Are peptides a safer alternative to steroids?
Published 19 August 2026
Hello! Wednesday is our “Knowledge Day”—once a week, we share an informative article to get you thinking and help you make more informed choices.
This time, food and biotechnology student Anette Auväärt writes about peptides. Videos are circulating on social media in which influencers and people who call themselves health experts inject themselves on camera and promise rapid weight loss, muscle growth, skin rejuvenation, or faster recovery. But what exactly are these substances—and how dangerous are they really?
One fact you can take away right away
Many of these substances are sold online labeled as “research chemicals”—a term that sounds scientific and therefore seemingly trustworthy. In reality, it means something entirely different:
It’s not a guarantee of drug safety, but a legal loophole. The Medicines Agency hasn’t reviewed the product—not its manufacturing conditions, purity, or safety—even when the packaging claims otherwise.
From Ozempic to “Retani”
The story began with Ozempic—originally a diabetes medication that also proved to be an effective weight-loss drug. When celebrities began talking about their rapid weight loss in 2022, it became a phenomenon overnight. By now, a whole host of new, as-yet-unapproved peptides have made their way onto social media—retatrutide, or “Reta,” MT2, BPC-157, GHK-Cu—which are being marketed as safer alternatives to steroids.
In this article, you’ll learn how from approved medications, what side effects have already been described for MT2 and BPC-157, and why combining multiple peptides at once — a practice often recommended on social media — has not been studied in any human trials.
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About the Author
Anette Auväärt is a food and biotechnology student at TalTech. Her interest in nutrition began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she wanted to better understand how daily food choices affect health, well-being, and work performance. Over time, this evolved into a desire to gain a deeper understanding of how the human body works and to learn how to distinguish science-based information from common myths—which is precisely what led her to study food and biotechnology. On her blog, Anette shares science-based and practical information to help you distinguish facts from myths and make more informed choices.
Enjoy the read—and be critical of what social media promises!
