BPC-157 is often marketed as a game-changing peptide for muscle repair, injury recovery, and athletic performance. But does the science back up these claims? And is it even safe or legal to use? In this article, we take a closer look at what BPC-157 is, why athletes are interested in it, and what the risks are. Remember, if you need help with an injury, you're welcome to consult one of our physios online via video call.
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What is BPC-157?
BPC stands for “body protection compound”. It is a substance that occurs naturally in our gastric juices. It protects the stomach lining from stuff like alcohol, acid, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and helps to heal ulcers caused by these substances.
BPC-157 is a peptide that scientists have derived from human gastric juices. In experiments on various animal species (mostly rats), its healing properties have been shown to extend to various other tissue types, including muscles, tendons, and ligaments. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory in some of the animals on which it has been tested.
Why do people use BPC-157?
The healing and anti-inflammatory properties of BPC-157 in lab animals are thought to work in the same way in humans.
So, it might enable athletes to recover faster from hard training sessions, which would enhance their performance in the long run. It might also help athletes to recover faster from injuries.
BPC-157 has been dubbed “the Wolverine peptide” among some weightlifters due to their belief in its ability to speed up healing.
Some medical professionals tout and prescribe BPC-157 as a treatment for various conditions and injuries, including gastric ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (this sounds plausible, given the role of natural BPC in our stomachs), ligament, tendon, and joint injuries, and erectile dysfunction.
❓ But is there any evidence that BPC-157 actually works as expected in humans?
Does BPC-157 enhance athletic performance?
💡 The answer is short and simple: We don’t know. No credible, published research has been done on whether BPC-157 helps athletes to perform better.
Is BPC-157 safe and legal?
Safety
💡 We don’t know yet whether BPC-157 is safe for humans.
Only two small pilot studies have been done on humans thus far. One looked at the effect of BPC-157 on bladder pain (12 people) and the other looked at knee pain (16 people).
In both studies, BPC-157 seemed to provide pain relief, and no adverse effects were reported. However, we can draw no definitive conclusions from such small studies.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency warns that “there is a concerning lack of published clinical trial data because studies appear to have been cancelled or stopped without any published conclusions”.
Legality
💡 The use of BPC-157, either for sport or for medical treatment, is not legal in most countries.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has declared it a prohibited substance as of 2022. In 2024, a 19-year-old American speed skater, Kamryn Lute, received a one-year ban after using a supplement containing BPC-157 that was recommended by a medical provider.
WADA does not state why it has banned BPC-157, but presumably there are concerns about the lack of research into its safety and the (also unresearched) possibility that it does indeed enhance athletic performance.
As for medical use, BPC-157 may only be used for research purposes with special permission (as in the two pilot studies mentioned above) and may not be sold to the public or even prescribed by medical doctors, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. It also has not been approved by the European Medicines Agency or any other major health regulator in other countries.
However, it is freely available online, and sellers mostly target athletes and weightlifters. Certain medical practitioners are also quite open online about the fact that they prescribe it.
My recommendation
The mere lack of research into the safety of BPC-157 means that I won’t take it for either sport or medical reasons – the difference between useful and harmful often lies in getting the dosage right, and at this stage we’re flying blind.
BPC-157 is so widely available that I doubt any pharmaceutical company would invest in the necessary research to prove or disprove its efficacy and safety, since they are unlikely to gain from it financially. The only way it might be done is if a group of researchers could convince a non-profit organisation to provide a grant.
From an athlete’s perspective, I also won’t consider using it until it has been approved by anti-doping authorities. But I’m not holding my breath.
How we can help
Need help with your injury? You’re welcome to consult one of the team at SIP online via video call for an assessment of your injury and a tailored treatment plan.
We're all UK Chartered Physiotherapists with Master’s Degrees related to Sports & Exercise Medicine or at least 10 years' experience in the field. But at Sports Injury Physio we don't just value qualifications; all of us also have a wealth of experience working with athletes across a broad variety of sports, ranging from recreationally active people to professional athletes. You can meet the team here.
About the Author
Maryke Louw is a chartered physiotherapist with more than 20 years' experience and a Master’s Degree in Sports Injury Management. Follow her on LinkedIn and ResearchGate.