Whether someone at the gym has recommended it or you’ve read a compelling review on Reddit — you might be wondering if the “Wolverine stack” can help heal your injury or wind back the clock on your body. This peptide combination has become increasingly popular among professional and amateur athletes, bodybuilders and the anti-ageing crowd, but here’s what you need to know about the Wolverine stack, whether it has benefits and its side effects.
Firstly, what are peptides?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids (basically, shortened versions of proteins) which are in every cell of our bodies and are responsible for our bodies’ structure and function. Some of the body’s cells create proteins that work like hormones, helping with processes like immune cell function, body growth and repair, and managing how we use energy. The long peptide chains of proteins are important for helping them to work on specific cells or body tissues, but sometimes short peptides with the same amino acid sequence of longer proteins can have a similar effect.
Some synthetic peptides (made in a laboratory) are very useful as drugs for specific health problems (for example, insulin for treating diabetes or semaglutide for helping with weight loss). There are other synthetic peptides that have not been well tested, often because early studies found they were not effective or are potentially toxic. Despite a lack of evidence, some people claim they help recovery, fat loss or anti‑ageing. These are usually the same people who want to sell you the thing that they claim is beneficial.
These peptides have become increasingly popular amongst professional and amateur athletes, bodybuilders and gymgoers, without strong evidence of advantages or even safety.
Learn more about peptides here.
What’s the Wolverine stack?
The Wolverine stack is the name given to a combination of two peptides — BPC-157 and TB-500 — claimed to accelerate healing and reduce inflammation, mimicking the X-Men character’s superhuman healing. It’s a marketing term, not a scientific one. There is no evidence of benefits from either peptide in isolation, or together. Most information comes from blog posts and user anecdotes.
What’s BPC 157?
BPC 157 (Body Protection Compound 157) is a synthetic peptide derived from a protein found in the human stomach. It’s also known as pentadecapeptide BPC-157, PLD-116, PL-10, PL14736 and Bepecin. Studies on rodents and cells suggest that BPC-157 might help heal tissues like tendons, joints, nerves, the intestinal tract, stomach and skin, but these haven’t been supported by studies in humans. The US Anti-Doping Authority says there is a concerning lack of published clinical trial data because studies appear to have been cancelled or stopped without any published conclusions. Clinical trials are much more likely to be published when they show ‘positive’ results than if they show ‘negative’ results.
One of the few published studies of BP-157 involving humans was a very small, low-quality study with 16 participants with knee pain. It found that 12 participants who received BPC 157 injections in their knees rated their pain lower six months to a year later. However, there were no specific tools used to measure these improvements. Many of this study’s subjects also had ligament sprains and tendon issues, which often heal on their own over time, so it’s unclear if these improvements were due to the peptide or just the passage of time (the study had no control group). Importantly, this report was authored by health practitioners affiliated with a clinic selling BPC-157 injections, so there’s a clear conflict of interest.
What’s TB500?
TB500 is a synthetic version of thymosin beta-4, which is believed to play a role in the repair and regeneration of damaged cells and tissue. Thymosin beta-4 was studied in animal and cell experiments for roles in cell migration, angiogenesis and soft‑tissue repair, with TB-500 assumed to behave similarly rather than being independently validated.
There are no large, well‑controlled human trials showing clear benefit of TB-500.
What are the risks or side effects of the Wolverine stack?
We don’t fully know the safety of peptides because we don’t have long-term studies in humans. We also don’t know how these peptides interact with existing conditions and medications. At best, these drugs could be a waste of money. At worst, they could be doing damage that we won’t know about for years to come.
So far, clinical trials haven’t resulted in regulatory approval, and pharmaceutical companies haven’t been motivated to invest in further development. This is likely because they don’t see them as being effective or safe enough for commercial return, to justify the research and development costs.
It might be easy to buy peptides online or from someone at the gym, but that doesn’t make them safe. Doses and ingredients could be different to what’s on the label, and there’s risk of contamination.
Is the Wolverine stack legal in Australia?
BPC-157 and TB500 are not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and are prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
When sold online, the Wolverine stack is often described as ‘experimental’ or ‘for research only’ but these peptides are Schedule 4 prescription-only medicines in Australia making it illegal to possess without a valid prescription.
The fact that these substances are banned is certainly not proof that they work.
If you’re interested in the Wolverine stack
When it comes to optimising your long-term health there is stronger evidence for a balanced diet, regular exercise and quality sleep, than there is for peptides. If you’re interested in peptides discuss them with your GP and they can explain why unapproved options are not recommended and guide you to safer options.
