Ligandrol (LGD-4033)

What it is

Ligandrol is a selective androgen receptor modulator investigated for muscle wasting and never approved. It is generally regarded as more potent than ostarine, and it is one of the SARMs most commonly found in products sold as dietary supplements: often without appearing on the label at all.

What’s claimed

• Substantial lean mass gain without steroid side effects
• No liver toxicity because it is not 17-alpha-alkylated
• Quick recovery of natural hormone production afterwards

What the evidence shows

A small early-phase human trial did show increases in lean mass over a short period (Bronze): that is the entire high-quality human evidence base, and it was a safety study, not an efficacy one. The claim that it does not suppress natural testosterone is contradicted by that same trial, which found dose-dependent suppression. Case reports of drug-induced liver injury undercut the no-hepatotoxicity claim, and the recovery claim has no controlled support.

The risks

• Endocrine: clear, dose-dependent suppression of natural testosterone production shown in the trial evidence itself.
• Hepatic: published case reports of drug-induced liver injury associated with its use.
• Lipids: marked lowering of HDL ('good') cholesterol and raising of LDL, an adverse cardiovascular shift that is more pronounced with oral compounds.
• Product risk: manufactured outside any regulatory system. Independent testing repeatedly finds these products mislabelled, under- or over-concentrated, or containing entirely different active drugs, so the real exposure is unknowable from the label.
• Anti-doping: readily detectable and a frequent source of positive tests, including from contaminated supplements taken unknowingly.

What needs monitoring

• Liver function tests
• Lipid profile
• Testosterone and the wider hormonal axis: arranged and interpreted by a clinician.