Head to head
Cardarine against GW0742
The same PPAR-delta idea sold twice. GW0742 is the sibling compound marketed on Cardarine's endurance story with none of the same evidence: no human study of any design has ever been published, and the endurance result is mice on a treadmill.
Column A
CardarineGW501516 (cardarine)
A PPAR-delta agonist GSK stopped developing, reportedly after long-term rodent studies produced cancers in multiple organs; still sold widely for endurance and fat loss despite that report and a WADA ban.
Column B
GW0742GW0742, selective PPAR-beta/delta agonist
The sibling of GW501516, sold on the same endurance story with none of the same evidence. No human study of GW0742 of any design has ever been published, and the endurance result is mice on a treadmill.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| Attribute | Cardarine | GW0742 |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Metabolic | Metabolic |
| FDA status | Never approved; development halted for carcinogenicity | Never approved and never tested in a registered human trial. Prohibited in sport by WADA alongside the rest of the PPAR-delta agonist class. |
| Half-life | ~24 hours (reported) | Not established in humans; no human pharmacokinetic study of this compound exists. |
| Molecular weight | 453.5 Da | 471.5 Da |
| Mechanism | PPAR-delta agonism that upregulates fatty-acid oxidation genes in skeletal muscle. | Selective agonism at PPAR-beta/delta, a nuclear receptor that upregulates fatty acid oxidation and mitochondrial genes in skeletal muscle. In the mouse combination study, GW0742-treated groups tended to higher PGC-1alpha protein, and at exhaustion Pgc1a, Pdk4, Cd36 and Lpl were upregulated in muscle, with a measurable shift from carbohydrate to fat as the fuel and glycogen sparing that delayed hypoglycaemia. Whether any of this happens at a tolerable dose in a human has never been tested. |
| Human studies cited | 1 | 0 |
| Legal status, US | Not approved; sold 'for research use only' | Not approved; research use only |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Cardarine and GW0742?
Cardarine: A PPAR-delta agonist GSK stopped developing, reportedly after long-term rodent studies produced cancers in multiple organs; still sold widely for endurance and fat loss despite that report and a WADA ban. GW0742: The sibling of GW501516, sold on the same endurance story with none of the same evidence. No human study of GW0742 of any design has ever been published, and the endurance result is mice on a treadmill.
Which has stronger research evidence, Cardarine or GW0742?
This database does not grade compounds. It counts what was run in people: 1 of the 2 studies cited on the Cardarine profile were human work, against 0 of 4 for GW0742. Those counts are of our own citation lists and understate any larger literature, and neither is a recommendation.
Are Cardarine and GW0742 FDA-approved?
Cardarine: Never approved; development halted for carcinogenicity. GW0742: Never approved and never tested in a registered human trial. Prohibited in sport by WADA alongside the rest of the PPAR-delta agonist class..
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page sets two published records side by side. It is educational, it is not medical advice, and it contains no dosing protocols or recommendations for personal use.