SARMs appeared online and in some stores a few years ago, marketed as steroids without the side effects. This article looks at what they are, what the human research actually found, and where they sit legally in Australia.
This is an informational article. We do not sell SARMs, and nothing here is a recommendation to take anything. If you are considering any compound that affects your hormones, that is a conversation with a doctor.
Key points
- Prescription compounds. Not available over the counter in Australia.
- Human data is limited. Only a few have been studied in people.
- Hormonal suppression was observed in the trials that measured it.
- Several were abandoned during development over safety findings.
- Prohibited in tested sport. Subject to anti-doping rules.
What is a SARM?
Selective androgen receptor modulators are non-steroidal compounds developed with the intention of producing anabolic effects in bone and muscle without the effects that come with testosterone or synthetic androgens.
The theoretical target was a compound that binds only to androgen receptors, improving muscle strength and size without affecting the prostate, blood markers, blood pressure or hair, and without disrupting the endocrine system, gonadal function or fertility.
That was the design goal. Whether any compound has achieved it is a separate question, and the human data below is the place to look.
What is their legal status in Australia?
SARMs are prescription-only compounds. They are not legally available for sale over the counter, and supplying them without a prescription is not permitted.
They are also on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list, so anyone competing in a tested sport should treat them as prohibited. If you compete, check the current list with your anti-doping authority directly rather than relying on any retailer or article.
Many products sold online as SARMs have been found to contain something other than what the label states, including in published analyses. That is a separate risk from the compounds themselves.
What did the human research find?
Few SARMs have been tested in humans at all. Most have only animal data, and several were dropped during development.
Two compounds with published human trials are enobosarm and ligandrol.
Enobosarm (ostarine, MK-2866, S-22)
In a trial in elderly subjects, enobosarm produced an average lean mass increase of 1.2 kg and a 0.3 kg reduction in fat mass. The highest-dose group performed best in a stair-climb assessment, while the lowest-dose group performed worse than placebo.
The trial also recorded reductions in serum HDL, FSH, LH and estradiol. The reduction in sex hormone binding globulin exceeded that observed in men taking 600 mg of testosterone. SHBG is not simply a carrier or deactivator and plays a role in tissue-selective delivery of steroids, so the implications of that reduction are not clear.
The most commonly reported side effects were diarrhoea, nasopharyngitis and headache.
Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
Results were broadly similar. Healthy adult males on the highest dose showed an average lean mass gain of 1.2 kg.
The same group also lost approximately half their total testosterone and half their free testosterone, 30% of their luteinising hormone, and almost all of their SHBG. HDL decreased and LDL increased.
All values returned to normal five weeks after the last dose in that trial.
RAD140
No human studies are available. What circulates about this compound is anecdotal.
Cardarine (GW501516)
Cardarine is not a SARM, though it is frequently sold under that heading. It is a PPAR-delta agonist.
Development was abandoned in 2007 following animal research that found fibrosis of liver tissue and aggressive multi-organ tumour growth in rodents. Those are animal findings at the doses studied, and how they translate to humans is unknown, because the compound was not taken forward into human trials.
An abandoned development programme is itself information worth having.
Ibutamoren (MK-677)
Also not a SARM. It is a growth hormone secretagogue, meaning it acts on growth hormone release rather than on androgen receptors.
Research has examined its effects on growth hormone profiles, IGF-1 and adrenocortical function. Separate literature has examined the relationship between the growth hormone and IGF-1 axis and cancer risk, which is why this compound attracts particular caution.
What the trials suggest overall
Two things stand out from the published human data.
The lean mass changes were modest. Around 1.2 kg in the trials above, which is a good deal less than the marketing around these compounds implies.
Hormonal suppression occurred where it was measured. The original premise was selectivity without endocrine disruption. In the human trials, testosterone, LH and SHBG were all affected. That is the finding that most undercuts the "steroids without the side effects" framing.
Why we are not recommending anything instead
An earlier version of this article suggested supplements as alternatives to SARMs. That framing was wrong and we have removed it.
No supplement is an alternative to a prescription compound that acts on androgen receptors. Presenting one as such implies an equivalence that does not exist, whatever the supplement is. If a page offers you a "legal alternative to SARMs", it is making a claim it cannot support.
If your goal is to build muscle, the things with genuine evidence are unglamorous and well established: progressive resistance training, adequate protein, enough total calories, and sleep. Nothing sold in a tub changes that hierarchy.
If you are considering these compounds
Speak to a doctor. That is the only appropriate advice a retailer can give on a prescription compound, and it is what we are giving.
Be particularly careful about anything bought online. Product analyses have repeatedly found substances that do not match the label, including compounds not listed at all.
References
- Dalton J T, et al. (2011) The selective androgen receptor modulator GTx-024 (enobosarm) improves lean body mass and physical function in healthy elderly men and postmenopausal women: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial. Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, Vol 2 Issue 1, pages 153-161.
- Miner J N, et al. (2007) An Orally Active Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator Is Efficacious on Bone, Muscle, and Sex Function with Reduced Impact on Prostate. Endocrinology, Vol 148 Issue 1, pages 363-373.
- Basaria S, et al. (2010) The Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Effects of LGD-4033, a Novel Nonsteroidal Oral, Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator, in Healthy Young Men. The Journals of Gerontology, Vol 68 Issue 1, pages 87-95.
- Copinschi G, et al. (1996) Effects of a 7-day treatment with a novel, orally active GH secretagogue, MK-677, on 24-hour GH profiles, IGF-1, and adrenocortical function in normal young men. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 81 Issue 8, pages 2776-2782.
- Chhabra Y, Waters M J, Brooks A J (2011) Role of the GH-IGF-1 axis in cancer. Expert Review of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 6 Issue 1, pages 71-84.
- Tentori L, Graziani G (2007) Doping with GH/IGF-1, anabolic steroids or erythropoietin: is there a cancer risk? Pharmacological Research, Vol 55 Issue 5, pages 359-369.
