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Athletes were banned from taking it, now it's a fitness craze

Jan 15, 2026 – 5.00am Gold Coast personal trainer Rick Brennan, 51, says he has seen plenty of fads come and go in his more than 30 years in the fitness industry, but nothing compares with the widespread use of peptides. Peptides are short strings of amino acids that have been synthesised into therapeutic goods, and marketed as doing everything from giving you a suntan to helping you recover more quickly from injuries like the comic-book character Wolverine. However, there have been no large-scale human trials to support their use. Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Euan BlackHealth and wellness reporterEuan Black is the health and wellness reporter at The Australian Financial Review. He was the work and careers reporter. Sam IrvineReporterSam Irvine is a journalist for The Australian Financial Review. Message Sam on Signal @samuelirvine00_.86 Fetching latest articles