Thomas’ phone alarm buzzes at 9:30pm — it is time for the aspiring bodybuilder to start injecting himself in the stomach with several banned peptides.
He takes vials from his refrigerator of GHK-Cu, which he says would give him “beautiful skin,” and Retatrutide, which would help him “feel less hungry.”
After adding a liquid to reconstitute the synthetic peptides, he disinfects the syringes and shoots both into his lower abdomen. Thomas, whose name has been changed, takes GHK-Cu daily and Retatrutide three times a week.
Photo: AFP
“It takes a little organization, but it’s become a routine,” said Thomas, who goes to the gym almost every day.
He is one of a growing number of people attempting to “optimize” themselves by using peptides, a class of substances being widely promoted online by influencers, celebrities and the wellness industry.
Viral social media posts claim peptides can offer a range of seemingly miraculous benefits including glowing skin, stronger muscles, deeper sleep, a more alert mind — and even provide an avenue to prevent aging.
However experts warned there is little evidence to support these claims, and that because these peptides have not been studied properly, they can pose serious health risks.
That is why these peptides remain banned in many countries, including in France where Thomas lives.
However, in the US, a panel recommended loosening restrictions on a range of peptides last month. The decision outraged many medical experts, who accused US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr — an avowed fan and user of peptides — of packing the panel with people who have strong ties to the peptide industry.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids that assemble to form proteins, which are the body’s building blocks.
They occur naturally in the body, helping dictate processes such as repairing tissue.
Peptides reproduced in a lab are the active ingredients in many common medications including insulin and GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
However, unauthorized forms of synthetic peptides sold online have increasingly been promoted by influencers and gyms promising a more effective workout.
Thomas was already using steroids when he was introduced to peptides six months ago.
Along with GHK-Cu and Retatrutide, he sometimes injects himself with Selank for help with anxiety and BPC-157, which promises to more quickly repair soft tissue such as ligaments.
As these peptides are not authorized for sale in France, there are no official guidelines for how to use them. In online discussion forums such as Reddit and Discord, communities of mostly men exchange advice on how much and how often they should inject themselves.
“You read the studies, you look at the lab tests, and you see all the positive effects,” said Thomas, who believes that the risks are “rare and not serious.”
However, neuroscientist Armelle Rancillac at the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) said that knowledge on how to use these peptides remains limited, because they “have often not been tested on humans.”
Earlier this year, INSERM said that “no large-scale, randomized controlled clinical trial has confirmed” the promised benefits of peptides, warning that some pose “very real health risks.”
“We are not giving research enough time to prove its worth,” Rancillac said, adding that “scientifically worthless” accounts of self-experimentation were being given too much credence.
Numerous nations have reported people being hospitalized after using peptides. In June, the Australian government reported six cases of acute liver injury linked to products labeled Retatrutide.
It is difficult to determine how many people are using peptides, but the recent increase to exposure is enough to “raise alarm,” said Fabien Ohl, a sports sociologist at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.
Ohl criticized the “biological view” being pushed online that the human body is “capital” to be exploited by taking chemical substances to improve one’s physical appearance.
For example, one Web site selling peptides promised to provide “the chemical architecture for those seeking absolute biological optimization.”
Self-proclaimed experts online also sell advice vowing to help men “optimize” their physique.
Ohl criticized this view of masculinity as problematic, saying that it normalized an idea of “the biological male who is potentially more violent and aggressive.”
South Korea’s SK Hynix Inc is considering options for its Chongqing, China-based facility, including bringing in an investor to help accelerate growth, people with knowledge of the matter said. The company, a key supplier of high-bandwidth memory chips to Nvidia Corp, is speaking with prospective advisers to help review the business, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information. A potential stake sale could value the facility at about US$3 billion, the people said. The Chongqing facility provides a large scale semiconductor packaging and testing base, helping boost the company’s NAND flash back-end production to grow globally. Suitors may include
E.Sun Financial Holding Co (玉山金控) is to formally merge with Mercuries Life Insurance Co (三商美邦人壽) on Sept. 1, creating Taiwan’s fifth-largest listed financial holding company by assets and paving the way for capital injections totaling NT$22 billion (US$683.91 million) to shore up the insurer’s finances, top executives said yesterday. “The first priority after the merger will be to bring the insurer back to health through capital injections,” E.Sun Financial chairman Joseph Huang (黃男州) told a news conference in Taipei ahead of a company earnings call. E.Sun would inject NT$16 billion into Mercuries Life next month, followed by another NT$6 billion next year,
WELL MATCHED: The joint venture would lower Sony’s spending burden to stay relevant in chips, while TSMC secures steady revenue, said an analyst, calling it ‘virtually risk-free’ Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and Sony Group Corp are in talks to spend a combined ￥1 trillion (US$6.3 billion) on their planned image sensor factory in Japan, a person familiar with the matter said. The companies are seeking to begin production in 2029, the person said, asking not to be named because the talks are private. No time frame was given for the investment under discussion, they said. TSMC and the Japanese company’s chip arm, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp, are eyeing demand for artificial intelligence (AI)-wielding robots and self-driving vehicles, which are expected to require more sensors to
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said its board of directors has approved investment of ￥282 billion (US$1.77 billion) to form a joint venture with Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp to develop and manufacture next-generation image sensors for smartphones in Japan. The joint venture, Advanced Vision Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp, would be sited in Koshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture, TSMC said in a statement. It should commence volume production in 2029, TSMC said. Sony Semiconductor would invest ￥465 billion in the joint venture through a combination of cash and assets, the statement said. These capital contributions are expected to be made in phases based
RSS