DO THEY ACTUALLY WORK?

Do Peptides Actually Work? - Effectiveness by Peptide

Do Peptides Actually Work?

Short answer: Some do, some don't, most are somewhere in between. Below is an evidence-based effectiveness rating for popular peptides across different use cases.

Effectiveness Ratings by Peptide & Use Case

Peptide Primary Claim Human Evidence Animal Evidence Effectiveness Rating Confidence Level
Tesamorelin Visceral fat reduction ✓✓✓ FDA approved, multiple RCTs ✓✓✓ 9/10 - Proven Very High
Ipamorelin GH release, recovery ✓✓ Clinical trials show GH elevation ✓✓✓ 8/10 - Strong High
CJC-1295 No DAC GH release (pulsatile) ✓✓ Multiple human studies ✓✓✓ 8/10 - Strong High
GHRP-2 GH release, appetite ✓✓ Clinical data exists ✓✓✓ 7/10 - Good Moderate-High
GHRP-6 GH release, appetite ✓✓ Clinical studies ✓✓✓ 7/10 - Good Moderate-High
BPC-157 Injury healing, gut health ✗ Zero published human trials ✓✓✓ Extensive positive data 6/10 - Probable Moderate (animal + anecdotal)
TB-500 Tissue repair, inflammation ✗ Very limited ✓✓ Some evidence 5/10 - Possible Low-Moderate
GHK-Cu Skin/wound healing ✓ Small trials, mostly topical ✓✓ 6/10 - Moderate Moderate (topical better than injectable)
Gonadorelin Testosterone support ✓✓ Clinical use for hypogonadism ✓✓✓ 7/10 - Good High (for specific indication)
Kisspeptin Reproductive hormone regulation ✓ Emerging research ✓✓✓ 5/10 - Emerging Low-Moderate
LL-37 Immune/antimicrobial ✓ Limited clinical data ✓✓ 5/10 - Possible Low-Moderate
MGF Muscle growth ✗ No human trials ✓ Limited 3/10 - Questionable Low
PEG-MGF Muscle growth (extended) ✗ No human data ✓ Minimal 3/10 - Questionable Low
CJC-1295 DAC Sustained GH elevation ✓ Limited trials, side effect concerns ✓✓ 5/10 - Works but risky Moderate (concerns about prolactin)
Thymosin Beta-4 (full) Immune, healing ✗ Very limited ✓✓ 5/10 - Expensive TB-500 Low-Moderate

Evidence Quality Breakdown

Evidence Tier Criteria Peptides in This Tier Trust Level
Tier 1: Proven FDA approved OR multiple published human RCTs Tesamorelin Can trust effectiveness for labeled use
Tier 2: Strong Evidence Multiple human clinical studies showing efficacy Ipamorelin, CJC-1295 No DAC, GHRP-2, GHRP-6 High confidence in mechanism; results expected
Tier 3: Moderate Evidence Some human data OR strong animal + anecdotal BPC-157, GHK-Cu, Gonadorelin, LL-37 Likely works but gaps in human data
Tier 4: Weak Evidence Limited animal data, mostly anecdotal human reports TB-500, Kisspeptin, CJC-DAC, Thymosin Beta-4 May work; significant uncertainty
Tier 5: Insufficient Evidence Minimal or no credible research MGF, PEG-MGF, exotic blends Buyer beware; likely marketing > reality

Specific Use Case Effectiveness

Goal Best Peptide(s) Does It Work? Expected Results Timeline
Increase GH levels Ipamorelin, CJC-1295, GHRP-2/6 Yes (proven) 2-4x GH elevation post-dose Immediate (acute), weeks for downstream effects
Reduce visceral fat Tesamorelin Yes (FDA approved) 10-15% reduction over 6 months 12-26 weeks
Heal tendon injuries BPC-157, TB-500 Probably (no human trials) Faster recovery reported anecdotally 2-8 weeks
Improve sleep quality Ipamorelin (bedtime) Maybe (indirect) Deeper sleep from GH pulse 1-2 weeks
Build muscle directly MGF, PEG-MGF Questionable No proven human results Unknown
Improve skin appearance GHK-Cu (topical) Moderately (some studies) Improved texture, minor wrinkle reduction 4-12 weeks
Heal gut issues BPC-157 (oral or subQ) Likely (strong animal data) Reduced symptoms reported 1-4 weeks
Boost testosterone Gonadorelin, Kisspeptin Yes for hypogonadism Modest T increase if LH-responsive 2-6 weeks
Enhance immune function LL-37, Thymosin Alpha-1 Possibly Unclear clinical benefit Unknown
Accelerate fat loss (general) GH secretagogues (Ipa, CJC, GHRP) Modest effect Improved body comp over months 8-16 weeks

What Determines If Peptides Work For You

Factor Impact on Effectiveness Why It Matters
Age High Older users may see bigger improvements from GH peptides (lower baseline); younger users have less room for improvement
Baseline GH levels High If your natural GH is already optimal, peptides won't do much
Dosing accuracy Very High Underdosing = no effect; overdosing = diminishing returns or sides
Product purity Critical Degraded or fake peptides obviously don't work
Diet quality Moderate-High Peptides enhance good nutrition; can't fix terrible diet
Training status Moderate Peptides amplify training stimulus; don't replace it
Sleep quality High (for GH peptides) GH release peaks during deep sleep; poor sleep blunts effects
Genetics High Receptor sensitivity varies; 20-30% of people are non-responders to certain peptides
Consistency Very High Sporadic dosing = minimal results; most peptides require consistent use
Expectations Moderate (psychological) Realistic expectations lead to better assessment of actual effects

The Placebo Problem

Peptides are particularly susceptible to placebo effects because:

Placebo Factor Why It's Strong for Peptides
Injection ritual Daily injections create strong psychological commitment
Cost Spending $100-300/month creates pressure to believe it's working
Community hype Social reinforcement from forums/groups
Subjective measures Most effects (recovery, pain, sleep) are self-reported and hard to quantify
Lifestyle changes People often improve diet/training when starting peptides, attributing all gains to peptides
No immediate feedback Weeks-long timelines make it hard to separate peptide effects from natural variation

Bottom Line: Effectiveness Hierarchy

Definitely Work (Human Proof):

Probably Work (Strong Indirect Evidence):

Maybe Work (Weak Evidence):

Questionable (Insufficient Evidence):

Related Pages

External References