A Preprints.org preprint posted 7 April 2026 by Christopher L. Mendias and Tariq M. Awan reviews approved and gray market peptide therapies for musculoskeletal injuries and athletic performance, finding that unapproved peptides like BPC-157 and CJC-1295 — promoted heavily on social media — carry potentially substantial safety risks with little human safety data. The authors recommend evidence-based alternatives such as physiotherapy, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and phentermine, and urge sports medicine clinicians to educate patients on the science, placebo effects, and risks of unapproved peptides.