Peptides for muscle growth and body composition

The growth-hormone peptides — the ones marketed for lean mass, strength and recovery. Nearly all of them reliably raise growth hormone. Whether that translates into the body-composition change people buy them for is the question the grades answer.

Ranked by strength of evidence

  1. S
    Sermorelin

    Raises growth hormone / IGF-1 and modestly improves body composition in older adults

    Formerly FDA-approved as Geref; withdrawn for commercial reasons, not safety.

    Read the evidence →
  2. S
    CJC-1295

    Raises growth hormone and IGF-1 (sustained, for the DAC version)

    The hormone rise is well established — that is a different claim from muscle gain.

    Read the evidence →
  3. S
    Ipamorelin

    Triggers a short-term rise in growth hormone

    Read the evidence →
  4. B
    CJC-1295

    Builds muscle, burns fat, or improves body composition in people

    The claim people actually buy it for.

    Read the evidence →
  5. B
    Tesamorelin

    Improves body composition or slows aging in healthy (non-HIV) adults

    Read the evidence →
  6. B
    IGF-1 LR3

    Builds muscle or improves body composition in humans

    A cell-culture reagent. No human study of it exists, and in pigs it reduced growth rather than increasing it.

    Read the evidence →

The honest read

Note the split running through this page: 'raises growth hormone' grades well, 'changes your body' does not. Those are two different claims about the same injection, and the marketing for this category depends on you not noticing the distinction.