Ostarine vs RAD-140
Side by side: what studies show, whether it is legal, doping and risks. No winner is shown on purpose.
| Ostarine | RAD-140 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | A SARM still being studied. It raised body mass without fat in older people and cancer patients, with no clear gain in fitness in the largest studies. No such medicine exists, and products sold online are often mislabelled. | A SARM still being studied. No such medicine exists. |
| Stage | Still being studied | Still being studied |
| Is it legal (PL) | No approval. No approval. The Polish sanitary inspectorate lists ostarine, ligandrol and other SARMs as not allowed in food supplements. | No approval. No approval found. The Polish sanitary inspectorate lists SARMs as not allowed in food supplements. |
| Is it legal (EU) | No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). | No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). |
| Is it legal (US) | No approval. Not approved. FDA treats bodybuilding products containing SARMs as unapproved drugs. | No approval. The FDA drug register has no such medicine. |
| Doping | Banned in sport, WADA 2026 | Banned in sport, WADA 2026 |
| Safety | Serious warning | Serious warning |
| Risk of fakes | High | High |
| Muscle mass | B Effect in studies. Body mass without fat rose in early and in the largest studies, but only in older adults and cancer patients. The maker paid for the studies. | D Conflicting results. Animal studies only. In young rats muscle fibres grew thicker. In female mice strength did not rise after 10 weeks and overall health got worse. The only study in people was in breast cancer and did not measure muscle. |
| Strength | C Conflicting results. Physical function improved in an early study, while the two largest studies went in opposite directions. Top strength was not what they tested. | D No effect in studies. One study in female mice: after 10 weeks strength did not differ from the control group, and the mice were frailer and more likely to die. |