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Peptide Deep Dives

Do peptides have data for women and non-white populations?

Updated 2026-05-02

For GLP-1s, yes, but with an honest caveat. The big Phase 3 trials had strong female enrollment but were mostly white. STEP 1 (semaglutide, n=1961): about 74% female. SURMOUNT-1 (tirzepatide, n=2539): 67.5% female, 70.6% White. A 2026 JAMA Internal Medicine meta-analysis of 64 RCTs and 25,229 patients found no significant difference in GLP-1 weight-loss effect by race or ethnicity. Sex was the one modifier that mattered: women lost on average 10.9% of body weight vs 6.8% for men. For research peptides (BPC-157, TB-500, ipamorelin, GHK-Cu): essentially no published human trial data for any demographic group.

IfIf you're non-white and wondering whether GLP-1s work for you
Thenthen subgroup data from STEP and SURMOUNT is reassuring (no significant efficacy difference found), but ask your provider about the limits of subgroup sample sizes
IfIf you're a woman starting a GLP-1
Thenthen note that women lose slightly more weight than men on average - this may affect how your titration feels
IfIf you're using research peptides
Thenthen know the trial data is essentially zero for any demographic group - you're operating on preclinical and clinical-experience evidence
IfIf cost or access is a barrier
Thenthen ask your prescriber about patient assistance programs and your state's insurance coverage for chronic weight management
Key facts
  • STEP 1 (Wilding et al., NEJM 2021, NCT03548935, n=1961): about 74% female
  • STEP 1 + 3 pooled post-hoc (Rubino et al. 2024, n=2572): White 75.3%, Asian 10.6%, Black 8.8%, Other 5.3%, Hispanic/Latino 13.9%
  • SURMOUNT-1 (Jastreboff et al., NEJM 2022, NCT04184622, n=2539): 67.5% female, 70.6% White, mean age 44.9 years
  • Efficacy by race (Rubino et al. 2024): treatment difference 9.3 to 12.5% across racial/ethnic subgroups; no statistically significant treatment-by-race interaction (p >= 0.07)
  • Alexander 2026 meta-analysis (JAMA Internal Medicine, 64 RCTs, 25,229 patients): no significant heterogeneity by race or ethnicity; women about 10.9% weight loss vs men about 6.8%
  • Prescribing disparity (Eberly 2021): Asian aOR 0.59, Black aOR 0.81, Hispanic aOR 0.91 vs White patients in commercially insured T2D
  • Kukhareva 2024: Asian patients had 0.3 adjusted odds for tirzepatide prescriptions vs White patients in 57,320 T2D patients
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