Update 1/24/23. BCP 157 is fast becoming one of the most popular anti-pain supplements around. But does it work? In this review, we'll examine the research on BPC 157, with special emphasis on claims it heals muscles, tendons, ligaments, joint pain /arthritis, and other issues. What does the research say? Does it work, or is it a scam? Is it safe, or does it have any side effects? Let's see what we can discover.
What is BPC 157?
Body Protecting Complex, BPC 157 composed of 15 amino acids. It was first isolated from a larger molecule in stomach gastric juice. It is not a steroid or pro-hormone. It's called a peptide because it's smaller than larger molecules, called proteins.
Additional names for BPC 157 are Pentadecapeptide, PL-10, and bepecin.
Protip: Don't confuse BPC 1578 with TB-500. They are not the same thing. TB-500 is a synthetic version of thymosin-Beta-4 (TB4), a peptide that is 
What Does BPC 157 Do?
While marketing seems to mostly deal with benefits to helping heal tendons and joint pain, a variety of studies have hinted BPC 157 may have a wide range of effects, including:
- Tendon injuries
- Topical skin wound healing
- Heal ulcers
- Help gum disease
- Acetaminophen antidote IAnti-blood thinner effects
- Promoting blood vessel formation (angiogenesis)
- Anti-heart arrhythmia effects
- Helping inflammatory bowel disease
However, most of these BPC 157 benefits involve lab animals, not humans.
How Does BPC157 Work? Mechanism of Action
Good question. How it works is not fully understood. There does seem to be a relationship between boosting nitric oxide levels. Nitric oxide, which is primarily made in blood vessels, is a vasodilator substance that opens up blood vessels, allowing more blood, oxygen, and nutrients to get to injured tissues. This can play a role in the healing process.
Other ways this peptide is thought to work may include increasing growth hormone receptors and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Given the diverse health issues the BPC peptide is touted to help, it's possible it may have several mechanisms of action.
Is BPC 157 a Natural Substance?
Even though the substance was first discovered in the body, BPC 157 is patented. This is likely because it was discovered as part of a larger stomach protein. The human body does not make BPC 157.
Is BPC 157 a Supplement or Drug?
There are BPC 157 supplements. You do not need a prescription to get this stuff. Interestingly, various people have told this reporter that their doctors had written prescriptions. Basically, people take the prescription to a compounding pharmacy, where the prescription is filled. This may be because some people inject the substance. It may be only the injectable versions require a physician's prescription.
BPC 157 Video Review
BPC 157 Tendon Injury Research
There are a lot of clinical trials on the BPC 157 peptide for many different things. Much of this research comes from the University of Zagreb in Croatia. Since body-protecting complex supplements are marketed to help exercise pain and injuries, let's look at the research on healing tendons and other issues those in the gym might experience.
Animal Study
In 2011, researchers took Achilles tendon cells called fibroblasts, from rats and bathed them in solutions containing either BPC 157 or without. They noted tendon cells bathed in a BPC 157 solution seemed to heal better than those without it. This was basically a test tube study. It did not prove BPC157 enhanced Achilles tendon strength or helped the tendon heal faster in the body.
Animal Study
These same researchers also noted rat Achilles tendon cells treated with BPC 157 had more receptors for growth hormone than non-treated tendon cells. Growth hormone helps things grow, which might also help the healing properties of this peptide. While the results are interesting, this study does not prove BPC-157 improves tendon healing inside the body or tendon strength.
Animal Study
In another clinical trial, researchers observed BP157 improved “functional recovery” in rats with cut Achilles tendons. Those rats which were given BPC 157 injections also showed improved blood vessel formation. Unfortunately, it was not reported if BP 157 helped rats walk better after their Achilles tendons were cut. Other researchers have also reported that BPC 157 peptide improved muscle healing when rat muscles were crushed.
BPC 157 Human Clinical Trials
To see if the peptide reduced arthritis pain, investigators followed up with 16 people with various types of knee pain who had received BPC 157 in the prior six to 12 months. More specifically, the people received either:
- BPC 157 injections by itself (16 people)
- BPC 157 + Thymosin-beta-4 (TB4) (4 people)
Thymosin-beta-4 is another peptide that is reputed to have pain-relieving and healing effects.
Results
When the researchers called the people on the phone one year later, they reported that 11 of the 12 people (92% who received only BPC-157 injections reported significant improvements in their knee pain. One person said the injection did not help. Regarding the 4 people who received both injections of substances, three said they had improvements in their knee pain, while one reported no benefits. Watch this video to see the results of this clinical trial.
Study Problems
While the outcomes from this investigation are indeed intriguing, it suffers from some limitations, including:
- It suffered from a small number of people
- The investigators did not perform before and after medical tests on the knees
- Nobody received TB4 injections by itself
- Nobody received sham / fake injections (placebo treatment)
BPC 157 & Plantar Fasciitis
Plantar fasciitis is a painful foot condition resulting from overuse. The tell-tale sign of plantar fasciitis is heel pain when you get out of bed or rise up after being seated for a long time. So, does BPC 157 help plantar fasciitis? It may or may not. Clinical evidence supporting the use of supplements or injections cannot be located.
Does BPC-157 Help Stomach Problems
Since the peptide was isolated from stomach gastric juices, it makes some sense to believe it might heal ulcers, acid reflux, digestion problems, short bowel syndrome, IBS, lactose intolerance, and other GI issues. To be clear, there are indeed clinical trials on many gastrological issues. However, they appear to be limited to laboratory animals, such as rats and mice.
BPC157 & Muscle Soreness
Muscle soreness, called DOMS, often shows up about 1-2 days after exercise. There seems to be no clinical evidence that the BPC peptide helps muscle soreness heal faster. It may help or not. There is no evidence either way.
Some testimonials have noted BPC helps with muscle aches and pains after exercise, but human clinical evidence is lacking.
Does BPC 157 Help Depression?
It is thought that some types of depression are linked to low serotonin levels. Interestingly, it is also thought that some antidepressant drugs work by raising serotonin levels. One study has noted BPC 157 raises serotonin levels in rats. Does this mean BPC157 helps with depression?
Researchers in Croatia have noted rats injected with BPC157 appear to be better off after going through a series of unpredictable, stressful situations. This is interesting, although serotonin levels were not measured in this investigation.
What About BPC 157 & Parkinson's Disease?
Human research on the BPC157 peptide and Parkinson's disease is lacking. At least one mouse study seemed to show the BPC peptide seemed to help mice treated with chemicals to induce a Parkinson's-like state. It will take human research to know if it helps people with Parkinson's disease.
Do We Digest BPC 157?
Since BPC 157 is basically a protein, do we digest it? If that happens, then supplements might not work. Some investigators have noted the body-protecting complex can survive in the stomach for at least 24 hours. This hints BPC157 supplements may make it into the bloodstream intact.
How Do You Take It?
The peptide comes in various forms such as oral supplements, nasal sprays and topical creams. In the majority of lab animal studies, the BPC peptide is injected. Injectable products are sold online. Investigate companies you are considering doing business with. While there is some research on typical BPC peptides, proof of oral supplements can't be found. If taking BPC by injection, read the labels to determine if it needs to be refrigerated. I
Does Topical BPC-157 Work?
This peptide may be found in cosmetic creams and ointments to treat scars. The logic for this stems from animal studies where researchers reported that BPC157 improved the healing of burns when it was applied to the skin.
Can You Take BPC 157 Orally?
Some BPC supplements may contain 1 mg or 0.5 mg per capsule. The amounts found in supplements may be derived from extrapolating what was given to lab animals. But, since humans are not rats or mice, it isn't easy to know the optimal dosage in humans. More research is needed to understand if BPC supplements work.
BPC 157 Nasal Spry Effectiveness
The delivery of drugs through the nasal passage would have decided advantages over injectables. There is evidence that some peptides (weighing up to 6000Da) can be effectively delivered intranasally. According to the patent, BPC 157 has a molecular weight of between 900 to 1600 daltons. Thus, it is feasible that this substance can be absorbed when taken as a nasal spray.
Is BPC 157 Legal To Use In Sports?
Like most natural products, BPC 157 is not FDA-approved. The FDA does not approve any supplement. That said, if you are subject to drug testing (athletes, military, etc.) double-check it's not a prohibited substance. In a 2022 document from the World Anti-Doping League (WADA) titled Internet Surveillance for PEDs, WADA classified BPC157 as “not approved for human use.”
So is it legal or not? Good question. WADA does not provide more details than this. Researchers do state that drug tests can detect the BPC peptide in the urine. Consider this if you are subject to urinalysis drug testing. If you are subject to drug testing, contact the company administering the tests and ask if BPC 157 peptide would cause you to fail a drug test.
Can You Make Your Own BPC 157?
The body-protecting complex peptide is composed of the following amino acids arranged in the following sequence:
- Glycine
- Glutamic acid
- Proline
- Proline
- Proline
- Glycine
- Lysine
- Proline
- Alanine
- Aspartic acid
- Aspartic acid
- Alanine
- Glycine
- Leucine
- Valine
So, could you save money by taking these amino acids individually and helping your body make your own BPC157? This will not work for two reasons:
- Taking the amino acids alone will not force the body to make its own BPC 157 because we do not naturally make this peptide.
- The arrangement of the amino acids is important. Just as different combinations of letters make different words, different combinations of amino acids make different substances.
Even if you could make BPC-157, simply taking the amino acids that compose this peptide does not mean the body would arrange them into the sequence you want.
BPC 157 vs. Other Healing Substances
Studies that compare the BPC peptide to pain-revealing supplements cannot be located. For example, it's not known if the Body Protecting Complex is better than:
Do these supplements help BPC work better? This also needs more research.
Does BP-157 Have Any Side Effects?
Lab animal studies do not reveal any negative adverse effects. That said, human research is needed to confirm this. Likewise, it is not known if this peptide interacts with medications. If you are going to try BPC 157 supplements (or injections), here are some general considerations. This list is not complete.
- Start with less than is recommended for the first week to see how you respond.
- Talk to your doctor/pharmacist if you are pregnant/breastfeeding.
- Speak to your doctor/pharmacist if you take any medications.
- Stop taking BPC supplements at least 2 weeks before surgery.
- More research is needed on how BPC 157 changes blood pressure.
Preliminary evidence suggests the BPC substance can cause blood vessel growth – angiogenesis. If this is true, what does this mean for people who have cancer? Cancer needs a blood supply to grow. So, does BPC 157 promote cancer? There is no proof either way at this point. It's best to discuss BPC 157 with your oncologist for the most up-to-date information for those with cancer.
Verdict: Does BPC 157 Work?
Preliminary evidence suggests the BPC-157 peptide has a broad spectrum of effects on the body, including—but not limited to—reducing pain and speeding up wound healing. However, we must remember that most of this evidence stems from testing it on lab animals. The BPC 157 substance has been around for a good number of years. This begs the question: why aren't more researchers giving it to people to see what happens?
Did you try BPC 157? Comment below if it worked for you.
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