The National Anti Doping Agency of Germany (NADA) is issuing a strong warning against the normalisation of peptides on social media. The studies featured in the ARD documentary ‘Kinderdoping’ clearly highlight the danger that such advertising poses to young people.
“NADA Germany is deeply concerned about the influence of social media on young people. It is disastrous if they spend the whole day seeing posts that normalise the use of peptides and medicines,” said Dr Lars Mortsiefer, Chairman of the NADA Germany Executive Board.
The ARD documentary “Kinderdoping” analysed several studies on young athletes from 15 countries and concluded that between five and six per cent of young athletes admitted to doping or using performance-enhancing substances.
On social media in particular, influencers from the fitness and biohacking scenes promote the effects of peptides injected intramuscularly or subcutaneously. The products used for this purpose are often not authorised as medicines. Instead, they are labelled as chemicals in specialist shops in order to exploit supposed legal grey areas. The packaging frequently bears labels such as ‘for research and laboratory purposes’, ‘for research use only’ or ‘research grade’.
NADA Germany strongly advises against the use of such products. In addition to a possible breach of anti-doping regulations or the Medicines Act, there are also unforeseeable health risks.
These statements should not be interpreted as a guarantee of quality or safety. They do not imply that use in humans is safe or permitted. The origin and manufacturer of the products are often unknown. Furthermore, it is unclear which substances are actually contained, whether the dosage is correct, whether there are any impurities, or whether any quality standards were adhered to during production. It is not uncommon for such preparations to contain active ingredients other than those stated, or to contain banned substances that are not declared on the packaging.
Further information on peptides can be found here in the blog post: https://www.nada.de/service/blog/blog-detail/peptide-im-sport-was-ist-erlaubt