SARMs are similar to steroids, but they are not the same. They both work by binding to your androgen receptors, triggering changes in your DNA that increase your muscles' ability to grow. But steroids are a blunt tool - they can affect other parts of the body as well, causing side effects like prostate problems, hair loss, and acne. However, SARMs are said to be "tissue selective" - they target muscles without triggering this same chain of reactions. They are also taken in pill form, rather than injected. Does it drop? None have been approved for human consumption.
Over the past five years, online searches for MRSA (or "selective androgen receptor modulators," including andarine and ostarine) have increased steadily. Although there is no way of knowing how many of us buy them, analysis of the famous London "fatberg", the mass of oil and organic matter found in the capital's sewers, found that SARMs are present in greater quantities than the MDMA and cocaine.
Where Did SARMs Come From?
SARMs were created by accident. In the early 1990s, a scientist named Professor James T Dalton was working on pioneering treatments for prostate cancer when he identified the andarine molecule, the first MRSA. It was of little use in treating prostate cancer, but it had a remarkable effect on muscle growth. "It was the opposite of what we were looking for at the time," he told Men's Health. “But we focus almost all of our attention on this. We knew we really had something unique. "
Several years later, Dalton went on to create a more refined version, known as an ostarine. In clinical trials, older men who received a 12-week course of the drug increased lean muscle mass and reduced fat, while also seeing a more than 15% improvement in article stair climbing power. But a subsequent trial in cancer patients failed to produce the desired results, and development of the drug was halted. Since then, Dalton has tried to curb black market companies because of his discoveries. "We contacted cease and desist letters to a couple of them, we contacted the FDA to try to close them," he says. "But it is rampant and there is very little that can be done to control it."
What Are the Side Effects of SARMs?
The evidence here is largely anecdotal. On online forums, users report strength gains, but also frequently seek advice on topics such as high blood pressure, skin rashes, and impotence. Vision problems seem to be particularly common; Andarine is reported to give users' vision a green or yellow tint.
Most of the information available online comes from sellers and YouTube users, so there is a tendency for advice to be positive. Dr Ian Boardley, Senior Lecturer in Sports Psychology at the University of Birmingham, says: “If someone is using them himself, they are interested in believing that they can use them safely. I think that's happening with SARMs. "Even if users do a significant amount of research on the substances they choose or know how do you take SARMs, the conclusions they draw are not necessarily accurate." One of the things we