Body Protecting Compound-157 (BPC-157) has received quite the interest on social media and within wellness circles in the last few years. There have been many amazing anecdotal stories shared and many promises circulating of the potential of this molecule. Supplementation of this product has been associated with reported benefits for many areas of medical treatment including musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and dermatologic health, just to name a few. One of the most touted benefits is for use in musculoskeletal injuries. Animal research has been promising in many studies, but where do we stand with human data on how BPC-157 can assist with recovery from musculoskeletal injuries? We will examine this below.

What is BPC-157? 

As a quick introduction, BPC-157 is a peptide made of fifteen amino acids. It is naturally present in humans within the gastrointestinal tract without supplementation. In preliminary studies, the peptide has been shown to exert health promoting effects through angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels) and altering the production of certain growth factors and growth factor receptors. Early research in animals has demonstrated potential for enhanced musculoskeletal tissue healing and recovery.

What does the human evidence show? 

Currently, there is a single human trial evaluating BPC-157 for musculoskeletal injuries. The study was a retrospective case series, which did not contain a control group, randomization, blinding, or standard outcome measures. This was completed by Lee and Padgett in 2021. In this study, 91.6% of patients who received BPC-157 as an intra-articular knee injection reported significant improvements in knee pain. Findings were based on patient self-report. There were no standardized objective measures as outcomes and duration of pain relief was not quantified. As of this writing, no other human studies have reported pain reduction for BPC-157 in human musculoskeletal injuries. This study did not evaluate measures for improvements of function or physical performance assessment.

In the single study available, no adverse events were reported. Other studies that have examined use of BPC-157 in inflammatory bowel disease and wound healing also do not report significant serious adverse reactions. The studies are limited in their scope, and long-term safety assessment is lacking. There are also no current guidelines from professional societies that address BPC-157 for musculoskeletal conditions. Drug dynamics such as distribution, bioavailability, metabolism, and excretion have not been adequately studied in humans.

So where does this leave us? 

BPC-157 is currently not approved by the FDA for musculoskeletal treatment. Use of the compound remains investigational. Currently, there are no active ongoing randomized or prospective cohort human clinical trials investigating BPC-157 for musculoskeletal injuries. The pre-clinical data in animals is more robust and promising, but there has simply been no translation of this type of study to a human population at a meaningful level. It would not be advisable to recommend BPC-157 alone for treatment of musculoskeletal injuries with the knowledge that we currently have. The paucity of evidence limits my recommendation of this compound in current clinical practice, but I remain hopeful that there may be more rigorous human studies in the future.