This page describes pharmacological agents that may have legal restrictions, side effects, and drug interactions in your jurisdiction. Information is for educational research only — consult a clinician before considering any compound.
Surface here is educational only; do not use without medical supervision. Our editorial verdict is SKIP-FOR-NOW — current cost / risk / redundancy puts it below the line.
Cardarine
See GW-501516 — Cardarine is the most common gym/forum/vendor name for the PPARδ agonist GW-501516. NOT a SARM. Abandoned by GSK in 2007 after rat multi-organ carcinogenicity. WADA S4.5 banned.
Aliases (8)
Overview
What is Cardarine?
Cardarine is the most common gym, forum, MMA, endurance-cycling, and research-chem-vendor name for GW-501516 — a high-affinity selective PPARδ agonist originally developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Ligand Pharmaceuticals (early 2000s) for dyslipidemia and metabolic syndrome. The two names refer to the same molecule. NOT a SARM (does not bind the androgen receptor). Abandoned by GSK in 2007 after rat multi-organ carcinogenicity findings. WADA Prohibited List S4.5 (Metabolic Modulators — PPARδ agonists named, banned in- and out-of-competition). FDA-prohibited in dietary supplements. Sold gray-market as research chemical only. See the canonical entry at GW-501516 for full mechanism, evidence, dosing, side effects, sourcing, decision matrix, biomarkers, controversies, and verdict rationale.
Key Benefits
See GW-501516 entry. Summary: PPARδ activation → fatty acid oxidation upregulation → mitochondrial biogenesis → endurance + fat loss; favorable Phase 2 lipid effects (HDL ↑, triglycerides ↓, ApoB ↓, insulin sensitivity ↑) at 2.5-10 mg/day for 12 weeks. Real metabolic exercise-mimetic effect on the muscle/cardiac mitochondrial-biogenesis subset of training adaptation. Does NOT reproduce cardiovascular, neural, hormonal, or bone-loading adaptations of actual training.
Mechanism of Action
Same as GW-501516. Selective high-affinity agonist of PPARδ; ~1000-fold selectivity over PPARα and PPARγ. Activates the β-oxidation gene set, upregulates PGC-1α, drives Type I/IIa oxidative muscle fiber program. NOT a SARM. Hepatically metabolized; ~24h half-life. See canonical entry.
Pharmacokinetics
Quality Indicators
Sold as 'SARM' by many vendors — pharmacologically wrong
Many research-chem vendors mislabel Cardarine as a SARM. It is NOT a SARM. Verify product label says GW-501516 / Cardarine; confirm via COA. The mislabeling leads users to assume SARM PCT and bloodwork frameworks apply — they do not. See GW-501516 for full sourcing guidance.
What to Expect
- Week 1Tolerability and dose-response.
- Week 2-4Early effect window.
- Week 4-8Peak benefit assessment.
- Week 8+Cycle decision point.
How was your experience with this compound?
Anonymous · one vote per session · results below at 5+ votes.
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