#28 May Edition: Should You Be Taking Peptides for Recovery

Hi Everyone,

I cannot seem to go a week in clinic without someone asking me about peptides.

Can they help me heal faster?

Are they good for injury recovery?

Could they help with concussion or brain health?

Are they safe?

It is a fair question.

Peptides are being talked about everywhere right now. Muscle recovery, tendon healing, fat loss, anti-ageing, sleep, inflammation, brain injury, and performance.

But like many health trends, the answer is not as simple as:

Yes, they work.

Or:

No, they are dangerous.

The more honest answer is this:

Some peptides are interesting. Some have real medical uses. Some show promise in research. But many peptide products being sold online are not well regulated, not well studied in humans, and not something I would rush into.

What are peptides?

Peptides are short chains of amino acids.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. When these smaller chains act as signals in the body, we call them peptides.

Some peptides occur naturally in the body. Some are used in medicine. For example, insulin is a peptide hormone.

So peptides are not automatically bad.

The problem is that the word “peptide” has become a bit of a catch-all term.

It can mean:

• a well-studied medical treatment

• a collagen supplement

• an experimental research compound

• an unlicensed product sold online

• a substance banned in sport

• a “research use only” product being promoted to consumers

That is where things get confusing.

The peptide I am more open-minded about

The area with the most practical evidence is probably oral collagen peptides.

These are very different from injectable “research peptides” being sold online.

Several studies suggest that collagen peptides, often taken with exercise, may help with muscle soreness, strength recovery, jump performance, and connective tissue adaptation after exercise.

A 2024 systematic review found that collagen peptide supplementation combined with training had small to moderate benefits for outcomes like fat-free mass, tendon morphology, muscle architecture, strength, and recovery after muscle-damaging exercise.

That sounds promising.

But it is still not magic.

Collagen peptides are not a replacement for progressive loading, good sleep, enough protein, enough calories, a proper rehab plan, and time.

They may be a useful add-on for some people.

They are not the foundation.

Peptides and brain injury

This is where my concussion brain gets interested.

Some peptide-based therapies have shown promise in traumatic brain injury research, especially in rats and mice.

Researchers are looking at peptides that may influence inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, blood-brain barrier protection, and nerve cell survival.

That is scientifically interesting.

But most of this research is still preclinical, meaning it has mainly been done in cells or animals, not large human clinical trials.

A rat or mouse brain injury model is not the same as a person recovering from concussion.

A promising mechanism is not the same as a proven treatment.

So while this research may help shape future treatments, it does not mean people recovering from concussion should be ordering peptides online or injecting “research peptides” for brain recovery.

For concussion recovery, we still have better-supported foundations:

• education

• relative rest early on

• gradual return to activity

• sleep

• nutrition and hydration

• symptom-guided exercise

• cervical, vestibular, visual, and exertional rehabilitation when needed

Peptides may become part of future brain injury medicine.

But we are not there yet for routine concussion care.

Why I am cautious

This is the part that often gets skipped online.

Not all peptides are the same.

Saying “peptides help recovery” is like saying “medications help pain.”

Which one?

For what person?

At what dose?

For what condition?

For how long?

With what risks?

The evidence for collagen peptides does not automatically support every peptide being promoted online.

Different peptide. Different mechanism. Different risk.

The safety issue

One of my biggest concerns is regulation and product quality.

Many peptide products online are sold as “research use only,” but are clearly being discussed by people as if they are for human recovery, performance, or anti-ageing.

That matters.

Because if a product is not properly regulated, you may not know:

• what is actually in it

• whether the dose is accurate

• whether it is contaminated

• whether it is sterile

• whether it could trigger an immune reaction

• whether it could interact with medications or health conditions

• whether it has long-term safety data

This becomes even more important when people are injecting them.

Therapeutic peptides used in medicine require careful testing because impurities, residual solvents, immune reactions, toxicity, dose, route of delivery, and duration of use can all affect safety.

Approved medical products are managed under strict quality control.

Many online recovery or “wellness” peptides are not.

A supplement with weak evidence is one thing.

An injectable product with poor regulation is a very different conversation.

Athletes need to be extra careful

For athletes, there is another layer.

Some peptide-related substances are prohibited in sport.

The World Anti-Doping Agency includes peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances, and mimetics on the Prohibited List.

So even if something is marketed as a recovery aid, it may still create an anti-doping risk.

For competitive athletes, the standard should be simple:

Do not take it unless it has been properly checked.

That means checking with a qualified medical professional and making sure it is allowed under your sport’s anti-doping rules.

My clinical take

I am not anti-peptide.

I am anti-hype.

There is a big difference.

I am more open-minded about collagen peptides as part of a broader rehab and nutrition plan.

I am much more cautious about injectable or grey-market peptides being promoted for injury healing, fat loss, anti-ageing, or brain recovery.

Not because they are all definitely harmful.

But because the gap between online claims and good human evidence is often too large.

And when the risks include unknown purity, unknown dosing, injection risks, immune reactions, toxicity concerns, and anti-doping issues, I think we need to slow down.

Takeaway

Peptides are an interesting area of research.

Some are already used in medicine.

Some, like collagen peptides, may have modest benefits for muscle and tendon recovery when combined with exercise.

Some experimental peptides may one day play a role in brain injury treatment.

But right now, we should be careful not to confuse promising science with proven treatment.

For most people recovering from injury or concussion, the basics still matter most:

• sleep

• nutrition

• hydration

• progressive exercise

• strength training

• load management

• stress regulation

• individualized rehab

Those may not sound as exciting as the newest recovery trend.

But they are still the highest-value place to start.

Sometimes the boring stuff works.

And sometimes “promising” does not mean “ready.”

Until next time. Hope everyone has a physically active month.

Kosta Ikonomou

References

Bischof, K., Moitzi, A., Stafilidis, S., & König, D. (2024). Impact of Collagen Peptide Supplementation in Combination with Long-Term Physical Training on Strength, Musculotendinous Remodeling, Functional Recovery, and Body Composition in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 54, 2865–2888.

Clifford, T., Ventress, M., Allerton, D., Stansfield, S., Tang, J., Fraser, W., Vanhoecke, B., Prawitt, J., & Stevenson, E. (2019). The effects of collagen peptides on muscle damage, inflammation and bone turnover following exercise: a randomized, controlled trial. Amino Acids, 51, 691–704.

Khatri, M., Naughton, R., Clifford, T., Harper, L., & Corr, L. (2021). The effects of collagen peptide supplementation on body composition, collagen synthesis, and recovery from joint injury and exercise: a systematic review. Amino Acids, 53, 1493–1506.

Kuwaba, K., Kusubata, M., Taga, Y., Igarashi, H., Nakazato, K., & Mizuno, K. (2023). Dietary collagen peptides alleviate exercise-induced muscle soreness in healthy middle-aged males: a randomized double-blinded crossover clinical trial. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 20.

Atkinson, E., & Dickman, R. (2023). Growth factors and their peptide mimetics for treatment of traumatic brain injury. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 90, 117368.

Yanamadala, Y., Roy, R., Williams, A., Uppu, N., Kim, A., DeCoster, M., Kim, P., & Murray, T. (2024). Intranasal Delivery of Cell-Penetrating Therapeutic Peptide Enhances Brain Delivery, Reduces Inflammation, and Improves Neurologic Function in Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury. Pharmaceutics, 16.

Zhu, Y., Wang, H., Fang, J., Dai, W., Zhou, J., Wang, X., & Zhou, M. (2018). SS-31 Provides Neuroprotection by Reversing Mitochondrial Dysfunction after Traumatic Brain Injury. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, 2018.

Colalto, C. (2024). Aspects of complexity in quality and safety assessment of peptide therapeutics and peptide-related impurities. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology.

Achilleos, K., Petrou, C., Nicolaidou, V., & Sarigiannis, Y. (2025). Beyond Efficacy: Ensuring Safety in Peptide Therapeutics through Immunogenicity Assessment. Journal of Peptide Science, 31.

Pack, B., Siegel, R., Cornwell, P., Ferrante, A., Roepke, D., Hodsdon, M., Malherbe, L., & Carfagna, M. (2025). A Phase-Appropriate Risk Assessment Strategy in Support of the Safety of Peptide and Oligonucleotide-Related Impurities. The AAPS Journal, 27.

Defoor, M., & Dekker, T. (2024). Injectable therapeutic peptides: An adjunct to regenerative medicine and sports performance? Arthroscopy.

World Anti-Doping Agency. (2026). The World Anti-Doping Code International Standard Prohibited List.