The Truth About Popular Peptides (What Works, What’s Overhyped) | Peptide Tier List pt.1
A urologist ranks a dozen popular peptides and related compounds into tiers, giving his view of the evidence, anecdotes and risks for each, including BPC-157, GHK-Cu, retatrutide and growth hormone.
With Dr. Alex Tatum (board-certified, fellowship-trained urologist specializing in men's health)
Key moments
Tap a moment to play the video from there.
- 0:00Format and tier systemTatum explains that each compound will get a review of claims, science, data and anecdotes before a tier is assigned. He introduces himself as a urologist.
- 1:45BPC-157 rated CHe describes limited preclinical evidence, no good human trials and mixed anecdotes. He says he has not seen serious side effects.
- 4:26TB-500 and the combination with BPCTatum says TB-500 derives from thymosin beta 4 and has no human data of its own. He also places it in C tier.
- 6:29IGF-1 LR3 and insulin-like effectsHe says it is the only newer peptide that drives muscle growth and that it can lower blood sugar. He rates it B because growth hormone is a better option.
- 9:23GHK-Cu from topical to injectionTatum contrasts strong topical data with sparse evidence for injections. He rates it A based largely on anecdotes.
- 11:56Retatrutide gets S tierHe outlines the GLP-1 drug lineage and says glucagon activity sets retatrutide apart. He says it is still in trials but sold on the gray market.
- 15:43Glow stack rated CTatum describes the BPC-157, TB-500 and GHK-Cu combination and argues it is limited by its weakest component.
- 17:28Ipamorelin and GH secretagoguesHe gives a history of why secretagogues gained demand and says ipamorelin's trial data was equivocal. He gives it a D.
- 21:24Epithalon telomere claimsHe explains telomeres and telomerase, then says epithalon has almost no data. He gives it an F.
- 25:18Methylene blue and tesamorelinTatum says methylene blue has no longevity evidence and rates it F. He then rates tesamorelin B, citing its approved use for HIV-related fat deposits.
What the video says
Dr. Alex Tatum, who describes himself as a board-certified urologist focused on men's health, goes through a box of popular peptides one at a time. For each he covers the claimed benefit, the proposed mechanism, the data he knows of, and anecdotal reports, then assigns a tier from S down to F. The video is part one of a series, and he says about 20 more compounds will follow. He states that it is not personal medical advice and that he does not recommend injecting anything a doctor has not prescribed.
On the healing compounds, Tatum says BPC-157 and TB-500 have mostly preclinical and benchtop support and no good human trials, with anecdotes split between strong praise and no effect. He rates both C tier and notes he has not seen serious side effects, apart from possible contamination in gray market products. He rates GHK-Cu an A, citing good topical data, sparse literature on injection, and what he calls consistently positive anecdotes. The combination of BPC-157, TB-500 and GHK-Cu, which he calls the glow stack, gets a C because he says a stack is only as strong as its weakest link.
He puts retatrutide in S tier, describing glucagon receptor activity as its added feature and saying it is still in clinical trials but available through gray market sellers. IGF-1 LR3 gets a B: he says it is the one newer peptide that drives muscle growth, but growth hormone is a better option. Ipamorelin gets a D, with a short history of why growth hormone secretagogues became popular. Tesamorelin gets a B because it is an approved product with a clear use, though costly.
He gives epithalon and methylene blue F tiers. For epithalon he says the telomere mechanism is intriguing but has almost no supporting data and no way to measure effects in a whole person. For methylene blue, which he says is not technically a peptide, he says there is no evidence for longevity use and that it can be toxic. Growth hormone closes the list as an S tier gold standard, after a brief history of its production.
On each compound
BPC-1571:45
Tatum says the evidence is limited to benchtop and preclinical work with no good human trials, and anecdotes range from very positive to no effect. He says he has not seen serious side effects and rates it C.
See how your DNA reads BPC-157TB-5004:26
Tatum says there is no human data for TB-500 itself, though its precursor thymosin beta 4 has been used in eye drops for corneal injury. He notes mixed anecdotes and gray market quality concerns, and rates it C.
See how your DNA reads TB-500IGF-1 LR36:29
Tatum says it is the only newer peptide that stimulates hypertrophy and can lower blood sugar acutely. He rates it B because growth hormone is more available and better.
See how your DNA reads IGF-1 LR3IGF-16:50
Tatum describes IGF-1 as the mediator of growth hormone's effects, with a very short half-life and a large body of literature. He says it is potent, with potent side effects.
See how your DNA reads IGF-1GHK-Cu9:23
Tatum says topical GHK-Cu has good supporting data for skin, while injection evidence is sparse and mostly from biohackers. He says the anecdotes he has heard are positive, and rates it A.
See how your DNA reads GHK-CuRetatrutide11:56
Tatum says retatrutide adds glucagon receptor activity to GLP-1 and GIP activity, and that it is expected to reach market within the next year. He rates it S tier and says it seems as safe as other GLP-1 drugs.
See how your DNA reads RetatrutideTirzepatide12:50
Tatum mentions tirzepatide as acting on the GIP receptor as well as GLP-1, which he says makes it more powerful than semaglutide. It appears as background for retatrutide.
See how your DNA reads TirzepatideSemaglutide12:20
Tatum calls semaglutide the first GLP-1 drug that took off and says weight loss on it largely reflects reduced calorie intake.
See how your DNA reads SemaglutideIpamorelin17:28
Tatum says ipamorelin acts on the ghrelin receptor, had equivocal trial results and was abandoned as a drug candidate. He says it seems safe but rates it D because better options exist.
See how your DNA reads IpamorelinEpithalon21:24
Tatum says epithalon is proposed to stimulate telomerase and lengthen telomeres, but has almost no data and no way to measure effects in a whole person. He rates it F.
See how your DNA reads EpithalonTesamorelin27:18
Tatum says tesamorelin is a GHRH analog approved for fat deposits in people on HIV medication, with no trials in healthy people. He rates it B and notes the pharma grade product is expensive.
See how your DNA reads TesamorelinSermorelin27:38
Tatum mentions sermorelin only as a milder GHRH-type compound than tesamorelin.
See how your DNA reads SermorelinWhat this video doesn’t settle
- The tier ratings are one urologist's opinion, with no stated scoring method beyond his reading of the data and anecdotes.
- He says BPC-157, TB-500 and epithalon lack human trials, so their claimed effects are not established in people.
- His A rating for GHK-Cu rests partly on anecdotes and friends' photos rather than controlled evidence.
Questions this video answers
What does Dr. Tatum say about BPC-157 evidence and safety?
He says the evidence is mostly benchtop and preclinical, with no good human clinical trials. He says anecdotes are mixed and that he has not seen serious side effects, aside from possible gray market contamination. He rates it C tier.
Why does Dr. Tatum rate ipamorelin D tier?
He says its trial data was equivocal and it was abandoned as a drug candidate. He argues that growth hormone is easier to get than it used to be and that there are better options for fat loss.
Why does he rank retatrutide as S tier?
He says it adds glucagon receptor activity to GLP-1 and GIP activity, which he says burns more fat than calorie restriction alone. He also cites its robust data and says it seems about as safe as other GLP-1 drugs.
What does he say about epithalon and telomeres?
He says epithalon is proposed to stimulate telomerase and lengthen telomeres, and that this has been shown on the benchtop. He says there is almost no other data and no way to measure its effect in a whole person, so he gives it an F.
What is the difference between topical and injected GHK-Cu?
Tatum says topical GHK-Cu has good data for skin tone, hydration and collagen. He says injection is an attempt at a systemic effect, with sparse literature and support mostly from anecdotes.
Video by Dr. Alex Tatem on YouTube, embedded as published. The summary is written by PeptidesDNA from the video; every claim in it is the speaker’s. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the creator. Not medical advice.
