LGD-4033 vs RAD-140
Both are unapproved and prohibited in sport at all times. The only real difference between them is how much has actually been measured, and in whom.
Short answer
The evidence gap decides this one. LGD-4033 has human clinical data behind it, while RAD-140 has only preclinical or minimal evidence, resting mostly on animal or lab work. Someone focused on oral muscle building without steroids has trial data to go on with LGD-4033; RAD-140, marketed for muscle gain and strength, is still an early-research option.
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 reviewRAD-140
Testolone, RAD140
One human trial exists and it was an oncology phase 1 — there is no trial of RAD-140 for muscle building in anyone, while the cholestatic liver injury is a matter of published record.
Full RAD-140 evidence reviewLGD-4033 vs RAD-140: head to head
- FDA status / approved use
LGD-4033
Not approved anywhere; the FDA calls SARM products unapproved drugs; banned in sport at all timesRAD-140
Approved nowhere; cannot legally be sold in the US as a supplement or drug; banned in sport- Marketed for
LGD-4033
Oral muscle building without steroidsRAD-140
Muscle gain, strength, 'steroid alternative'- Outcome areas
LGD-4033
Muscle / strength / lean mass; Testosterone / male hormones; CardiovascularRAD-140
Muscle / strength / lean mass; Liver / detox- Evidence grade
LGD-4033
Clinical dataRAD-140
Preclinical / minimal- How it works
LGD-4033
Non-steroidal molecule that binds the androgen receptor, favoring muscle over prostateRAD-140
Non-steroidal molecule that binds the androgen receptor, aiming for muscle and bone selectivity- Route and dosing
LGD-4033
Oral, swallowed rather than injected; once daily in trialsRAD-140
Oral; 50 to 150 mg once daily in a cancer trial- 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 unchangedRAD-140
Not established- Strongest evidence
LGD-4033
Basaria phase 1 RCT, J Gerontol A 2013LGD-4033 evidence reviewPubMed 22459616RAD-140
First-in-human phase 1, Clin Breast Cancer 2022. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed useRAD-140 evidence reviewPubMed 34565686- Key safety signal
LGD-4033
Suppresses testosterone and cut HDL 39% in three weeks; case reports of cholestatic liver injuryRAD-140
Liver injury: AST rose in 59.1% of trial patients; at least eight drug-induced liver injury case reports- How it is obtained
LGD-4033
Sold gray-market as a research chemical; no approved human productRAD-140
Sold gray-market as a research chemical; no approved human product
| LGD-4033 | RAD-140 | |
|---|---|---|
| FDA status / approved use | Not approved anywhere; the FDA calls SARM products unapproved drugs; banned in sport at all times | Approved nowhere; cannot legally be sold in the US as a supplement or drug; banned in sport |
| Marketed for | Oral muscle building without steroids | Muscle gain, strength, 'steroid alternative' |
| Outcome areas | Muscle / strength / lean mass; Testosterone / male hormones; Cardiovascular | Muscle / strength / lean mass; Liver / detox |
| Evidence grade | Clinical data | Preclinical / minimal |
| How it works | Non-steroidal molecule that binds the androgen receptor, favoring muscle over prostate | Non-steroidal molecule that binds the androgen receptor, aiming for muscle and bone selectivity |
| Route and dosing | Oral, swallowed rather than injected; once daily in trials | Oral; 50 to 150 mg once daily in a cancer trial |
| 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 | Not established |
| Strongest evidence | Basaria phase 1 RCT, J Gerontol A 2013LGD-4033 evidence reviewPubMed 22459616 | First-in-human phase 1, Clin Breast Cancer 2022. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed useRAD-140 evidence reviewPubMed 34565686 |
| Key safety signal | Suppresses testosterone and cut HDL 39% in three weeks; case reports of cholestatic liver injury | Liver injury: AST rose in 59.1% of trial patients; at least eight drug-induced liver injury case reports |
| 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).
- Preclinical / minimal:
- Evidence is largely animal, in-vitro, or anecdotal. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use.
Our verdict
Neither is approved anywhere and both are named on the WADA Prohibited List under S1.2, prohibited at all times. LGD-4033 has actual numbers: a 21-day placebo-controlled phase 1 in 76 healthy men where 1.0 mg daily added 1.21 kg of lean body mass (p = .047) while leg press strength did not separate from placebo, HDL cholesterol fell about 39%, and total testosterone and SHBG were suppressed dose-dependently. RAD-140 has been given to humans in exactly one registered trial — a phase 1 oncology study in 22 postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer — and there is no trial of RAD-140 for muscle building in anyone; what is documented in people is hepatic, with AST elevated in 59.1% and ALT in 45.5% of patients in that trial and at least eight published case reports of cholestatic drug-induced liver injury. Read that as a gap in measurement rather than a ranking: being better studied is not the same as being safer, and in a chemical analysis of 44 products sold online as SARMs only 52% contained a SARM at all.
LGD-4033 fits if
LGD-4033 is the page to read if your question is what an androgen-receptor modulator measurably does to a healthy body over three weeks, because it is the only consumer-available one that has been put through a trial designed to find out.
RAD-140 fits if
RAD-140 is the page to read if your question is how a reputation gets built with no efficacy data underneath it — the anabolic case is inferred from rodents while the liver injury is a matter of published record.
LGD-4033 vs RAD-140: common questions
- Is either LGD-4033 or RAD-140 FDA-approved?
- No. LGD-4033 is not approved anywhere; the FDA calls SARM products unapproved drugs; banned in sport at all times. RAD-140 is approved nowhere; cannot legally be sold in the US as a supplement or drug; banned in sport.
- Which has stronger human evidence, LGD-4033 or RAD-140?
- LGD-4033. It has human clinical data (key source: Basaria phase 1 RCT, J Gerontol A 2013), while RAD-140 has only preclinical or minimal evidence (key source: First-in-human phase 1, Clin Breast Cancer 2022).
- What are the main safety concerns with LGD-4033 and RAD-140?
- LGD-4033 suppresses testosterone and cut HDL 39% in three weeks; case reports of cholestatic liver injury. With RAD-140, liver injury: AST rose in 59.1% of trial patients; at least eight drug-induced liver injury case reports.
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
RAD-140
- LoRusso P, Hamilton E, Ma C, et al. (2022). A First-in-Human Phase 1 Study of a Novel Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM), RAD140, in ER+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer. Clin Breast Cancer. PubMed 34565686
- Miller CP, Shomali M, Lyttle CR, et al. (2011). Design, Synthesis, and Preclinical Characterization of the Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) RAD140. ACS Med Chem Lett. PubMed 24900290
- Yu Z, He S, Wang D, Patel HK, Miller CP, et al. (2017). Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator RAD140 Inhibits the Growth of Androgen/Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Models with a Distinct Mechanism of Action. Clin Cancer Res. PubMed 28974548
- Jayaraman A, Christensen A, Moser VA, Vest RS, Miller CP, et al. (2014). Selective androgen receptor modulator RAD140 is neuroprotective in cultured neurons and kainate-lesioned male rats. Endocrinology. PubMed 24428527
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
- RAD-140 (testolone): what the evidence actually shows
One human trial exists, and it was an oncology study. There is no trial of RAD-140 for muscle building in anyone — while the liver injury is documented in published case reports.
Updated August 2026