Why Americans are injecting themselves with unregulated ‘miracle’ drugs | On the Ground

Across the US, thousands of people are injecting themselves with unregulated peptides in pursuit of weight loss, muscle growth and younger-looking skin. Subscribe to The Guardian on YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/user/theguard... As blockbuster drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro have transformed the conversation around weight loss and introduced millions of Americans to peptide-based treatments, a growing number of people have begun seeking out cheaper, more experimental alternatives online. Despite being labelled "not for human consumption", these substances are readily available and have surged in popularity among people disillusioned by traditional healthcare. To find out why so many Americans are willing to risk unknown side-effects for the promise of a quick fix, Adam Gabbatt meets the users and influencers driving the peptide boom, and investigates what's really inside some of these so-called "miracle" drugs. Chapters 00:00 - The Peptide Boom 01:41 - Meeting fitness influencer Ryan Johnson 04:24 - Hitting the gym 05:13 - Why peptides can be dangerous 06:23 - Buying some Peptides 07:15 - Meeting the Peptide sellers 09:22 - The Peptide party 11:01 - Meeting peptide user, Heather Craig 13:27 - What's inside the Peptides? 14:36 - Catching up with Ryan Johnson The Guardian publishes independent journalism, made possible by supporters. Contribute to The Guardian today ► https://support.theguardian.com/ Sign up to the Guardian's free new daily newsletter, First Edition ► http://theguardian.com/first-edition Website ► https://www.theguardian.com Facebook ►   / theguardian   Bluesky ► https://bsky.app/profile/theguardian.com Instagram ►   / guardian   The Guardian on YouTube: Guardian News ►    / @guardiannews   Guardian Australia ►    / @guardianaustralia   Guardian Football ►    / @guardianfootball   Football Weekly ►    / @footballweeklypodcast   Guardian Sport ►    / @guardiansport   It's Complicated ►    / @itscomplicated   Guardian Live ►    / @guardianlive   #peptides #weightloss #ozempic #maunjaro #wegovy #usa