LGD-4033 vs Ostarine
The two SARMs with genuine human trials, asking different questions: three weeks of dosing in healthy men, against two completed phase 3 programs in patients.
Short answer
With human clinical data on both sides, LGD-4033 and Ostarine differ mainly in what they are for. LGD-4033 is marketed for oral muscle building without steroids; Ostarine is the choice for readers interested in muscle growth, recomposition and muscle preservation while cutting or on a GLP-1. Both are sold gray-market as research chemicals.
LGD-4033
Ligandrol, VK5211, Anabolicum
The best-studied consumer SARM, and the data says what buyers don't expect: +1.21 kg lean mass in 21 days with no strength gain, alongside a 39% HDL drop and dose-dependent testosterone suppression.
Full LGD-4033 evidence reviewOstarine
Enobosarm, MK-2866, GTx-024
Reliably adds lean body mass and just as reliably fails to improve physical function — the two phase 3 POWER trials found both, which is why no regulator has ever approved it.
Full Ostarine evidence reviewLGD-4033 vs Ostarine: head to head
- FDA status / approved use
LGD-4033
Not approved anywhere; the FDA calls SARM products unapproved drugs; banned in sport at all timesOstarine
Never approved in any country; not a legal supplement ingredient; sold as a research chemical- Marketed for
LGD-4033
Oral muscle building without steroidsOstarine
Muscle growth, recomposition, muscle preservation while cutting or on a GLP-1- Outcome areas
LGD-4033
Muscle / strength / lean mass; Testosterone / male hormones; CardiovascularOstarine
Muscle / strength / lean mass- Evidence grade
LGD-4033
Clinical dataOstarine
Clinical data- How it works
LGD-4033
Non-steroidal molecule that binds the androgen receptor, favoring muscle over prostateOstarine
Binds the androgen receptor, acting strongly in muscle and bone, weakly in prostate- Route and dosing
LGD-4033
Oral, swallowed rather than injected; once daily in trialsOstarine
Oral, 3 mg daily in phase 3 trials- Headline human result
LGD-4033
Lean body mass up 1.21 kg vs placebo at 1.0 mg/day over 21 days in a 2013 trial of 76 men; strength unchangedOstarine
Beat placebo on lean body mass but not physical function in two phase 3 trials of 651 lung cancer patients- Strongest evidence
LGD-4033
Basaria phase 1 RCT, J Gerontol A 2013LGD-4033 evidence reviewPubMed 22459616Ostarine
POWER phase 3 program, Lancet Oncol 2013Ostarine evidence reviewPubMed 23499390- Key safety signal
LGD-4033
Suppresses testosterone and cut HDL 39% in three weeks; case reports of cholestatic liver injuryOstarine
Case reports of cholestatic liver injury; suppresses testosterone and lowers HDL cholesterol- How it is obtained
LGD-4033
Sold gray-market as a research chemical; no approved human productOstarine
Sold gray-market as a research chemical; no approved human product
| LGD-4033 | Ostarine | |
|---|---|---|
| FDA status / approved use | Not approved anywhere; the FDA calls SARM products unapproved drugs; banned in sport at all times | Never approved in any country; not a legal supplement ingredient; sold as a research chemical |
| Marketed for | Oral muscle building without steroids | Muscle growth, recomposition, muscle preservation while cutting or on a GLP-1 |
| Outcome areas | Muscle / strength / lean mass; Testosterone / male hormones; Cardiovascular | Muscle / strength / lean mass |
| Evidence grade | Clinical data | Clinical data |
| How it works | Non-steroidal molecule that binds the androgen receptor, favoring muscle over prostate | Binds the androgen receptor, acting strongly in muscle and bone, weakly in prostate |
| Route and dosing | Oral, swallowed rather than injected; once daily in trials | Oral, 3 mg daily in phase 3 trials |
| Headline human result | Lean body mass up 1.21 kg vs placebo at 1.0 mg/day over 21 days in a 2013 trial of 76 men; strength unchanged | Beat placebo on lean body mass but not physical function in two phase 3 trials of 651 lung cancer patients |
| Strongest evidence | Basaria phase 1 RCT, J Gerontol A 2013LGD-4033 evidence reviewPubMed 22459616 | POWER phase 3 program, Lancet Oncol 2013Ostarine evidence reviewPubMed 23499390 |
| Key safety signal | Suppresses testosterone and cut HDL 39% in three weeks; case reports of cholestatic liver injury | Case reports of cholestatic liver injury; suppresses testosterone and lowers HDL cholesterol |
| How it is obtained | Sold gray-market as a research chemical; no approved human product | Sold gray-market as a research chemical; no approved human product |
marks a row where the two differ. “Not established” marks a cell the available evidence does not answer. Evidence grades come from our evidence matrix, which grades each molecule on the human data for the use it is marketed for.
- Clinical data:
- Tested in humans — but investigational, discontinued, or proven only on a surrogate marker (not the marketed outcome).
Our verdict
Both are unapproved, no regulator has ever approved any SARM for anything, and both are prohibited in sport at all times. LGD-4033's evidence is a 21-day phase 1 in 76 healthy men — 1.21 kg of lean body mass at 1.0 mg with no significant strength gain, HDL down about 39%, testosterone and SHBG suppressed — plus one phase 2 in 108 hip-fracture patients that reported a DXA lean-mass number and no functional outcome whatsoever. Ostarine (enobosarm) went much further and produced the result that defines the class: across POWER 1 and POWER 2, 651 lung-cancer patients, it beat placebo on lean body mass in both trials and on physical function in neither, with the drug arm in POWER 2 scoring 19.5% against its own placebo's 24.8%. The two have never been compared with each other, and both point at the same finding from different distances — the scanner registers more tissue and the person does not perform better.
LGD-4033 fits if
LGD-4033 is the relevant read if you want to see what happens hormonally to a healthy young man given a SARM under controlled conditions, at the only dose and duration anyone has formally measured.
Ostarine fits if
Ostarine is the relevant read if you want the phase 3 answer — the compound taken furthest through clinical development, and the trials that show why preserved lean mass is not the same as a person functioning better.
LGD-4033 vs Ostarine: common questions
- Is either LGD-4033 or Ostarine FDA-approved?
- No. LGD-4033 is not approved anywhere; the FDA calls SARM products unapproved drugs; banned in sport at all times. Ostarine has never been approved in any country; not a legal supplement ingredient; sold as a research chemical.
- Which has stronger human evidence, LGD-4033 or Ostarine?
- Neither clearly. Both have human clinical data. The key source for LGD-4033 is Basaria phase 1 RCT, J Gerontol A 2013; for Ostarine, it is POWER phase 3 program, Lancet Oncol 2013.
- What are the main safety concerns with LGD-4033 and Ostarine?
- LGD-4033 suppresses testosterone and cut HDL 39% in three weeks; case reports of cholestatic liver injury. For Ostarine, watch for case reports of cholestatic liver injury; suppresses testosterone and lowers HDL cholesterol.
Key studies behind each
LGD-4033
- Basaria S, Collins L, Dillon EL, et al. (2013). The safety, pharmacokinetics, and effects of LGD-4033, a novel nonsteroidal oral, selective androgen receptor modulator, in healthy young men. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. PubMed 22459616
- Wen J, Syed B, Leapart J, et al. (2025). Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) Effects on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review of Randomized Control Trials. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). PubMed 39285652
- Barbara M, Dhingra S, Mindikoglu AL. (2020). Ligandrol (LGD-4033)-Induced Liver Injury. ACG Case Rep J. PubMed 32637435
- Labban H, Kwait B, Paracha A, Islam M, Kim DO. (2024). LGD-4033 and a Case of Drug-Induced Liver Injury: Exploring the Clinical Implications of Off-Label Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator Use in Healthy Adults. Cureus. PubMed 39421081
Ostarine
- Dias JP, Dobs AS. (2026). Will Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators Ever Reach The Clinic? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. PubMed 41670367
- Dalton JT, Barnette KG, Bohl CE, Hancock ML, 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. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. PubMed 22031847
- Dobs AS, Boccia RV, Croot CC, Gabrail NY, et al. (2013). Effects of enobosarm on muscle wasting and physical function in patients with cancer: a double-blind, randomised controlled phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol. PubMed 23499390
- Crawford J, Prado CM, Johnston MA, Gralla RJ, et al. (2016). Study Design and Rationale for the Phase 3 Clinical Development Program of Enobosarm, a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator, for the Prevention and Treatment of Muscle Wasting in Cancer Patients (POWER Trials). Curr Oncol Rep. PubMed 27138015
The full evidence reviews
- LGD-4033 (ligandrol): what the human trials actually found
Ligandrol has the best human data of any consumer-available SARM — a 21-day trial and one phase 2. They show a 1.21 kg lean-mass gain, no strength gain, a 39% drop in HDL, and dose-dependent testosterone suppression.
Updated August 2026
- Ostarine (enobosarm): the clinical drug behind the black-market compound
Ostarine is enobosarm — a real SARM with two completed phase 3 trials. They found the same thing twice: lean body mass went up, physical function did not. That dissociation, not the bodybuilding folklore, is what you need to know.
Updated August 2026