Everything below concerns WADA Prohibited List. We keep the language plain, cite what the science says, and separate well-supported claims from open questions.
Last reviewed on 2026-08-01. Where a claim depends on a specific study, the study is described rather than over-claimed.
Safety concerns emerged from long-term animal studies. In rodents given the compound for extended periods, researchers found an increased incidence of certain cancers, including liver and bladder tumors. These findings contributed to the discontinuation of clinical development. Whether similar risks apply to short-term or low-level exposure in humans is not established, and controlled human safety data are limited. The relevance of high-dose rodent carcinogenicity findings to human use remains a subject of debate.
Human trials of GW501516 were small and short in duration. They examined lipid levels, glucose handling, and other metabolic markers, but the programs were halted after the animal cancer findings. No approved therapeutic product exists, and published human data are insufficient for establishing long-term safety. Reports of use for athletic performance come mainly from non-clinical settings and cannot be verified through controlled trials. Independent testing of products sold as cardarine has found inconsistent purity and labeling.
A persistent misconception is that cardarine is a fat-burning drug or a safe alternative to anabolic steroids. No approved therapeutic product exists, and human safety data are limited. The tumor findings in rodents remain a central concern in scientific reviews. Products sold online may contain inaccurate labels, impurities, or different compounds entirely, which complicates any assessment of effects. Independent testing of such products has reported frequent mislabeling. For these reasons, discussions in the literature emphasize risks and unknowns rather than benefits.
Cardarine is not approved for human therapeutic use in any major jurisdiction. It appears on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List as a PPARδ agonist within the hormone and metabolic modulators category. Sports organizations test for it because it has been detected in athlete samples and seized products. Regulatory actions against marketed research chemical versions have occurred in several countries, though enforcement varies. Availability through unregulated channels complicates oversight.
Analytical laboratories typically identify cardarine and its metabolites using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Urine is a common matrix in anti-doping testing, while blood and tissue may be used in research settings. Detection windows depend on the assay, the sample matrix, and the compound's metabolism. Because cardarine is extensively metabolized, laboratories often target specific metabolites to improve sensitivity and confirmation. Reference standards are required for reliable quantification. Method validation includes checks for selectivity, linearity, and carryover.
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Primary target | PPARδ (NR1C2) | Nuclear receptor involved in lipid metabolism |
| Preclinical effect | Increased fatty acid oxidation | Observed in rodent studies |
| Key safety signal | Tumors in rodents after long-term exposure | Contributed to halted clinical development |
| Human trial status | No approved product; development stopped | Limited short-term metabolic data |
| Sport regulatory status | Prohibited at all times | WADA hormone and metabolic modulators class |
Quality assessment for cardarine samples usually combines identity, purity, and impurity testing. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry can confirm molecular structure, while high-performance liquid chromatography estimates purity. Certificates of analysis from testing laboratories may list these results, but they do not establish safety or legality. In the absence of approved manufacturing, products sold online may contain the wrong compound, variable amounts, or unlisted contaminants. Independent verification is therefore central to analytical work and to interpreting any reported biological activity.
Laboratory detection of GW501516 commonly uses liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The method can identify the parent compound or its metabolites in urine and blood after sample cleanup. Protein precipitation, solid-phase extraction, or enzymatic hydrolysis may precede analysis, depending on the matrix. Reference standards are required for accurate quantification and confirmation. Because the compound is not approved, testing often occurs in anti-doping, forensic, or research settings rather than routine clinical care. Results are reported with limits of detection and quantification.
Clinical development stopped after rodent studies showed tumors at multiple sites. Whether those findings predict human cancer risk remains an open question, but they led sponsors to discontinue programs. Human safety data are limited to small, short-term studies that were not designed to assess cancer risk. Reported effects in those studies included changes in blood lipids, but the evidence is insufficient for medical use. Long-term consequences of nonmedical use are not well characterized. Questions about dose, duration, and individual susceptibility remain unresolved.
Cardarine is a common name for GW501516, an investigational compound developed in the 1990s for metabolic conditions. It acts as an agonist at peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta, a nuclear receptor involved in lipid and energy metabolism. The compound is frequently mislabeled as a selective androgen receptor modulator, or SARM, but its molecular target is different. GW501516 reached early clinical testing before development was discontinued. It has no approved therapeutic use in any country. The name cardarine is not a formal international nonproprietary name.
Regulatory treatment varies, but cardarine is not approved as a medicine. Sports authorities list GW501516 as a prohibited substance, and it is banned at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency code. Many countries restrict sales for human consumption, while online vendors market it as a research chemical. Such products may lack purity data, and their actual contents can differ from the label. Purchasing or possessing cardarine may carry legal consequences depending on jurisdiction. The compound is not a dietary supplement ingredient in regulated markets.
=== 31 December === The head of Ukraine's armed forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, claimed that air defences had shot down 12 of 20 Russian cruise missiles. Vitali Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv, stated that a series of explosions directed at infrastructure killed at least one person and wounded twenty, including a Japanese journalist. A drone strike on Khmelnytskyi injured two persons. Russia announced that armed forces fighting in the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia will have their income tax exempted.
=== Function === Eggs of sea urchin, shortly after fertilization by a sperm, produce hydrogen peroxide. It is then converted to hydroxyl radicals (HO•), which initiate radical polymerization, which surrounds the eggs with a protective layer of polymer. The bombardier beetle combines hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide, leading to a violent exothermic chemical reaction to produce boiling, foul-smelling liquid that partially becomes a gas (flash evaporation) and is expelled through an outlet valve with a loud popping sound. As a proposed signaling molecule, hydrogen peroxide may regulate a wide variety of biological processes. At least one study has tried to link hydrogen peroxide production to cancer.
Jim Reid – vocals, guitar, bass, synthesizers (1983–1999, 2007–present) William Reid – guitar, bass, vocals, synthesizers (1983–1999, 2007–present) Mark Crozer – rhythm guitar (2007–2008, 2012), bass (2013–present), backing vocals (2007–2008, 2012–present) Scott Von Ryper – guitar, backing vocals (2015–present) Justin Welch – drums (2021–present) Former members
=== As a food product === Fresh açaí has been consumed as a dietary staple in the region around the Amazon river delta for centuries. The fruit is processed into pulp for supply to food product manufacturers or retailers, sold as frozen pulp, juice, or an ingredient in various products from beverages, including grain alcohol, smoothies, foods, cosmetics and supplements. In Brazil, it is commonly eaten as açaí na tigela. In a study of three traditional Caboclo populations in the Brazilian Amazon, açaí palm was described as the most important plant species because the fruit makes up a major component of their diet, up to 42% of the total food intake by weight.
Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a method of monitoring blood glucose levels using a wearable sensor that provides real-time measurements including glucose management index, time in range, time in hypoglycemia, time in hyperglycemia, and glucose variability. CGM has been found to offer improved glycemic control, which reduces hypogylcemic events and diabetic emergencies. In 2016, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) broadly recommended the use of CGM for individuals with Type 1 diabetes and currently around 82% of patients under the age of 18 utilize the technology.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Thermoregulation === Fish are cold-blooded, and in general their body temperature is the same as that of their surroundings. They gain and lose heat through their skin, and regulate their circulation in response to changes in water temperature by increasing or reducing the blood flow to the gills. Metabolic heat generated in the muscles or gut is quickly dissipated through the gills, with blood being diverted away from the gills during exposure to cold. Because of their relative inability to control their blood temperature, most teleosts can only survive in a small range of water temperatures. Teleost species that inhabit colder waters have a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in brain cell membranes compared to fish from warmer waters, which allows them to maintain appropriate membrane fluidity in the environments in which they live. When cold acclimated, teleost fish show physiological changes in skeletal muscle that include increased mitochondrial and capillary density. This reduces diffusion distances and aids in the production of aerobic ATP, which helps to compensate for the drop in metabolic rate associated with colder temperatures. Tuna and other fast-swimming ocean-going fish maintain their muscles at higher temperatures than their environment for efficient locomotion. Tuna achieve muscle temperatures 11 °C (19 °F) or even higher above the surroundings by having a counterflow system in which the metabolic heat produced by the muscles and present in the venous blood, pre-warms the arterial blood before it reaches the muscles.
=== Infusion === Subcutaneous infusion, also known as interstitial infusion or hypodermoclysis, is a form of subcutaneous (under the skin) administration of fluids to the body, often saline or glucose solutions. It is the infusion counterpart of subcutaneous injection with a syringe. Subcutaneous infusion can be used where a slow rate of fluid uptake is required compared to intravenous infusion. Typically, it is limited to 1 mL per minute, although it is possible to increase this by using two sites simultaneously. The chief advantages of subcutaneous infusion over intravenous infusion is that it is cheap and can be administered by non-medical personnel with minimal supervision. It is therefore particularly suitable for home care. The enzyme hyaluronidase can be added to the fluid to improve absorption during the infusion. Subcutaneous infusion can be speeded up by applying it to multiple sites simultaneously. The technique was pioneered by Evan O'Neill Kane in 1900. Kane was looking for a technique that was as fast as intravenous infusion but not so risky to use on trauma patients in unhygienic conditions in the field.
== Applications == For the past 30 years, isothermal titration calorimetry has been used in a wide array of fields, ranging from metal binding studies to drug discovery, and nanomaterials research. In the old days, this technique was used to determine fundamental thermodynamic values for basic small molecular interactions. In recent years, ITC has been used in more industrially applicable areas, such as drug discovery and testing synthetic materials. Although it is still heavily used in fundamental chemistry, the trend has shifted over to the biological side, where label-free and buffer independent values are relatively harder to achieve.
==== 2020s ==== On March 20, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Starbucks closed all the café-only stores in the United States for two weeks. During that time, only drive-thru and delivery-only services were to function. According to the company representatives, all workers were to be paid for the next 30 days whether they went to work or stayed home. COVID-19 lockdowns caused Starbucks to suffer a general 10% sales decrease, and a 50% decrease in China where quarantine measures were especially strict. In May 2020, the company asked for reduced rent from landlords due to the decrease in sales. In June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the company announced that it would close 400 of its locations in the US/Canada region over the subsequent 18 months as it moves from the coffee house concept to "convenience-led" formats with drive-through and curbside pickup. Starbucks announced that it planned to open 300 stores that would primarily focus on carryout and pickup orders. The new stores would work with the Starbucks mobile app for prepayment by the customer before arrival to pick up the order. The layout of some stores would also be modified with a separate counter for picking up mobile orders. In December 2020, Starbucks announced that it is planning to increase its store count to about 55,000 by 2030, up from roughly 33,000. Bloomberg reported in July 2022 that the company was, through investment bank Houlihan Lokey, exploring selling its stores in the United Kingdom.
== Brewing industry == The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies, as well as many thousands of smaller producers - regional breweries, craft or microbreweries, and brewpubs. Global beer production was approximately 1.88 billion hectolitres in 2025. The industry has undergone substantial consolidation since the late 20th century. Anheuser-Busch InBev is the world's largest brewing company by beer production volume. The company was formed when InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch in 2008 and expanded substantially through its acquisition of SABMiller in 2016. Other major brewing groups include Heineken, China Resources Snow Breweries, Carlsberg and Molson Coors. Brewing at home is subject to regulation and prohibition in many countries. Restrictions on homebrewing were lifted in the UK in 1963, Australia followed suit in 1972, and the US in 1978, though individual states were allowed to pass their own laws limiting production.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
=== Other controversies === Starbucks has also faced criticism over its continued operations in countries with poor human rights records, particularly China. In 2024, a shareholder proposal called for greater disclosure of the company's human rights risks and dependence on China, citing concerns about the country's human rights record. The proposal was rejected by shareholders. Starbucks has also faced scrutiny over labor conditions on farms in its Chinese supply chain, including allegations of excessive working hours and child labor, which the company said it would investigate. In 2025, a court ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million to a driver who suffered burns after an unsecured hot drink spilled on him. On Red Cup Day, Starbucks provides reusable cups to customers who buy holiday-themed beverages. On Red Cup Day 2025, Starbucks employees organized a walkout at 4 p.m. local time in over a dozen U.S. cities as part of a strike known as the Red Cup Riot, involving approximately 1,000 baristas. This phase of the strike includes participation from more than 65 locations across over 40 cities. The baristas are advocating for enhanced wages, better working conditions, and reliable and adequate hours. In 2026, Starbucks Korea, which is operated by the Shinsegae Group in South Korea, released a promotion for "Tank Day" coffee tumblers, which was criticized for evoking memories of the Gwangju Uprising in 1980 and the 1987 death by torture of student activist Park Jong-chul, leading to nationwide boycotts and protests.
== Antimicrobial resistance == The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens. Antimicrobial resistance (AR) occurs when microbes develop the ability to resist the drugs designed to kill them. AR has the potential to affect people at any stage of life, as well as the healthcare, veterinary and agriculture industries. This makes it one of the world's most urgent public health problems. Antimicrobial resistance mechanisms fall into four main categories: (1) limiting uptake of a drug; (2) modifying a drug target; (3) inactivating a drug; and (4) active drug efflux. It is estimated that bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was directly responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributed to 4.95 million deaths.
== Causes == The cause of IBM is unknown. IBM likely results from the interaction of a number of genetic and environmental factors. There are two major theories about how sIBM is caused. One hypothesis suggests that the inflammation-immune reaction, caused by an unknown trigger – likely an undiscovered virus or an autoimmune disorder – is the primary cause of sIBM and that the degeneration of muscle fibers and protein abnormalities are secondary features. Despite the arguments "in favor of an adaptive immune response in sIBM, a purely autoimmune hypothesis for sIBM is untenable because of the disease's resistance to most immunotherapy." The second school of thought advocates the theory that sIBM is a degenerative disorder related to aging of the muscle fibers and that abnormal, potentially pathogenic protein accumulations in myofibrils play a key causative role in sIBM (apparently before the immune system comes into play). This hypothesis emphasizes the abnormal intracellular accumulation of many proteins, protein aggregation and misfolding, proteosome inhibition, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. One review discusses the "limitations in the beta-amyloid-mediated theory of IBM myofiber injury." Dalakas (2006) suggested that a chain of events causes IBM – some sort of virus, likely a retrovirus, triggers the cloning of T cells. These T cells appear to be driven by specific antigens to invade muscle fibers.
positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) test. Patients with UCTD usually have positive ANA. a decrease in the number of white blood cells anemia abnormal nerve sensations in the extremities inflammation of the lining of the heart and/or lungs a decrease in platelet count Pulmonary involvement, such as nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, can be a complication of the disease.
== Biochemistry == Androgens like testosterone are responsible for penis enlargement and elongation during puberty. Penis size is positively correlated with increasing testosterone levels during puberty. But after puberty, administration of testosterone does not affect penis size, and androgen deficiency in adult men only results in a small decrease in size. Growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) are also involved in penis size, with deficiency (such as that observed in growth hormone deficiency or Laron syndrome) at critical developmental stages having the potential to result in micropenis.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Rodent studies reported increased endurance and fat oxidation after GW501516 exposure. Long-term studies also found higher rates of some tumors, which led to halted development.
Small short-term human trials examined metabolic markers such as lipids and glucose. The trials did not continue after rodent cancer findings, so long-term human safety is unknown.
Controlled human trials have not established a performance benefit. Anecdotal reports exist, but they are not reliable evidence.
No. Cardarine has not received approval for human therapeutic use in major jurisdictions. It remains an investigational compound.