Natural Sources of BPC-157 — Clearing Up the Myths

BPC-157 does not originate from any naturally occurring food sources. It is a synthetic compound that is obtained from solid-phase peptide synthesis in laboratory environments. If you are looking for BPC-157 from natural sources, this article will explain to you why no such sources exist and where the confusion originated.

The Direct Answer, BPC-157 Is Synthetic

No Food Contains BPC-157

The BPC-157 peptide is a unique 15-amino-acid sequence composed of the amino acids listed in the sequence GEPPPGKPADDAGLV and is not found in any form of consumption, such as food, plant, or living tissue. The peptide had been extracted from a protein found in human stomach juice and later synthesized. Any vial of BPC-157 purchased from the research dealers will have been synthesized in the laboratory.

Why This Matters

This difference is important since certain websites and supplement companies suggest that BPC-157 can be obtained through diet or through "natural BPC-157" supplements. However, there are no published studies to support these assertions. BPC-157 has never been reported as a compound in any food product in any peer-reviewed paper.

Where the Misconception Comes From

The Gastric Juice Connection

The "natural" misconception is rooted in the history of BPC-157’s origin. Scientists from the University of Zagreb extracted a larger protein from gastric juice and discovered that certain parts of the protein were able to protect the stomach lining in rats (Sikiric et al., 1993). Since the “parent protein” exists in our gastric juice and can be produced by our body, some people have come to the conclusion that BPC-157 must also be “natural.” However, such deductions do not have any ground. In reality, the particular 15-amino-acid fragment used for research is not present in our body and is not consumed in one’s diet.

Fragment vs. Whole Protein

Consider this: you have a book with 500 pages, where a certain sentence in page 247 exists as part of the publication and not as an independent work. In the same way, the gastric protein exists in your body, but the 15-amino-acid BPC-157 fragment does not drift independently in space. Researchers have chosen and separated it from its parent protein, and then synthesized it for the purposes of studying it in isolation. The synthesizing of the fragment is what transforms it into a research chemical.

How Marketing Stretched the Science

Supplement industry leaders observed that “derived from a natural protein” has a better impact than “synthetic substance created in the laboratory.” Some started using terms like “bio-identical peptide,” “natural body protection substance,” and “available in stomach secretions” in their products’ promotions. The truth is that the terminology is deceiving because the form of the compound used for research is synthetic and the lab tested a synthetic version of this substance.

What Is Actually in Gastric Juice

The Parent Protein

Human gastric juice contains a complex mixture of proteins, enzymes, hydrochloric acid and mucus. The protein from which BPC-157 was derived is part of the protective mucosal layer. It is a much larger molecule with a different biological role than the isolated 15-amino-acid fragment. The parent protein helps protect the stomach lining from its own acid, which is a well-understood physiological function unrelated to the animal study findings attributed to BPC-157.

Why Isolating BPC-157 Requires Synthesis

It would not be practical or cost-effective to obtain a certain 15-amino acid peptide fragment isolated from gastric juice in sufficient amounts. The researchers who originally worked on BPC-157 synthesized it specifically because extraction from natural sources was not suitable at that time. Peptide synthesis makes it doable to get the pure, uniform compound in the amount required for research. This is commonplace in peptide research and does not affect the scientific importance of the peptide, but it makes the news about the "natural" origin of it a bit misleading.

Claims About Bone Broth and Organ Meats

What These Foods Actually Contain

Bone broth is rich in collagen peptides, gelatin, several minerals, and amino acids. Organ meats contain proteins unique to that organ. Bone broth and organ meat are both highly nutritious substances with known amino acid contents. The amino acid composition in bone broth (glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline with some contribution from collagen) overlaps with what is contained in BPC-157, but that does not mean that it contains the specific 15-amino-acid chain found in BPC-157.

No Published Evidence for BPC-157 in Food

We reviewed literature in PubMed and Google Scholar for publications that reported detection of BPC-157 in food sources, dietary supplements or biological tissues outside of gastric juice sources. We did not find anything. The statements about bone broth, organ meats and fermented foods being sources of BPC-157 seem to derive from health blogs and marketing brochures rather than published research.