What are peptides, and are they safe? Here's what to know
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Lots of people are talking about peptides. But what are they? Here's a quick primer on the health trend and what we know about peptides' safety.
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By — Grace Abels, PolitiFact Grace Abels, PolitiFact Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/what-are-peptides-and-are-they-safe-heres-what-to-know Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter What are peptides, and are they safe? Here's what to know Health Mar 14, 2026 3:01 PM EDT This article originally appeared on PolitiFact You may have heard about peptides lately from a wellness influencer, your gym friend, or our secretary of Health and Human Services. The purported benefits of taking peptides are wide-ranging: more muscle, less fat, better memory, quicker wound healing and healthier skin. But what are they? And are they safe? Can they really do what their promoters claim? Here's what we know about peptides, and how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration might act to make them more accessible. What are peptides? Peptides are short chains of amino acids — basically fragments of proteins. They occur naturally in the body, and we also get them through the food we eat. They help digestion, trigger ovulation, regulate blood pressure, and more. Insulin, the hormone that helps the body process sugar in the blood, is a peptide. Like scientists have done with insulin, some peptides have been synthesized outside the body and turned into medications. WATCH: New book by former FDA head explores the science behind GLP-1 weight loss drugs There are several FDA-approved peptide medications with wide-ranging applications. Among them: increasing certain hormone production , treating a light-exposure disorder and improving libido . The latest class of diabetes and weight-loss drugs, GLP-1s such as Ozempic and Zepbound, are peptides. Other peptides, like collagen peptides, can be taken orally and sold over the counter like other vitamins and dietary supplements. Non-FDA-approved peptides FDA-approved peptide medications were approved to treat specific conditions, but physicians can prescribe them off-label to t...
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