Cardarine History and Overview
When it comes to performance enhancers, there are products that improve performance, and then there are products that improve performance for the money.
While the balance between the two can sometimes be blurred, there's no doubt that many people are constantly looking for products that can take their athletic performance to the next level, regardless of cost.
When it comes to supplements in this category, no product seems to be more representative than Cardarine.
Also known by the call sign GW-501516, cardarine was initially the brainchild of two pharmaceutical giants, GlaxoSmithKline and Ligand Pharmaceuticals.
Cardarine is considered a PPAR receptor agonist.
It was primarily intended to help with cardiovascular disease, but during testing, they realized that it was actually an amazing endurance supplement.
People who took the supplement saw incredible improvements in their athletic performance, especially cardiovascular performance.
However, when tested, it was found to cause tumors to rapidly develop in rats at an alarming rate.
This horrifying discovery led to the immediate halt of most experiments on this compound, but it's important to note that the only cancer-causing findings were due to mice being given 500-1000 times more cardarine.
So while the debate over whether or not cardarine is safe continues, most people are refraining from using it.
However, it is still a popular supplement due to its powerful ability to improve endurance.
It also remains to be seen whether it poses a risk of cancer, even at standard doses.
Functions and actions of cardarine
Looking specifically at the chemical interactions of cardarine, it is a PPAR agonist.
It interacts with a group of receptors at the PPAR receptor site, interacts with the PGC-1a enzyme, and interacts with the thyroid and steroid hormones that handle gene expression related to energy expenditure to manipulate gene expression.
In other words, it induces the body to expend an absurd level of energy beyond normal levels/limits.
Studies have shown that it can increase fatty acid metabolism in rats.
Even in people with poor dietary habits, it can lower their chances of obesity and help prevent type 2 diabetes.
It also raised good cholesterol and lowered bad cholesterol in monkeys in one study, and these effects occurred with or without exercise, so it's clear that this compound has tremendous potential.
Effects of Cardarine
Most noticeable is the incredible cardio benefits that can be seen when using this compound.
This effect is enhanced whether you're a beginner or an advanced athlete, so virtually anyone can see a tremendous increase in endurance and the ability to train harder and longer when taking cardarine.
The effects of this compound are so powerful that even people taking trenbolone, a drug that is notorious for ruining cardiovascular performance, have shown tremendous benefits when using cardarine, and it seems that cardarine can completely negate these bad effects.
In addition to its tremendous performance enhancing effects, Cardarine also has many lifestyle benefits.
Most notably, it can break down body fat without much effort.
Expanding on the data collected in the aforementioned primate studies, people can also experience amazing benefits while taking cardarine.
The biggest advantage is that it doesn't sap your energy or cause catabolism like other weight loss supplements.
Basically, it's so effective at rebalancing the way certain metabolic pathways are used in the body that it allows more calories to be used for pure energy absorption than anything else.
It also improves nutrient efficiency to a tremendous degree, helping your body to better utilize the macronutrients and micronutrients you get from the food you eat.
Side effects of cardarine
For the most part, the side effects of cardarine are not very noteworthy unless you consider the risk of cancer.
In studies involving small rodents, cardarine has been shown to increase the likelihood of cancer.
However, it's important to note that the doses prescribed in these studies were incredibly high compared to what is typically recommended when taking medications.
There are also conflicting studies that suggest that cardarine use actually reduces the likelihood of cancer tumor formation.
So overall, it's a bit confusing as to what the 100% answer to the question of cancer risk is.
But it's important to note that this is a possible side effect.
Other than that, there are no other side effects. It doesn't convert to testosterone or estrogen.
And it's not hepatotoxic at all, so your organs should be in good shape.
It also does not affect testosterone production at all and does not inhibit HPTA.
Cardarine Dosing and Uses
When taking cardarine, it is recommended to take it orally.
Most research chemical companies sell cardarine in sublingual doses, which can be taken by placing it under the tongue or simply swallowing it.
The most effective dose is 10-15 mg for about 8 weeks.
There are some reports that cardarine should be taken for 12 weeks, and some reports that it should be taken up to 20 mg per dose instead of 10-15 mg.
As always, start with a low dose and work your way up, keeping safety as your top priority.
Bottom line.
Overall, considering the cost and effectiveness, this is one of the best supplements an athlete can buy.
It is absolutely amazing in terms of what it can do for the body, but you should always keep in mind that the risk of cancer is one of the side effects, and the side effects don't get any more serious than that.
Early test results from GSK and other big pharma companies were promising, but the fact that they missed out on investing in a lucrative drug because of the risks speaks volumes about how careful you need to be when using this product.
To put it bluntly, unless you're an elite endurance athlete or have a family member with cancer, you're better off avoiding this peptide.
The risk to reward ratio is not great, and better and safer anabolic steroids, drugs, and peptide growth factors are cheaper and more readily available.
