BPC 157: The healer?
What is BPC 157?
BPC 157 is a peptide. The body naturally produces BPCs in the gut and stomach which serve to protect the organs from the unwanted activity and helps them heal, it's for this reason that it's been referred to as something that "heals the body like wolverine". While we're not quite sure about that, it does have research backing it as a treatment for central nervous system disorders and it's been the focus of research exploring the tendon and ligament healing benifits of BPC 157. Your body already produces this in small amounts in the gut.
What are the reported benefits of BPC 157?
There have been numerous claims regarding BPC surrounding its overall healing properties, mainly from trials in animals, including:
- Regulation of blood pressure in rats (lowering in high blood pressure and raising of low pressure in rats)
- Decreased healing time following skin incisions, burns, diabetic wounds and others in addition to ligament, tendon and nerve damage.
- Activates macrophages in the immune system to help immune response
- Reduces several types of acute, non-specific inflammation
- Antidepressant effect in rats.
Is BPC 157 banned by WADA?
BPC 157 is not banned by WADA at time of writing, however tests have been developed for BPC 157 and it may find its way onto banned substances lists in due course. As with any substance, an athlete should check the regulatory status for themselves.
