Cardarine (GW-501516, PPARδ agonist)
Cardarine (GW-501516) is not a SARM but a PPARδ agonist, developed for dyslipidaemia and studied for its effects on fat metabolism and endurance. Development was halted after long-term rodent studies showed dose-dependent cancers in multiple organs. This carcinogenicity signal is the dominant safety concern; whether it translates to humans is disputed and unresolved.
01 Overview
GW-501516 activates the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, shifting metabolism toward fatty-acid oxidation. Early human trials showed favourable changes in lipids and markers of fat metabolism, and animal work suggested enhanced endurance, driving its reputation as an endurance and fat-loss agent.
GlaxoSmithKline discontinued development after two-year rodent studies produced tumours across several tissues at a range of doses. Because those studies used high doses over an animal lifetime, the human relevance is disputed, but the signal was serious enough to end clinical work. It is banned in sport and sold only as a research chemical. It does not suppress testosterone, so no steroid profile applies.
02 Mechanism
Agonist of PPARδ, upregulating genes for fatty-acid oxidation and metabolic adaptation in muscle; not an androgen and does not bind the androgen receptor.
03 Dosing
| Tier | Dose | Route | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 10 mg/day | Oral | Anecdotal endurance/fat-loss range; carcinogenicity signal makes any use high-risk. |
| Common | 10–20 mg/day | Oral | Higher anecdotal range; no safe dose established. |
04 Effects
| Effect | Magnitude | Evidence | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Improved lipid profileShort human trials showed favourable changes in HDL, LDL and triglycerides. | raised HDL, lowered triglycerides | Clinical | |
| Increased enduranceRodent studies showed enhanced running endurance; not confirmed in humans. | Preclinical | ||
| Enhanced fat oxidationAnimal and mechanistic data show a shift toward fatty-acid metabolism. | Preclinical |
05 Side effects
| Effect | Severity | Frequency | Evidence | Countermeasures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown long-term metabolic effectsLong-term human safety was never established because development stopped early. | Moderate | Unknown | Unconfirmed | |
| Carcinogenicity signalTwo-year rodent studies showed dose-dependent tumours in multiple organs, ending clinical development. Human relevance is disputed and unresolved, but this is the central reason the compound was abandoned. | Life-threatening | Unknown in humans | Disputed |
06 Commonly used with
What cardarine is combined with, and why. This is about intent rather than safety — the interactions table below covers what is dangerous. Nothing here is listed without what it costs.
| Compound | Frequency | Purpose & trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Stacked compounds | ||
| Ostarinerecomp | Cardarine is added to an ostarine recomp as a non-hormonal endurance and fat-loss driver without deepening suppression itself.Trade-off: Cardarine is not suppressive and needs no PCT of its own, but its rodent carcinogenicity signal and absent human data are the real cost. | |
| StenabolicSR9009 | Stacked with stenabolic as a pure endurance and fat-loss combination, both acting on metabolism rather than hormones.Trade-off: Neither is hormonal so no PCT is needed, but stenabolic barely works orally and cardarine carries the rodent tumour concern. | |
| Andarineshredding triple | Cardarine rounds out the andarine/ostarine 'shredding' triple by adding conditioning and endurance during a hard cut.Trade-off: The hormonal SARMs in the triple bring suppression cardarine does not, and cardarine adds its own long-term safety question mark. | |
| Testolonebulk cut | Added to a testolone cycle so users can keep conditioning and endurance up while gaining, without extra suppression from the add-on.Trade-off: Cardarine itself is non-suppressive, but testolone still requires a PCT and cardarine still lacks any human safety record. | |