Analysts say that it is rapidly spreading to unverified substances, taking advantage of the low reluctance to injections due to the spread of only treatments.
According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), in the U.S., direct injection of synthetic peptides such as BPC-157, TB-500 and CJC-1295 is spreading through social media. Users are sharing their experiences claiming muscle gain, injury recovery and anti-aging effects.
The possibility of cancer is the biggest concern among experts. Some peptides promote growth hormone secretion or induce neovascularization, which is in line with mechanisms that help repair damaged tissues while strengthening the tumor growth environment.
In particular, the combination, called the “Wolverine Stack,” promotes rapid resilience, but the problem is that it can provide growth signals to latent tumors with the same principle.
Paul Knoeffler, a professor of cell biology at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine, said, “These are essentially unapproved drugs,” adding that safety has not been verified. Experts warn that due to the nature of carcinogenic risk, the problem could only be revealed years to decades later.
There is also a lack of evidence to support safety. Alexander Weber, director of sports medicine at the University of Southern California (USC), said, “The injections are neither FDA-approved, unregulated, and there is no long-term clinical data at all.”
As a result of reviewing related studies, there was only one human clinical trial, and even that, the design was insufficient.
Experts believe that the spread of GLP-1 obesity treatments, such as Hugo Bee, has lowered the psychological barrier to injectable drugs. Analysts say that consumption has expanded to untested substances as the demand to “boost” the physical condition beyond treatment has increased.
The risk of the product itself is also pointed out. “We cannot rule out the possibility that the injection substance has been contaminated with heavy metals or germs,” said Shaila Pai-Burma, a U.S. physician.
Some point out that although some of the supplies are made through the dispensary pharmaceutical bureau, the transparency of the manufacturing stage has not been secured because many of the raw materials are sourced from overseas laboratories.
Luke Turnock of the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom warned that both the short- and long-term effects of peptides are uncertain. In the medical field, it is pointed out that consumption behavior is spreading, in which people are reluctant to treat drugs that have proven safety for a long time, and easily access unverified injections.
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
