14 patients studied, thousands injecting: the peptide evidence gap

Why do patients refuse statins backed by decades of data in millions of people yet eagerly inject peptides tested in fewer than 20? Emergency medicine physician and longevity practitioner Vikas Patel confronts this paradox head-on. In this episode, based on his KevinMD article "Why the FDA regulations on peptide therapy matter," he breaks down what compounds like BPC-157 actually promise, what the evidence really shows, and why the gap between anecdotal hype and clinical proof should concern both physicians and patients. You will learn how the erosion of trust in medicine through the COVID years fueled demand for unregulated therapies promoted on podcasts and social media, why physicians who take an absolutist stance risk pushing patients further from reliable guidance, and how reframing long-term statin data dramatically changes the risk conversation. Patel also shares his practical approach to meeting patients where they are without compromising scientific integrity, and why he believes at least a handful of popular peptides will eventually prove their worth if anyone bothers to study them. If you want to have smarter conversations with patients about peptide therapy and rebuilding trust, press play.

Tune into our episode "2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: LDL goals, lipoprotein(a), and coronary calcium scoring," brought to you by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

For the first time in eight years, LDL cholesterol goals have changed, and preventive cardiologist Seth Baum says the new guidelines are a long-overdue course correction. He breaks down the new LDL targets for your highest-risk patients, why the LDL hypothesis should be retired in favor of the LDL fact, why lipoprotein(a) screening finally belongs in every patient's workup, what a coronary calcium score over 300 really means for how aggressively you treat, and how to talk to statin-skeptical patients without losing their trust. Listen now at KevinMD.com/cholesterol.

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