What are peptides? Proponents claim the supplements can help boost athletic performance

What is peptide therapy to boost athletic performance and speed up recovery time? Here's what the science shows about whether it works.

Dr. Jesse Mills regularly sees men who want to improve something about their body.

Mills, the director of the Men’s Clinic at UCLA Health, usually offers advice like diet, exercise — maybe physical therapy to help recover from an injury.

In recent months, however, some patients have come to him with a solution already in mind: peptide therapy. 

“Week by week more people are asking about peptides,” Mills said.

Peptide therapy has become a mainstay online and in fitness communities. Popular figures including Andrew Huberman and Joe Rogan have discussed them on podcasts. On Reddit, one group focused on peptides has 100,000 subscribers, where users are flocking to them looking to tone their physique, recover faster from injuries, sleep better and even improve skin tone. In February, the telehealth giant Hims & Hers announced it had acquired a peptide facility in California to help “deliver personalized medications.”