Introduction
Most of us have come across the name of the male hormone – testosterone while attending any biology class or in a medical prescription. This androgenic hormone is responsible for the development of secondary sexual characteristics in male, i.e. – the greater the hormone levels, the more the lean muscle mass.
By the rule, the hormone physiologically peaks during teens and 20s in males and after a certain age, these levels tend to reduce or young man with unhealthy diets, stress, physical limitations or hormonal imbalances, could also account to very low levels. Moreover, muscles-obsessed people with healthy lifestyles or females seeking to acquire strength mass, also give in to testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).
Owing to its steroidal chemical nature and non–selective actions on the body, TRT have tremendous collateral side effects. How beneficial would it be to have a drug that mimics testosterone actions but bypasses the deleterious effects? This was the purpose behind development of Testolone (RAD140) by Radius Health, a pharmaceutical company.
Defined by its mechanism of action, Testolone is a SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator), which was initially manufactured as a safer alternative to TRT for treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and breast cancer. Researchers claimed that this RAD140 is an undisputedly stronger SARM in the market and it has already gained popularity as performance enhancer in the fitness world.
How does it work?
Both testosterone and Testolone work on the androgen receptors. While testosterone acts on the androgen receptors present in muscle, bones, prostrate, organs and central nervous system, Testolone has higher affinity only to receptors present in muscles and bones. This specificity doesn’t allow Testolone to mess around with other systems and thus eliminating corresponding side effects. After binding to the specific receptors, one of the actions generated is increase in retention of nitrogenous compounds and escalating protein synthesis which ultimately helps in acquiring lean muscle mass.
Benefits
After decades of research and peer reviewing, Testolone is considered as one of the closest alternatives to steroids, yet without having to worry about the burden of side effects that usually steroids bring. Some of the prominent benefits have been discussed below.
- Unlike the traditional steroids, Testolone is very selective in its actions on androgen receptors of muscles and bones, eliminating the collateral adverse effects like prostate enlargement and hair loss.
- The chemical nature of Testolone has a ratio of 80:1, anabolic to androgenic respectively. In simpler terms, the high anabolic activity boosts the metabolism to peak and can do wonders in the body. Even while experimenting with the drug, you can put on 20lbs of lean muscle mass.
- As opposed to testosterone and its derived products, Testolone is not aromatized or converted into DHT or estrogen. While DHT is responsible for some nasty adverse effects like testicle shrinkage, estrogen causes water retention, hair loss and gynecomastia. Testolone has proved to have no androgenic or estrogenic deleterious effects.
- The anabolic property of Testolone helps to enhance the metabolism, burning the stored fat to generate more energy and improve stamina.
- Users can use RAD140 daily to increase testosterone levels without the need of daily injection of the androgenic hormone. TRT are usually taken as injections or creams, both of which are messy whereas Testolone could be taken with any food or drinks just like any snack.
- Women can easily rely on Testolone for muscle building without the fear of virilization issues. Virilization is the development of masculine features like excess body hair, aggression, and enlarged clitoris.
Uses
Role in fitness world and aid in weight loss
As anyone would expect, training is the most difficult sector of the fitness industry. With long exhausting hours of training, fatigue is inevitable. Most athletics seek relief in performance enhancers to amplify their workout results. Testolone helps building in lean muscle mass by signaling various pathways in the body and boosts metabolism which aids in shedding extra kilos. It is excellent for users seeking to lose weight without degeneration of muscle mass.
Even if you don’t belong to the fitness world, it is an incredible supplement to aid in your weight loss strategy.
Role on the endocrine system
Low testosterone levels have accounted for various negative effects such as poor sexual performance, erectile dysfunction, loss of libido, insomnia and these ultimately lead to depression and mood disorders. Testosterone physiologically starts tapering off with age and mostly older men begin to experience its effects above 40 years. In today’s modern society, younger men are also suffering from low testosterone levels due to unhealthy lifestyles, stress, steroid abuse or even presence of chemicals in certain foods. By replicating the positive effects of testosterone in the body, Testolone can help exhibit performances as before. Whereas direct use of synthetic testosterone can have profound adverse effects, the selective action of Testolone eliminates such risks.
Role in chronic illness and oncology
Physiologically, humans suffer from muscle wasting with age but severe diseases like carcinoma or AIDS can result in early onset of severe muscle wasting and weakness. But with Testolone, there could be an improvement in muscle mass and prevention of lean muscle mass degeneration . Moreover, testolone plays an imperative role in prostate cancer, common in elderly men. During clinical trials, it has shown to suppress growth of neoplastic cells by inhibiting anti-estrogenic effects.
Help improves memory
While conducting numerous experiments on animal trials, Testolone reduces amyloid beta proteins and help stimulate growth of brain cell. In fact, these help prevent early establishment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Adverse effects
Owing to its androgenic chemical nature, Testolone has one worth mentioning side effect – suppression of the pituitary gland. But with use of synthetic steroids for even 2 weeks, there is suppression of pituitary gland completely. Moreover, LH (luteinizing hormones) and FSH (follicle stimulating hormones) levels off to zero. On the other hand, Testolone slightly reduce the level which can easily be restored by inclusion of post cycle therapy (PCT).
However, some users have experienced milder side effects like raised blood pressure, nausea, vomiting and aggression. Although these effects were highly subjective, new users should be made aware of potential effects.
Half-life and dose schedule
As Testolone has a half-life of 18-20 hours, single day dosing would be sufficient to trigger muscle building and weight loss. Some users also prefer to divide the dose in breakfast and dinner sessions. In addition, the average recommended dose is 10-20 mg/day for 8-12 weeks continuously. However, women are usually advised to start from 10mg/day. Even though this drug work miraculously when taken solo, but athletics looking for immediate and faster results often stack Testolone with other anabolic steroids like Primobolan, winstrol or Trenbolone. However, as an anabolic activator, Testolone could results in suppression of pituitary gland (from where most hormones in the body are secreted). Hence, a post cycle therapy (PCT) is commonly advised.
Summary
To summarize, Testolone is one the promising SARMs in the market shown to increase lean muscle mass and effective in preventing and treating muscle wasting. However, as with any other medicinal compound, this drug should not be abused because eventually, with very high dose, the risks to benefit ratio tend to lean more towards the risks. If consumed within the recommended dose, Testolone is an incredible drug in the body-building industry as well as in medicine.