SARMs statistics 2026: use rates, FDA warnings, mislabeled products and side effects

of athletes are estimated to use SARMs¹

Estimate from a systematic review of 72 articles published 2003 to 2022.

adverse analytical findings for the SARM LGD-4033 (ligandrol) were reported by WADA in 2019, the highest number reported up to then²

The authors note SARM findings in anti-doping tests rose continuously over the preceding five years.

of young people aged 16 to 25 in a UK survey said they had bought SARMs after seeing them promoted on social media³

Censuswide survey for UK Anti-Doping, April 2026. UK data; no comparable national US prevalence survey was found.

of young men versus young women in the UK survey said they had bought SARMs³

young people in the UK survey bought SARMs in the past year, and about 1 in 15 in the past month³

of young people in the UK survey had not heard of any health risks linked to SARMs or other performance-enhancing drugs³

of SARM users in an online survey were aged 18 to 29, and 98.5% were male⁴

Convenience sample: 343 of 520 respondents reported SARM use.

of SARM users in the same survey bought SARMs online⁴

years was the mean reported age of people posting about SARM use on Reddit (range 13 to 63)⁵

Analysis of public Reddit posts from March 2015 to November 2023; 4.8% of posters who reported gender were female.

Reddit posts mentioned RAD140, the most discussed SARM in the analysis⁵

SARMs have been approved by the FDA for any medical use⁶

SARMs remain investigational drugs.

SARMs cannot be legally marketed in the US as a dietary supplement or drug⁷

FDA warns of risks including heart attack, stroke, psychosis, liver damage including acute liver failure, infertility and testicular shrinkage.

FDA warning letters for illegally marketed bodybuilding products in 2025 went to companies marketing SARMs⁸

From FDA's CDER Office of Compliance 2025 annual report, published April 2026.

FDA sent warning letters to SARM sellers, including one to SARMS America citing products such as Ostarine MK-2866 and LGD-4033 Ligandrol as unapproved new drugs⁹

FDA issued public warnings about SARMs in bodybuilding products on June 20 and October 31, 2017¹⁰

are on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List and are prohibited for service members⁶

SARMs are also listed in Section 1 (Anabolic Agents) of the WADA prohibited list.

substances are on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List¹¹

As of June 2022; OPSS lists over 1,700 synonyms for them.

of 44 products marketed as SARMs and sold online contained one or more SARMs¹²

Products bought online in 2016 and analyzed April to August 2016.

of products marketed as SARMs contained another unapproved drug¹²

of products marketed as SARMs contained substances not listed on the label¹²

of products marketed as SARMs contained no active compound at all¹²

of products marketed as SARMs had amounts of active compound that differed substantially from the label¹²

Only 41% matched the labeled amount.

of SARM products sold contain the chemical listed on the label, according to Poison Control¹³

of SARM users in an online survey reported significant adverse effects⁴

higher doses than those studied in clinical trials are often taken by people using SARMs, according to Poison Control¹³

case reports of drug-induced liver injury from SARMs were identified in a 2023 systematic review¹⁴

The review covered 33 studies, including 15 case reports or series and 18 clinical trials.

patients with liver injury from SARMs, anabolic steroids or bodybuilding supplements were hospitalized in an Australian case series¹⁵

Nine hospitals, 2017-2023; 14 of the 40 implicated products were SARMs; one patient needed a liver transplant.

median time for liver tests to return to normal in the same case series¹⁵

rise in mean self-reported ALT (U/L), a liver enzyme, from before to during SARM use in Reddit posts⁵

Self-reported lab values, not clinically verified; mean AST rose from 27.7 to 74.3 U/L.