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Hello, and welcome back to .
If you are on social media, you have probably noticed an increasing number of adverts for products called peptides, claiming to boost health in various ways.
You may have previously heard of peptides as ingredients in skin creams, or might remember from school that peptides are small protein-like molecules found naturally in the body.
Economy grows by 0.4% – what you need to know
The UK economy grew by 0.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, new data has shown.
What is driving the growth
The growth comes after a first quarter in which the economy expanded by 0.6 per cent and has been boosted by the summer sun and sports events, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Computer programming, advertising and the pharmaceutical industry were areas of strength, the ONS said, but this was offset by falls in power generation and sewerage.
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Housing nightmares
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Growth likely to slow
The economy is now 1.2% bigger than a year ago, but economists warn growth is likely to slow in the second half of the year.
Speaking to the , Fergus Jimenez-England, associate economist at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research said: “Both inflation and unemployment are set to rise in the coming months while business sentiment remains fragile and could dampen further with ongoing energy price volatility.”
I’m a pension expert with a £300,000 pot – here are my golden rules for saving
Kirsty Ross has been working in the pensions industry for 15 years but says experts have the same fears and anxieties as everyone else.
How ‘black hole stars’ could explain mystery of the early universe
Strange red spots in images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may be a newly discovered type of object called a “black hole star” that is larger than our entire solar system.
Supermassive blackholes
Astronomers have said the objects may help to explain how supermassive blackholes formed so early in the history of the universe.
They lie at the hearts of galaxies and play a key role in determining their growth and evolution.
Solving a puzzle for cosmologists
Supermassive blackholes appear to have formed very soon after the birth of the universe, puzzling cosmologists over how they had time to grow so much during the universe’s infancy.
However, the red dot found by the JWST, which is believed to have formed 660 million years after the Big Bang, may be an infant black hole surrounded by a “cloak of gas” that feeds it as it grows, according to analysis published in the journal .
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The organ in your chest that could be key to living longer
The thymus was once thought to be nearly useless in adults – now scientists think it could be vital for our health.
Nurses ‘collapsing on shift’ due to heatwave – what we know
Nurses are collapsing during shifts amid “inhumane and impossible” conditions caused by extreme heat, their union has warned.
Union warns of unsafe conditions
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has become the latest union to warn of unsafe working conditions for its members as the number of days over 30°C is already at a new record of 35 this summer.
The union has said some staff have collapsed, while others were left dizzy, nauseous or at risk of fainting while dripping with sweat “from head to toe”.
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What is being done about it?
The NHS has been ordered by health secretary Yvette Cooper to prepare for the effects of heatwaves each year in the same way that it prepares for winter.
Earlier this year, the Climate Change Committee of MPs said that the government should ensure cooling measures are installed in all hospitals and care homes by 2035.
Nurses are being ‘failed’
When nursing staff are collapsing, feeling dizzy, sick or even being admitted to the very hospitals they work in because their workplaces cannot handle the heat, it shows just how badly they are being failed.
RCN chief executive and general secretary Professor Nicola Ranger
Stunning solar eclipse dazzles Europe – in pictures
From Aberdeen to Penzance, from Aberystwyth to Hull, skywatchers were out in force yesterday to see the best solar eclipse in a generation.
In pictures
The spectacle continues
A once-in-a-lifetime experience for many
The event sparked huge interest for people across the UK as the Moon covered more than 90 per cent of the Sun.
It was the first time for many, with the last full eclipse occurring in August 1999. However, eclipse enthusiasts will have to wait until 23 September 2090 for the next one.
A scramble for eclipse glasses
Looking directly at the eclipse with the naked eye, or even sunglasses, can cause permanent damage, so a scramble for eclipse glasses ensued around the country.
Huge queues formed at shops which still had stock left, while many had already sold out and were forced to turn away customers.
Temperatures to hit 38°C today as amber warning expanded
Sweltering temperatures of up to 38°C are set to hit the UK today.
The Met Office has today issued an updated amber extreme heat warning for areas across the UK lasting from 9:00 to 23:00.
The relentless heat means that this summer is likely to be the hottest on record.
A dangerous period of heat
The sweltering temperatures forecast today mark the peak of the UK’s latest heatwave.
Tropical nights, where temperatures fail to drop below 20°C, are also expected as humid air spreads into western areas, which can place additional stress on the body.
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An extraordinarily dry period
The lack of rain has piled pressure on farming, freight shipping and energy production, after the UK saw its driest July in 190 years.
Up to 27 million people find themselves under water-use restrictions and 1,017 wildfires have devastated vegetation across England and Wales so far this year, according to the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Temperature records likely to be beaten
More long-standing temperature records are likely to be broken over the coming days.
- Wednesday became the first day in August to reach 35°C or more, making it the 4th consecutive month to reach this temperature.
- If temperatures reach 36°C or higher, 2026 will become the first year to record four separate days at or above that threshold.
- If temperatures reach 38°C today, there is a chance that the record for the hottest August day, which currently stands at 38.5°C, could be broken.
- Provided August temperatures remain average or above for the month, this summer will replace 2025 as the warmest on record.
The heatwave in pictures
Firefighters call for water bomb aircraft to tackle wildfires
Firefighters have called for “wildfire-fighting aircraft” to help combat spate of blazes as Britain braces for another heatwave, with temperatures set to rise above 35°C, possibly reaching 38°C.
Universities at risk of going bust before 2026 freshers finish their degrees
Some universities are at risk of going bust before 2026 freshers have finished their degrees, experts have warned.
Bankruptcies, mergers and course closures are expected to accelerate from 2030 because of a projected decline in the population of 18-year-olds.
Why are universities struggling?
An immigration crackdown on lucrative oversea students and limits on tuition fees for British students has taken a financial toll on universities.
- Analysts previously said at least 119 higher education providers, accounting for 43 per cent of the sector, are “struggling financially” because of budget deficits.
Looming mergers
Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) think-tank, said that more mergers between institutions will “definitely” happen.
- Hillman said it is predicted that over the next five years, student numbers will drop despite a record number of 18-year-olds securing their first choice this year.
- The Russell Group of elite universities will likely snap these up and could mean that less prestigious universities lose over 25 per cent of their undergraduate student fee income, according to a report by HEPI.
Courses closing
Mergers and a decline in applications to specialist institutions could see a decline in the number of courses available.
This is already being seen, with around 27,000 courses available in clearing this year, compared to 30,000 reported in previous years, according to Ucas.
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Watch more from The i Paper
The ‘dangerous’ scam tricking users into authorising
Concerns have been raised by the consumer group Which? over a “dangerous” scam that tricks victims into authorising card payments.
Familiar tactics
Which? warned that scammers may use similar tactics to those used in authorised push payment (APP) scams – where people are manipulated into making a bank transfer.
However, in this scam, victims are instead convinced to approve card payments.
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Victims may face difficulty in getting their money back
Which? warned that victims may struggle to claim for payments they have authorised to a legitimate company, as the company has provided the intended services, even though it is part of a chain of fraud.
How to protect yourself from scams
- Never share sensitive information.
- If you receive an unexpected call, ring your bank immediately.
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But the adverts are for a new breed of injectable peptides, which are being promoted by influencers for uses including weight loss, muscle growth, tissue regeneration and as broad “anti-ageing” tools.
They are basically experimental drugs that have not undergone the usual clinical trials or passed regulatory approval, and so carry great health risks, experts have warned.
Indeed, serious side effects have already been reported and a UK man in his thirties has died after taking a peptide – although it has not been confirmed if the drug was responsible.
The reason peptides have so many different claimed uses is that they are a broad category of biochemicals. In their natural form, in the body, they are signalling molecules that pass instructions between different cells, often acting as hormones.
Peptides have been turned into pharmaceutical drugs before. Insulin, used by diabetics, is a peptide, as are the slimming jabs Wegovy and Mounjaro.
To be clear, there are no serious health concerns about Wegovy or Mounjaro when bought from regulated online pharmacies, because these drugs have passed extensive safety testing and been approved by bodies such as the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
But the approved slimming jabs may have helped kickstart the peptides craze, by getting more people used to injecting themselves with pharmaceuticals.
The other spur may have been that when Wegovy first launched in the US in 2021, it was too expensive for most people to afford, costing up to $1,350 a month. Into the breach stepped shady manufacturers based in China, which sold the same compounds as in Wegovy and Mounjaro, without even the need for a doctor’s prescription.
Despite the clear risks of buying injections from overseas businesses with no regulatory oversight, this may have fostered wider acceptance of online drug purchasing among consumers in the US and UK, said Robert Bradford, superintendent pharmacist at Oxford Online Pharmacy. “The idea of injecting a drug that you bought online would have been anathema to anybody 10 years ago,” Bradford said.
The prices of Wegovy and Mounjaro have since reduced somewhat, but now interest is growing in other kinds of peptides, also fostered by the growth of wellness and biohacking influencers – who often get kickbacks from sellers.
One of the most popular peptides is a third type of slimming jab, called retatrutide – also sold as reta or reta peptide. This is actually a legitimate pharmaceutical that manufacturer Eli Lilly is investigating in clinical trials – but the drug has not yet been approved by bodies such as the MHRA and so it is still classed as experimental.
In 2023, however, word spread that retatrutide had caused even more weight loss than Wegovy and Mounjaro in a small early-stage clinical trial – 24 per cent, compared with about 15 and 20 per cent respectively for the other two jabs.
Retatrutide seems particularly popular with male gym-goers as its promoters claim it helps build muscle as well as reduce fat. “While the early research is promising, more evidence and regulatory review is needed before retatrutide can be considered a safe and approved treatment option,” said Jason Murphy, head of Pharmacy at Chemist4U.
Recently, things have got worse – there has been an explosion of online sales of other kinds of peptide drugs that are being investigated for different medical uses, although most of them have been tested only in very limited human studies.
Claims for these peptides include tissue regeneration, sleep regulation, tanning and broad anti-ageing effects.
As these drugs have not yet been shown to be safe and effective by large clinical trials, these experimental peptides bring additional risks, in that they could cause dangerous side effects even if the drug in the vials is 100 per cent pure and at the stated dose. “Anything could happen, from serious illness to death,” said Bradford. “We’re in the Wild West.”
It is impossible to know the extent of the online sales, but just searching for “peptides” on sites like TikTok and Facebook brings up huge numbers of posts from sellers and influencers, showing the demand.
Last month, a London endocrinologist told he encountered patients “day in day out” who were using experimental peptides. And earlier this year, the MHRA raided two premises in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire that were dealing in unlicensed retatrutide and other peptides.
While retatrutide has not yet been approved, the drug does at least have some early data suggesting it is likely to be effective and safe. But the rest of the experimental peptides are more unknown quantities.
One of the most popular, called BPC-157, is promoted for tissue regeneration, with influencers claiming it can help after muscle strains, for instance. But animal studies suggest it works by promoting blood vessel growth, which could in theory also promote growth of cancers.
Another experimental peptide, called melanotan, causes skin tanning – it is sometimes called the “Barbie drug”. But there have been reports of it causing skin cancer as well as rapid changes to moles and pigmented areas of skin, according to the US Skin Cancer Foundation.
“The risks are very serious, from allergic reactions to even fatalities,” said Bradford. “The products might not be made with a sterile manufacturing process. It could be contaminated with bacteria, fibres, bits of plastic. And then what drug is in there, what is the dose?”
Already, one British man in his thirties has died after taking unlicensed retatrutide and there have been 76 other adverse reactions from the same drug reported to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the reported last month.
It is hard to know how authorities can eradicate the trade. Online sellers usually market their products as for research purposes only or not for human consumption, which technically means they are not acting illegally.
Even with the ones that clearly market their products as for human use, UK bodies can do little about companies based in China.
Health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said: “These medicines are made with no regard for safety and pose serious risks. [The MHRA] raids have taken dangerous, unregulated products off our streets.”
The US FDA, on the other hand, under Trump’s controversial health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, has taken a more pro-peptide stance. Kennedy even said on the popular Joe Rogan podcast that he is a “big fan” of peptides and used them himself.
The FDA ruled last month that six experimental peptides can be sold by certain US pharmacies on the basis that people are already buying them on the black market and it would be safer if they could buy them from legitimate sources. Other health experts said this was misguided.
For UK consumers, Bradford said: “Unless you’re using a regulated and registered pharmacy, do not inject any drugs that you buy online because you just cannot be sure of what’s in them, whether they’ll even work, and whether you risk serious harm to yourself.”
At the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I ended up seeing – somewhat against my wishes – a spoof musical based on the ice hockey gay-romance TV series, , and was glad I was overruled.
I had given up on the TV series itself after the first episode, but the musical, called Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody, works because it is both homage to the show, and merciless ridicule of it. The songs are catchy, the dialogue snappy and the laughs are frequent. The show is on in Edinburgh until 30 August and comes to London in October.