Testolone (RAD140)

If you are big on the bodybuilding side of life, and you have interests in making a healthy lifestyle out of it without taking the risks of indulging in steroids and the likes that have side effects and other health risks. Then, there are a lot of chances that you have been across “SARMs” a little too often, and up till now, you are still unable to understand what the fuss about SARMs is all about, or what they might entail.

Chapter 1. What are SARMs?

Well, don’t rack your brain too much. This post will give you a quick insight into the primary coverage of SARMs and how they work, by looking into one of the definitive SARMs in the market – RAD140. First off, let us take the acronym – SARM – down, piece by piece.

Section 1. Androgens

Androgens are male sex hormones, testosterone and its more active form dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which are the determinants that champion the development of the male reproductive system and other phenotypic characters in males.

Section 2. Androgen Receptors

Androgen Receptors (AR) are a member of the steroid hormone receptor family. That is, hormone receptors in the body that are targeted by anabolic steroids, to activate the process of specific actions in the body. AR situated on the X chromosome which is widely expressed in tissues all over the body. Hence, it makes it possible for anabolic steroids like DHT and testosterone to act on various parts of the body such as the bones, muscles, adipose tissues, prostate and many systems (reproductive, immune, cardiovascular, etc.) in the body.

Section 3. SARMs

There exist selective androgen response elements in the body, which when bound and engaged will initiate the cause for a specific action to be carried out by the Androgen Receptors. It is at this point that SARMs come into the picture. Unlike the commonly known steroids, which have multiple side effects, stemming from the fact that their effects are not mainly elicited in specific tissues. Making them react with some other unintended tissues randomly.

Section 4. RAD140

With “modulators” like RAD-140, the result is more specific. They carry specific information to activate just the muscle cells or bone cells while avoiding all the mess that may have been caused by the sporadic nature of traditional anabolic steroids. Hence, the tag Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator; as they prove to modulate the actions of selective androgen response elements to suit specific functions embedded in their composition.

Ordinarily, SARMs are being proposed for stimulating specific actions of the AR within a specific cell or tissue to patients who anabolic testosterone cannot be administered to, for fear of possible side effects. RAD 140 falls under the category of non-steroidal SARMs, and their actions are directed towards the development of lean muscle and bone cells.

Chapter 2. History of RAD-140

The numerous side effects of anabolic steroids used in treatments, caused health scientists to dive into searching for a much better and safer alternative, because the traditional steroids, which were in earlier times used for various treatments, had the tendencies to suppress the natural production of testosterone in the body. More so, the excesses and accumulation of these androgens in the body led to their conversion into estrogen, which could lead to shrinkage of the testes, baldness and even development of female-like breasts in men. The development of SARMs took center stage around 1940 as an experiment in treatment of osteoporosis, obesity, cancer and some other bone health issues and muscle wasting diseases.

Since then, some SARMs have existed, which have been adopted into the bodybuilding community because of their attached benefits, and lack of side effects. Till date, SARMs have not been approved for medical use, which is why pharmaceuticals are yet to give official names to SARMs, like every other drug. Hence, RAD-140 as a name, is only a derivative of the manufacturing company name – Radius Health Inc.

Chapter 3. What is Testolone?

Though the rave about RAD140 can be considered to be quite recent, it has been around for a long while before now. It has been in experimental production since early 21^st century, but its first public information was made available by the manufacturers – Radius Health Inc. – in 2010. It is considered as the newest and most effective SARM out in the healthy body-building community. While on the part of the manufacturing company, it was a result of an experiment made during an internal drug discovery program in their research lab, while studying androgen receptor pathway which was focused on finding potential treatment for breast cancer.

Primate body weight from day −21, through 28 days dosing and 21 days postdosing with RAD140 (0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/kg, po).25 Three monkeys were included for each treatment group. The change in baseline subtracted body weight from day −1 to day 29 was statistically significant for the 0.1 mg/kg (p < 0.01) and 1.0 mg/kg (p < 0.05) groups only. The change in body weight at day 29 between the 0.1 mg/kg group and the 0.01 mg/kg group was statistically significant (p < 0.05) but not for 1.0 mg/kg and the 0.01 mg/kg group (p < 0.1).

Chapter 4. RAD140 Results

In the most recently available research which was aimed at proving the potency and bioavailability of RAD140. Experiments were conducted on monkeys and mice, which led to a conclusion that it stimulates the increase of muscle weight at a rate that doesn’t fall into the possibility of causing prostate enlargement or stimulation of seminal vesicles – unlike most androgenic steroids. As a matter of fact, RAD 140 partially antagonizes the stimulation of seminal vesicle.

The increase in lean mass of the animals was directly related to the administered dosages. As well, it was also noted that it does not pose as a factor in the possible cause of liver stress disorders, as there was no increase in liver enzyme transaminase levels at different doses administered to the animals. And, no immediate side effects were recorded. The research also showed that RAD-140 may serve to protect the brain as it prevents cell death, and at the same time, provides neuroprotective action.

Research on human cancer patients is on-going, with the publication of results expected by 2020.

Chapter 5. RAD140 in bodybuilding

There is no standard experiment conducted on the use of testolone for bodybuilding. But, user reports and testimonies exist indicating that the RAD140 is very effective in testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). As some claims indicate, it effortlessly enhances the performance and resilience of athletes, either on its own or as an addition to other TRT cycles. From reports, unlike most other SARMs, its use is extensive as it can be orally taken (once a day) as a compound for cutting, strength, endurance and bulking.

Chapter 6. Side Effects of Testolone in Non-Medical Usage

Till date, there are no medically proven side effects of RAD140, apart from occasional reports of headaches, which cannot be substantiated to be as a result of intake of RAD140. It has been considered as a drug without side effects all based on reports from bodybuilders, and those engaged in TRT.

Chapter 7. Benefits

In comparison with steroidal compounds, it holds a lot of benefits that almost leaves it without a single blemish. It stands firm as one of the most recommended as-safe Performance-Enhancing Drugs (PED). They do not aromatize to give estrogenic effects on men. Neither do they cause damage or become toxic to the liver, kidneys, and prostate, as well as, neural, reproductive and cardiovascular systems. They also do not cause suppression of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular Axis (HPTA).

Chapter 8. Where to buy

Labelled as “Testolone”, RAD140 is legally sold online as a research chemical. However, there are abundant of fake products available in the market, you should only buy it from trusted sources.

Chapter 9. Conclusion

In conclusion, testolone has maintained itself on a high pedestal due to its numerous benefits, and most importantly associating to the fact that it offers all the health benefits of anabolic steroids, without causing harm to the body. Nonetheless, hopes are high in anticipation of its declaration and approval for use in medical treatment of cancer, without records of potential detriments in the long run. Till then, it will probably continue to make waves in the bodybuilding community.