Head to head
Enobosarm against Oxandrolone
A selective androgen receptor modulator against an old oral steroid, both used for muscle preservation. Only one of them is approved anywhere, and enobosarm's formal trials are recent: 3 mg cut lean mass loss on semaglutide by 71 percent in adults over 60.
Column A
EnobosarmEnobosarm (ostarine, GTx-024, MK-2866)
The selective androgen receptor modulator known on the gray market as ostarine, now in formal trials where 3 mg cut lean-mass loss on semaglutide by 71% in adults over 60.
Column B
OxandroloneOxandrolone, oral 17-alpha-alkylated anabolic androgen
The anabolic steroid with the best medical trial record, and it comes from an unexpected place: two years of randomised use in severely burned children, with bone density and growth as endpoints.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| Attribute | Enobosarm | Oxandrolone |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Muscle & Performance | Muscle & Performance |
| FDA status | Investigational; not approved for any use. Unapproved SARM products are illegal to sell as supplements. | Was FDA-approved as Oxandrin for weight gain after weight loss following extensive surgery, chronic infection, severe trauma and some other catabolic states. Schedule III controlled substance. The brand was discontinued in the United States, so availability now is largely through compounding or the grey market. |
| Half-life | ~24 hours (once-daily oral) | Roughly 9 hours, short for an androgen, which is why it is dosed once or twice daily rather than weekly. |
| Molecular weight | 389.3 Da | 306.4 Da. A steroid, not a peptide. |
| Mechanism | Tissue-selective androgen receptor agonism that promotes muscle protein synthesis with less androgenic effect on prostate and skin than testosterone. | A synthetic derivative of dihydrotestosterone with an oxygen substituted into the A ring and a 17-alpha methyl group. The 17-alpha alkylation is what allows it to survive first-pass metabolism and be taken orally, and it is also the feature responsible for the liver strain shared across oral alkylated androgens. It binds the androgen receptor, increasing muscle protein synthesis and nitrogen retention, and it is not aromatised to oestradiol, which is the basis for its reputation as producing less fluid retention and gynaecomastia than testosterone. Not aromatising is not purely an advantage: oestradiol has roles in bone, mood and libido in men, so a non-aromatising androgen removes those contributions. |
| Human studies cited | 3 | 1 |
| Legal status, US | Investigational; SARMs are not legal dietary ingredients and are on the WADA prohibited list | Approved indication exists; brand discontinued. Schedule III |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Enobosarm and Oxandrolone?
Enobosarm: The selective androgen receptor modulator known on the gray market as ostarine, now in formal trials where 3 mg cut lean-mass loss on semaglutide by 71% in adults over 60. Oxandrolone: The anabolic steroid with the best medical trial record, and it comes from an unexpected place: two years of randomised use in severely burned children, with bone density and growth as endpoints.
Which has stronger research evidence, Enobosarm or Oxandrolone?
This database does not grade compounds. It counts what was run in people: 3 of the 3 studies cited on the Enobosarm profile were human work, against 1 of 1 for Oxandrolone. Those counts are of our own citation lists and understate any larger literature, and neither is a recommendation.
Are Enobosarm and Oxandrolone FDA-approved?
Enobosarm: Investigational; not approved for any use. Unapproved SARM products are illegal to sell as supplements.. Oxandrolone: Was FDA-approved as Oxandrin for weight gain after weight loss following extensive surgery, chronic infection, severe trauma and some other catabolic states. Schedule III controlled substance. The brand was discontinued in the United States, so availability now is largely through compounding or the grey market..
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.