
- Tamoxifen label. DailyMed
- Recovery after steroid use, 2026 review. Endocrine Connections. Journal page
- Hormone recovery after steroid use, records of 641 men. European Journal of Endocrinology, 2023. Journal page
Studies found on PubMed. Last checked November 12, 2026. Information only. Not medical advice.
Gut health
Fiber and peppermint oil have real trials. The gut peptides have mouse studies.
The short version
Psyllium fiber and peppermint oil have helped people with IBS in pooled trials. Some probiotics cut diarrhea from antibiotics by about a third. "Leaky gut syndrome" is not an accepted diagnosis. BPC-157 and KPV have no published human gut studies.
What has proof
Psyllium (soluble fiber)
A review of 14 trials in 906 people with IBS found soluble fiber such as psyllium helped about 1 extra person in every 7. Bran did not help. For constipation, a review of 16 trials in 1,251 adults found about 66% improved on fiber, against 41% without it, with more gas.
cheap, and it helped about 1 extra person in 7
Peppermint oil
A review of 10 trials in 1,030 people with IBS found it beat placebo for overall symptoms and for belly pain. Side effects were also more common, and the reviewers rated the quality of the evidence as very low.
Probiotics
For diarrhea caused by antibiotics, a review of 42 trials in 11,305 adults found the risk fell by about a third, and only certain species worked. For IBS, a review of 82 trials found some strains may help, but the certainty was low to very low.
which germ is in the bottle matters
Glutamine
One 8-week trial in 106 people who got diarrhea-type IBS after a gut infection: about 80% improved on glutamine, against 6% on placebo, and a gut-leakiness test improved. The authors called for larger trials. Ten smaller studies in other illnesses, pooled, showed no clear change in leakiness.
one striking trial, waiting on bigger ones
Zinc carnosine
Two tiny studies, in 10 and 8 healthy people, found it kept the gut from getting leakier after a painkiller or hard exercise. A larger trial in 303 patients, with no blinding, found it helped antibiotics clear a stomach germ. None measured healing of the stomach lining.
Digestive enzymes
One small trial in 18 healthy people found enzyme capsules meant less bloating after a very fatty meal. The larger trial, in 120 people, was in people who already had indigestion.
Gym lore, checked
Gym lore is what people say, not what we recommend. Each one is followed by what studies in people show. Stories are real experiences. They are not proof.
"leaky gut syndrome is behind fatigue, brain fog and autoimmune disease"
A real measurement. Not an accepted diagnosis. Doctors can measure a leakier gut lining in some bowel diseases and after stress such as endurance exercise. But reviews say three things. "Leaky gut syndrome" is not an accepted diagnosis. There is no proven test for it. And fixing the lining has not been shown to improve any disease.
"BPC-157 heals your gut"
In animals. Almost everything known about BPC-157 and the gut comes from animals. A 2026 review found three weak human studies of BPC-157, 30 people in total, and none was about the gut. Reviews by its developers mention a mid-stage colitis trial, but we found no published results.
"KPV calms gut inflammation"
In mice. KPV given by mouth lowered inflammation in mice with chemically caused colitis, in studies from two teams. We found no human study, published or registered.
"collagen and bone broth heal the gut"
Not shown. A study with no comparison group started with 40 women, and only 14 finished. A fairer trial in 20 runners found no difference in gut leakiness, gut injury markers or symptoms. We found no bone broth trial in people.
"there's a peptide that seals a leaky gut"
The closest one was dropped. Larazotide was tested in celiac disease. Mid-stage trials gave mixed results and did not change the gut-leakiness test. The final-stage trial, which enrolled 307 people, was stopped by the company in 2022 and no results were posted.
What we don't know
- Whether BPC-157 or KPV does anything for the human gut.
- Which probiotic helps which problem. Most have not been compared head to head in the trials we found.
- Whether fixing a "leaky" test result changes how anyone feels.
Sources
- Fiber for IBS, review of 14 trials. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2014. Journal page
- Fiber for constipation, review of 16 trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2022. Journal page
- Peppermint oil for IBS, review of 10 trials. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 2022. Journal page
- Probiotics for IBS, review of 82 trials. Gastroenterology, 2023. Journal page
- Probiotics and antibiotic diarrhea, review of 42 trials. BMJ Open, 2021. Journal page
- Glutamine for IBS after infection, trial. Gut, 2019. Journal page
- Glutamine and gut permeability, review of 10 trials. Amino Acids, 2024. Journal page
- Zinc carnosine and painkiller gut damage. Gut, 2007. Journal page
- Zinc carnosine and exercise. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2016. Journal page
- Zinc carnosine with antibiotics, trial in 303 patients. PLoS One, 2017. Journal page
- Enzymes after a fatty meal, trial in 18 volunteers. Digestive Diseases and Sciences, 1999. Journal page
- Enzyme blend in indigestion, trial in 120. Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 2023. Journal page
- Leaky gut: mechanisms, measurement and clinical meaning. Gut, 2019. Journal page
- Leaky gut, a second review. PubMed
- BPC-157 in humans, 2026 systematic review. Acta Orthopaedica Belgica. Journal page
- KPV in mouse colitis. Gastroenterology, 2008. Journal page
- KPV in mouse colitis, second team. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, 2008. Journal page
- Collagen and digestive symptoms, uncontrolled study. JMIR Formative Research, 2022. Journal page
- Collagen in runners, controlled trial. European Journal of Nutrition, 2023. Journal page
- Larazotide in celiac disease, mid-stage trial. Gastroenterology, 2015. Journal page
- Larazotide final-stage trial, registry entry NCT03569007. ClinicalTrials.gov
Studies found on PubMed. Last checked November 12, 2026. Information only. Not medical advice.
Stack builder
Put up to 6 on the rack. We show what we know about each pair and stamp the whole stack.
Information only. Not medical advice. For adults. We show what studies found. We never tell you what to take.
Stacks people ask about
Pick your compounds
What studies saw, and when
Supplement timing, from trials and habit
What each one does
Pair by pair
This shows what is known. It cannot tell you a stack is safe.
Sources
- Tendon compounds: see the tendon page.
- MK-677 hip-fracture trial, Adunsky et al., 2011. Journal page
- CJC-1295 in healthy adults, two trials. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2006. Journal page
- Ipamorelin bowel-recovery trial in 114 patients, 2014. Journal page
- Semax in stroke rehab, 110 patients. Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii, 2018. Journal page
- Selank added to a standard anxiety drug, 70 patients. Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii, 2015. Journal page
- Phenibut in dietary supplements. FDA
- Phenibut dependence report. MDLinx
- Retatrutide final-stage trial (TRIUMPH-1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2026. Journal page
- Retatrutide approval status. Drugs.com
- Semaglutide (STEP 1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2021. Journal page
- Tirzepatide (SURMOUNT-1). New England Journal of Medicine, 2022. Journal page
- Tesamorelin review. Drugs, 2011. Journal page
- Every compound also lists its own sources when you open it above.
- Supplements: see the supplements page.
- Creatine: see the muscle page. Sleep compounds: see the sleep page. Longevity compounds: see the anti-aging page. SARMs: see the SARMs page.
Forum
Open to any adult. Share what happened to you. Ask what you don't know.
Don't want to join? Ask a question with no login. A person answers when they can.
Join with your email
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House rules
- Adults only.
- No selling. No discount codes.
- No sourcing. Don't ask where to buy. Don't say where you bought.
- Say "this is what happened to me," not "you should take this."
- Sellers must say they are sellers.
- Tap Report on any post that breaks these. We remove them.
- Posts are stories from strangers. They are not medical advice.
Threads
Start a thread
Vendor watch
We don't rank or recommend sellers. We list public FDA warning letters.
FDA warning letters, August 2026
A warning letter means the FDA told the company it believes it was selling unapproved drugs. It is not a court finding. Each name opens the FDA's own letter, dated August 24, 2026.
Source: the FDA's own warning letter pages. We don't link to peptide or SARM sellers.
For sellers
Have a correction? Use the feedback form. It is private. Nobody pays to be listed, and nobody can pay to be removed.
Go deeper
Podcasts, books and sites we checked. Where we could find who pays for it, we say so.
Listen
The Peter Attia Drive
Episode 403, "Peptides: separating scientific promise from marketing hype" (Aug 2026, 53 min). Good for a five-question test you can use on any compound.
Huberman Lab
"Peptides: The Science, Uses and Safety" with Dr. Abud Bakri (June 2026), plus the 2024 solo episode on benefits and risks. Good for a long walk through the main types.
The Guardian's Science Weekly
"What's behind the injectable peptide craze?" (March 2026, 18 min). Good for a short, neutral start, with a peptide researcher from Imperial College London.
Scientific American's Science Quickly
"Influencers are obsessed with peptides. What does the science say?" (May 2026, 20 min). Good for the gap between social media and studies.
Know who is talking
Many peptide shows are run by companies in the business. One example: The Peptide Research Podcast is published by NRG BioLabs LLC. Check the publisher before you trust the advice.
Read
"The Peptide Craze" by Eric Topol
A free essay from a Scripps Research cardiologist. Good for the skeptical case, laid out compound by compound.
Peptide Protocols: Volume One by William Seeds, MD
A 160-page primer written for physicians (2020). Good for the cell biology behind peptides.
Peptide Chemistry and Drug Design, edited by Ben Dunn
A university textbook. Good if you want the real chemistry of how peptide drugs get made.
Outlive by Peter Attia
Not about peptides. Good for learning how to weigh risk and proof for anything you put in your body.
Look things up
Examine
A large independent database on supplements and nootropics. Good for anything that is not a peptide.
FDA: compounding safety list
The FDA's own list of substances it says may be risky to compound. It gives the FDA's safety concerns for each. BPC-157, CJC-1295, TB-500, Semax and Selank now sit in its "nominated but withdrawn" table: they used to be in the risky group, and the people who nominated them pulled the request. Good for the regulator's side.
ClinicalTrials.gov
The public register of human trials. Good for one question: has anyone tested this in people, and did they post results?
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
Plain fact sheets on vitamins, minerals and common supplements. Good for what studies tested and known side effects.
Cochrane
Reviews that pool every good trial on a question, each with a plain-language summary. Good for seeing the whole picture, not one study.
WADA Prohibited List
What is banned in tested sport for 2026. Section S2 covers peptide hormones and growth factors. Good if you compete.
PubMed
The US government's free index of medical studies. Good for checking any claim at the source.
Every link here was checked by us. Nobody paid for a spot. Know a better one? Send it through the feedback form and we will check it. Last checked November 11, 2026.
The audit
A dated log of what we checked, what we changed and what we threw out.
Nov 11, 2026
Checked: tendon recovery. Four compounds graded against six published sources.
Nov 11, 2026
Thrown out: "BPC-157 is proven to heal tendons."
35 animal or lab studies. 1 human study, 12 people.
Nov 11, 2026
Thrown out: eye and skin trials of thymosin beta-4 as proof TB-500 heals tendons.
different molecule, different body part
Nov 11, 2026
Flagged: five sellers with FDA warning letters from August 2026.
Nov 11, 2026
Checked: all 28 compounds in the stack builder. 25 are source-checked. Three supplements are still marked draft.
Nov 11, 2026
Changed: retatrutide grade from A to B. The published trial is mid-stage and the drug is not approved.
Nov 11, 2026
Added: 14 over-the-counter supplements to the stack builder.
Nov 11, 2026
Changed: grade wording. A now means strong human proof. B covers small, early or mixed results.
Nov 11, 2026
Added: a what-to-expect timeline, a daily plan and eight example stacks to the stack builder, plus a supplements page.
Nov 11, 2026
Corrected: Bacopa improves memory.
the review found faster attention, not memory
Nov 11, 2026
Corrected: Magnesium L-threonate improves sleep.
the trial could not tell
Nov 11, 2026
Corrected: the failed ALS trial tested a TUDCA combination drug, not TUDCA alone.
Nov 11, 2026
Checked: every outside link on the site, twice. Two podcast links and one book link now go to the publisher instead of a middleman. Five public look-up sources added.
Nov 11, 2026
Checked: the last three draft supplements. All 28 compounds are now source-checked.
Nov 11, 2026
Corrected: NAC makes the body's main antioxidant.
it supplies a building block, that is all the sources say
Nov 11, 2026
Corrected: NAC upsets the stomach.
same rate on placebo in the bronchitis trials
Nov 12, 2026
Live: the site opened at workedinrats.com with one-tap login, the forum, private feedback and a privacy page.
Nov 12, 2026
Checked: muscle and fat loss. 28 published sources, plus two FDA pages.
Nov 12, 2026
Left out: how to manage a blood sugar crash from insulin.
more than half of non-diabetic users crashed. one passed out. a separate report describes a coma. we will not write that how-to.
Nov 12, 2026
Updated: BPC-157 pharmacy rules. HHS issued a temporary policy in late October not to act against licensed compounding of six peptides.
temporary, and not an approval
Nov 12, 2026
Checked: sleep and stress. 20 published sources.
Nov 12, 2026
Checked: anti-aging. 17 published sources, a trial registry entry and an FDA page.
Nov 12, 2026
Checked: skin and hair. 17 published sources and two FDA pages.
Nov 12, 2026
Checked: SARMs and SERMs. 16 published sources, plus FDA, USADA, WADA and a drug label.
only 23 of 44 products tested contained a SARM
Nov 12, 2026
Added: 13 compounds to the stack builder, including melatonin, creatine, epitalon, MOTS-c and four sold as SARMs. 41 in total.
Nov 12, 2026
Checked: gut health. 19 published sources and a trial registry entry.
Nov 12, 2026
Added: 34 more compounds to the stack builder: gym supplements, testosterone boosters, gut, libido and the newest weight-loss drugs. 75 in total.
Nov 12, 2026
Live: login emails now reach anyone who signs up. They come from login@workedinrats.com and are sent through Resend. The privacy page says so.
Nov 12, 2026
Re-checked: the 45 oldest stack-builder entries, one by one, against published sources. 15 were corrected. All 75 compounds now list their sources when you open them.
Nov 12, 2026
Corrected: Cardarine. We said it had no human results. A 12-week trial in 268 adults measured blood fats.
we got this one wrong
Nov 12, 2026
Corrected: the MK-677 source link pointed at the wrong paper. It now opens the hip-fracture trial.
Nov 12, 2026
Corrected: BPC-157 human studies. We said one. A 2026 review counts three, about 30 people in all, none with a comparison group.
Nov 12, 2026
Changed: retatrutide grade from B back to A. A final-stage trial in 2,339 adults was published on September 29, 2026. It is still not approved.
Nov 12, 2026
Updated: saffron and magnesium L-threonate, for 2026 trials and reviews.
Nov 12, 2026
Removed: the Brain and focus placeholder from the goals page. That page is not being built for now.
Nov 12, 2026
Outside review: a fresh reader went through every page before launch and listed what breaks our own rules. We fixed the wording that read like advice, the flat "no study exists" claims, and the lines that disagreed with each other.
Nov 12, 2026
Changed: the stack builder now starts empty. "Ready-made stacks" became "Stacks people ask about", and "What to expect" became "What studies saw, and when".
Nov 12, 2026
Removed: amounts. Upper limits now point to the NIH fact sheet instead of printing a number.
Nov 12, 2026
Changed: Semax, Selank and phenibut now cite journal papers and the FDA. The old source was a company that sells peptides.
we do not link to peptide sellers
Nov 12, 2026
Changed: vendor watch now links each name to the FDA's own letter. The unfinished lab scorecards section is gone.
Nov 12, 2026
Changed: the fonts and the login code are now served from this site. No Google or other outside network loads with the page.
Nov 12, 2026
Added: forum rules on sourcing and reporting, an adults-only line, and plainer privacy details.
Nov 12, 2026
Added: each goal page now has its own web address, such as workedinrats.com/muscle. Those pages load without JavaScript.
Nov 12, 2026
Added: limits on how fast anyone can post or send feedback, so the forum cannot be flooded.
Nov 12, 2026
Added: one page for each compound, 72 in all, with its grade, what studies saw, the trade-off and its sources.
Nov 12, 2026
Added: the shelf. 39 over-the-counter supplements, each with its grade and a plain Amazon search. No affiliate tag. No peptides, SARMs or prescription drugs.
we earn nothing if you buy
Nov 12, 2026
Added: an Ask page. Send a question with no login. Answers are posted with no name.
Nov 12, 2026
Added: "How it was given in studies" on every compound page: by mouth, under the skin, into a vein, on the skin, or never tested in people. Each line comes from the trial paper, the FDA label or the trial registry.
what the studies did, not a how-to
Nov 12, 2026
Could not confirm: how AOD-9604 and epitalon were given in their human studies. Their pages say so.
Nov 12, 2026
Added: Him, her and other. Who was actually in the studies, where results differed by sex, and the plain science of why. Every line links to its source.
Nov 13, 2026
Added: the count, one page that adds up the grades. A share card and a small badge for every compound. A page for journalists.
the badge grades the compound, not a product
Nov 13, 2026
Added: the weekly. One short email a week on new trials, rule changes and our own corrections. Every issue is also posted on the site.
your email is used only to send it
Open
Watching: whether HHS makes the compounding policy permanent, and results from the JUMPFOOD collagen trial.
Outside link clicks
These are your own taps on this device. Site-wide counts are kept private, with no names or personal data.
Tell us what is wrong
Found a mistake, a dead link or a study we missed? This is how the site gets better.
How we write
- Talk like a smart friend at the gym.
- Short sentences. One idea each.
- Say what we don't know as clearly as what we do.
- No hype words. Nothing is a miracle.
- Every number should have a source. Tell us if one does not.
- We show what studies found. We never tell you what to take.
- Our own opinion stays out. If it ever goes in, it gets a label.
Privacy and ground rules
Short version: we keep as little as we can, and we sell nothing.
What we keep
- Your email, only if you join. It logs you in. It is never shown and never sold.
- Your email, if you sign up for the weekly. Kept in our private box and used only to send it. Never shown, never sold.
- Your forum posts, under the nickname you pick. These are public.
- Feedback you send. Private. Only the site owner can read it.
- Questions you send. No name, no email, no login. If we answer one, the question and the answer are posted on the Ask page. Leave out anything personal.
- Taps on outside links. Which link, which page, and when. No name attached.
- On your own device. Your browser remembers your nickname, your login and your own tap counts.
- A hidden account number on posts. Posts from one account carry the same number in the page data, so they can be linked even if you change your nickname.
- How long. Posts stay until you delete them or we remove them. Feedback and tap counts have no end date for now.
- Reports. When you report a post, its text and nickname are copied into our private feedback box.
What we don't do
- No ads. No ad trackers. No outside analytics. No selling or sharing your data.
- We count taps on outside links ourselves, with no name attached. That is the only counting we do.
- No paid links. Nobody pays to be listed or removed.
- The shelf links to plain Amazon searches for over-the-counter supplements. No affiliate tag. We earn nothing if you buy.
Who else is involved
The site runs on Vercel. Logins and posts are stored with Supabase. Login emails and the weekly email are sent through Resend, which sees your email address so it can deliver them. The fonts and the login code are served from this site, not from Google or another outside network. Like any website host, these companies see basic technical details, such as your IP address, when a page loads.
Removing your stuff
You can delete your own posts with the Delete button. To remove your account, use the feedback form and include the email you joined with. Removing an account also removes its posts. To leave the weekly list, use the link in any issue, or send the email you used through the same form.
Read this part
- This site is for adults.
- It is information, not medical advice. We show what studies found. We never tell you what to take.
- For over-the-counter supplements we show when trials gave them. We never list amounts.
- Forum posts are personal stories from strangers. Treat them that way.
- Talk to a doctor who knows your history before you try anything here.