{"id":44582,"topic":"peptides","source":"USA Today","title":"What are peptides? The chemicals touted by RFK Jr., explained - USA Today","url":"https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2026/07/23/peptides-fda-rfk-jr/91019990007/","url_hash":"b30159199a81cd19a53ec6a102d390e382d1adb1","author":"","summary":"What are peptides? The chemicals touted by RFK Jr., explained USA Today","content":"What are peptides? The chemicals touted by RFK Jr., explained\nThe Food and Drug Administration is discussing whether seven unapproved peptides should be allowed in certain compounded prescription drugs. If approved, many proponents in the wellness industry will be pleased, while others in the medical community will raise eyebrows over health concerns.\nThe FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee will consider these peptides, which have gained popularity for their purported health benefits, in meetings scheduled for July 23 and 24.\nCompounding pharmacies do not receive the same FDA approvals for drug formulations as pharmacies that sell mass-produced drugs. They must still use only FDA-approved ingredients to make the formulations and are regulated by state and federal agencies, according to the FDA.\nIn 2023, the FDA banned compounding pharmacies from producing specific peptides because they were identified as posing \"potential significant safety risks\" by the agency.\nPotential adverse effects identified by the FDA include heart toxicity, infections, pancreatitis, increased or decreased insulin sensitivity, serious immunoresponses, melanoma and death. In most cases, the FDA said there was not ample testing or evidence to prove the peptides were safe or effective for use in humans.\nWhat are peptides?\nPeptides are short strings of amino acids, which are the body's building blocks of protein.\nPeptides \"function like conductors for a biological orchestra\" by helping hormone regulation, improving immune response and by triggering neurotransmitters, explained Josh Redd, a doctor of naturopathic medicine, founder of RedRiver Health and Wellness and author of \"The Truth About Low Thyroid.\"\n\"This is why, in addition to athletic enhancement, peptides have become popular in the research world for treating things like aging, obesity, cancer and diabetes,\" he previously told USA TODAY.\nThere are many different peptides, as well, \"and each serves its own function to help the body,\" Dr. Jesse Bracamonte, a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, previously told USA TODAY.\nOur bodies use various types of peptides for many vital functions, including blood pressure regulation and digestion. Insulin, for example, is a type of peptide produced by the pancreas that controls our blood sugar.\nSimilar to insulin, there are human-created, synthetic peptides that can be used to treat certain deficiencies or medical conditions. Some studies show certain peptides may have anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and muscle-building properties, making them popular in wellness circles.\nDo foods have peptides?\nPeptides are produced naturally in the body, but they can also be found in certain foods.\nRedd says animal products, including meat, milk and eggs \"are the best sources\" of peptides. Plant-based sources such as legumes, flax seeds, hemp seeds, soybeans, oats and wheat are also \"enriched in active peptides,\" Bracamonte added.\n\"All the food we eat is broken down by the body into amino acids,\" Dr. Mary Stevenson, associate professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Health, previously told USA TODAY.\nWhat RFK Jr. has said about peptides\nHealth and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a self-proclaimed proponent of peptides and has close ties to several vocal supporters and vendors of the compounds, including Gary Brecka and Dr. Mark Hyman, both of whom sell several products that say they contain beneficial peptides; and Brigham Buhler, a compounding pharmacy owner whom Kennedy previously hosted on his podcast.\nContributing: Daryl Austin and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY","image_url":"https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2026/07/23/USAT/91020739007-20260720-t-013012-z-488928404-rc-28-heao-3-hzl-rtrmadp-3-healthusacyclosporiasisfda.JPG?auto=webp&crop=2999,1687,x0,y0&format=pjpg&width=1200","lang":"en","published_at":"2026-07-23T14:45:00+00:00","fetched_at":"2026-07-23T15:15:11+00:00","status":"read","starred":0,"extract_state":"ok","summary_auto":"The chemicals touted by RFK Jr., explained\nThe Food and Drug Administration is discussing whether seven unapproved peptides should be allowed in certain compounded prescription drugs. 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The chemicals touted by RFK Jr., explained - USA Today","source_name":"USA Today","author":null,"published_at":"2026-07-23T14:45:00+00:00","locale":"en","topic":"peptides","tags":[],"rss_summary":"What are peptides? The chemicals touted by RFK Jr., explained USA Today","full_text":"What are peptides? The chemicals touted by RFK Jr., explained\nThe Food and Drug Administration is discussing whether seven unapproved peptides should be allowed in certain compounded prescription drugs. If approved, many proponents in the wellness industry will be pleased, while others in the medical community will raise eyebrows over health concerns.\nThe FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee will consider these peptides, which have gained popularity for their purported health benefits, in meetings scheduled for July 23 and 24.\nCompounding pharmacies do not receive the same FDA approvals for drug formulations as pharmacies that sell mass-produced drugs. They must still use only FDA-approved ingredients to make the formulations and are regulated by state and federal agencies, according to the FDA.\nIn 2023, the FDA banned compounding pharmacies from producing specific peptides because they were identified as posing \"potential significant safety risks\" by the agency.\nPotential adverse effects identified by the FDA include heart toxicity, infections, pancreatitis, increased or decreased insulin sensitivity, serious immunoresponses, melanoma and death. In most cases, the FDA said there was not ample testing or evidence to prove the peptides were safe or effective for use in humans.\nWhat are peptides?\nPeptides are short strings of amino acids, which are the body's building blocks of protein.\nPeptides \"function like conductors for a biological orchestra\" by helping hormone regulation, improving immune response and by triggering neurotransmitters, explained Josh Redd, a doctor of naturopathic medicine, founder of RedRiver Health and Wellness and author of \"The Truth About Low Thyroid.\"\n\"This is why, in addition to athletic enhancement, peptides have become popular in the research world for treating things like aging, obesity, cancer and diabetes,\" he previously told USA TODAY.\nThere are many different peptides, as well, \"and each serves its own function to help the body,\" Dr. Jesse Bracamonte, a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, previously told USA TODAY.\nOur bodies use various types of peptides for many vital functions, including blood pressure regulation and digestion. Insulin, for example, is a type of peptide produced by the pancreas that controls our blood sugar.\nSimilar to insulin, there are human-created, synthetic peptides that can be used to treat certain deficiencies or medical conditions. Some studies show certain peptides may have anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and muscle-building properties, making them popular in wellness circles.\nDo foods have peptides?\nPeptides are produced naturally in the body, but they can also be found in certain foods.\nRedd says animal products, including meat, milk and eggs \"are the best sources\" of peptides. Plant-based sources such as legumes, flax seeds, hemp seeds, soybeans, oats and wheat are also \"enriched in active peptides,\" Bracamonte added.\n\"All the food we eat is broken down by the body into amino acids,\" Dr. Mary Stevenson, associate professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Health, previously told USA TODAY.\nWhat RFK Jr. has said about peptides\nHealth and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a self-proclaimed proponent of peptides and has close ties to several vocal supporters and vendors of the compounds, including Gary Brecka and Dr. Mark Hyman, both of whom sell several products that say they contain beneficial peptides; and Brigham Buhler, a compounding pharmacy owner whom Kennedy previously hosted on his podcast.\nContributing: Daryl Austin and Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY","excerpt":"The chemicals touted by RFK Jr., explained\nThe Food and Drug Administration is discussing whether seven unapproved peptides should be allowed in certain compounded prescription drugs. 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In most cases, the FDA said there was not ample testing or evidence to prove the peptides were safe or effective for use in humans.\nWhat are peptides?\nPeptides are short strings of amino acids, which are the body's building blocks of protein.\nPeptides \"function like conductors for a biological orchestra\" by helping hormone regulation, improving immune response and by triggering neurotransmitters, explained Josh Redd, a doctor of naturopathic medicine, founder of RedRiver Health and Wellness and author of \"The Truth About Low Thyroid.\"\n\"This is why, in addition to athletic enhancement, peptides have become popular in the research world for treating things like aging, obesity, cancer and diabetes,\" he previously told USA TODAY.\nThere are many different peptides, as well, \"and each serves its own function to help the body,\" Dr. Jesse Bracamonte, a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, previously told USA TODAY.\nOur bodies use various types of peptides for many vital functions, including blood pressure regulation and digestion. 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