SARMs, peptides, and anabolics: what Turkish fitness TikTok gets wrong

What did @protein35izmir actually say?

Honestly, the transcript here is a mess. The audio appears to be a Turkish-language video that was run through a speech-to-text system not configured for Turkish, and what came out is largely unintelligible transliteration. What we can extract, phonetically, suggests the creator was discussing androgens, SARMs, and steroid-related topics, referencing something that sounds like "androgyenix storit d'ring" (likely anabolic steroids), "samstar" (likely SARMs), and specifically naming prostate concerns and hair loss as side effects. The caption confirms the video covers SARMs, peptides, and anabolics, and invites followers to post questions in the comments. So the broad subject is clear even if the precise claims are not.

We are working with fragmentary evidence here, and that matters. Any fact-check of specific claims is constrained by what we can reasonably reconstruct from the phonetic output.

Does the science back this up?

On the side effects that appear to be referenced, yes, the science is fairly solid. If the creator was connecting androgen use to prostate issues and hair loss, those links are well-established and not particularly controversial in the literature.

Androgenic alopecia tied to exogenous androgen use is supported by decades of research. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT), converted from testosterone via 5-alpha reductase, miniaturizes hair follicles in genetically susceptible individuals. Hamilton (1942, American Journal of Anatomy) laid the groundwork, and more recent work by Sinclair et al. (2015, Journal of Investigative Dermatology) reinforced the androgen-sensitivity model. On the prostate side, Basaria et al. (2010, New England Journal of Medicine) documented cardiovascular and androgenic adverse events in older men using testosterone, including prostate-specific antigen changes. SARMs were designed specifically to reduce androgenic side effects in non-target tissues like the prostate and scalp, but the evidence that they fully succeed is weak. Bhasin et al. (2020, NEJM) noted that selective androgen receptor modulators still carry tissue-specific androgenic activity and are not fully tissue-selective in humans.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

Here is where we have to be careful. We cannot quote the creator with confidence because the transcript is phonetically garbled. What we can say is this: if the creator was correctly flagging prostate and hair loss risks from androgens and SARMs, that is accurate and responsible, and they deserve credit for it. Many fitness influencers in this space minimize or ignore these risks entirely.

What the video format gets wrong by default is context. A TikTok comment-box Q&A about SARMs, peptides, and anabolics is not a clinical consultation. The creator is operating in a space where Turkish law, like most jurisdictions, restricts the sale and promotion of these compounds. SARMs are not approved by the FDA or the European Medicines Agency for human use. BPC-157, TB-500, and similar peptides are research chemicals in most markets. Presenting these compounds as routine performance tools, even while noting side effects, normalizes use without the medical oversight these substances genuinely require.

• Credit where it is due: referencing prostate and hair loss risks is more honest than most content in this category.
• The concern: a comment-section Q&A format for compounds this pharmacologically active is not an appropriate clinical framework.

What should you actually know?

If you are watching Turkish bodybuilding content about SARMs, peptides, and anabolics and treating it as medical guidance, that is the core problem, not just this creator. Here are the facts that actually matter.

SARMs were originally developed to treat muscle wasting in cancer patients. None are approved for human use outside clinical trials. Hair loss and prostate changes are documented risks even with compounds marketed as "selective." Ligandrol (LGD-4033), one of the most popular SARMs, suppressed testosterone in healthy young men at low doses in a Bhasin et al. (2022, New England Journal of Medicine) trial. Recovery timelines vary significantly by individual.

Peptides like BPC-157 have promising animal data for tissue repair, but human randomized controlled trial data is essentially nonexistent as of 2024. Extrapolating rat studies to human dosing protocols is a significant leap that most creators in this space do not acknowledge. If you are considering any of these compounds, the conversation starts with a physician who can order baseline bloodwork, not a TikTok comment section.