Short answer: no SARM has been shown to cause meaningful fat loss in people. The best human result for a SARM is about 0.6 kg less fat than placebo after 86 days of ostarine at 3 mg/day. What ostarine does have is evidence for keeping muscle: in older adults on Wegovy, adding it cut lean-mass loss by 71% in a company-reported trial. The two compounds most sold as “fat burners”, cardarine and SR9009, have no human fat-loss data at all.
Below we compare the usual cutting compounds on what was measured in people, what comes only from animals, and the side effects. All figures come from our SARMs database. If your goal is size rather than fat loss, see best SARMs for bulking.
Cutting compounds compared
| Compound | Fat loss in humans | Muscle retention | Main risks | WADA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ostarine | About 0.6 kg less fat than placebo in 86 days (3 mg/day); 27% more fat loss with Wegovy, not statistically significant | +1.3 kg lean mass vs placebo; 71% less lean loss on Wegovy (company topline) | Lower testosterone and HDL; liver injury case reports | Banned |
| Cardarine (not a SARM) | Never measured; liver fat −20% and more fat burning after a meal in a 2-week study | Not studied | Cancers in 2-year rat and mouse studies; development stopped | Banned |
| SR9009 (not a SARM) | None in humans; less fat mass in obese mice | Not studied | No human safety data | Banned |
| LGD-4033 | No significant change in 21 days | +1.21 kg lean mass in 21 days (1 mg/day) | Suppression at 1 mg/day; lower HDL; liver injury case reports | Banned |
| MK-677 (not a SARM) | No change in total or belly fat in trials | Less protein breakdown on a diet (7 days); +1.1 kg fat-free mass over 12 months | More appetite, water retention, higher blood sugar | Banned |
Source: Sarmguide compound database.
The usual cutting picks, one by one
Cutting means losing fat while keeping muscle. So two questions matter for each compound: did it reduce fat in people, and did it protect muscle?
1. Ostarine (MK-2866)
Ostarine has the most human data of any SARM. In 120 older adults, 3 mg/day for 86 days added 1.3 kg of lean mass vs placebo and lowered fat by about 0.6 kg, with no change in body weight; insulin resistance improved. In 2025, Veru reported that in 168 adults over 60 on semaglutide (Wegovy), adding enobosarm (ostarine) for 16 weeks meant 71% less lean-mass loss than semaglutide alone, and 27% more fat loss, a difference that was not statistically significant. Those results are a company topline, not yet a journal paper.
The cost: total testosterone fell about 6–7 nmol/L and HDL cholesterol 17–27% in the 86-day trial, and several case reports describe cholestatic liver injury with ostarine products. See the ostarine fact sheet, ostarine before and after and ostarine with Wegovy.
2. Cardarine (GW-501516)
Cardarine is not a SARM; it switches on PPAR-delta, a receptor that controls how muscle burns fat. In a 2-week study in 6 overweight men on 10 mg/day, liver fat fell 20%, triglycerides 30% and fasting insulin 11%, and more fat from a test meal was burned. But no human trial has measured body-fat loss or weight loss, and the endurance effect comes from mice. GSK stopped developing it in 2006 after 2-year studies found cancers in many organs of rats and mice, some at every dose tested. Read the cardarine fact sheet before anything else.
3. Stenabolic (SR9009)
SR9009 is not a SARM either; it acts on REV-ERB, part of the body clock that also regulates metabolism. In the 2012 mouse study that made it famous, it increased energy expenditure and reduced fat mass in obese mice. It has never been tested in people, so there is no human dose, half-life or safety data. SwissChems does not sell it.
4. Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
LGD-4033 is a muscle-building SARM that people also use to hold on to muscle while dieting. In its 21-day trial, lean mass rose 1.21 kg at 1 mg/day, but fat mass did not change significantly, and it was not tested during a diet. It lowered testosterone, SHBG, FSH and HDL at that dose.
5. Ibutamoren (MK-677)
MK-677 is a growth hormone secretagogue, not a SARM. It is a poor fit for a cut on the evidence: in trials it did not reduce total or belly fat, appetite rose in about two-thirds of people, and fasting glucose rose. The one point in its favor: in 8 adults on a calorie-restricted diet, 7 days of 25 mg/day turned protein breakdown into a small positive nitrogen balance.
What about RAD-140 and YK-11?
Both are sold for “dry” gains and recomposition, and the old version of this guide listed them for fat loss. Neither has any human data, for fat or muscle. RAD-140 raised liver enzymes in about half the patients in its only trial. They are covered on our bulking page and in best SARMs for recomp.
Which SARM is best for cutting?
On human evidence, ostarine: it is the only SARM with data on both fat (a small reduction) and muscle retention during weight loss. It still lowered testosterone and HDL. Cardarine and SR9009 are sold as the strongest fat burners, but that claim rests on short lipid studies and mouse studies, and cardarine carries a cancer signal from animals. If you want to compare any two, use the compare tool, or read cardarine vs ostarine and SR9009 vs cardarine.
Source: Sarmguide compound database.
Three things to know before any cutting compound
1. The calorie deficit does the work
In order to lose fat and/or weight with SARMs, you need to be in a caloric deficit.
It would also be nice if you ate clean, which means no processed sugar.
Not just for the sake of weight or fat loss, but for feeling better in your own body.
When it comes to exercise, don’t just talk the talk, do the work!
None of the compounds above has been shown to replace the deficit; in the ostarine trial, body weight did not change at all.
2. Suppression is the price of the androgen-receptor compounds
Ostarine and LGD-4033 lowered testosterone in trials; RAD-140 and YK-11 have never been measured in men. Cardarine and SR9009 do not act on the androgen receptor, so they are not expected to suppress, but there are no human data either way. See do SARMs lower testosterone? and SARMs PCT.
3. Products are often not what the label says
In a 2017 test of 44 products sold online as SARMs, only 52% contained a SARM, and 39% contained another unapproved drug; cardarine was one of the substitutes found. Our lab tests guide explains how to read a certificate of analysis, and the bloodwork guide lists what the trials measured.
Conclusion
The honest answer to “what is the best SARM for cutting” is that none has been shown to burn meaningful fat in people. Ostarine has the best human data for keeping muscle while losing weight and a small effect on fat, at the cost of lower testosterone and HDL. Cardarine and SR9009 are marketed hardest for fat loss with the least human evidence, and cardarine has a cancer signal from animal studies. The deficit, protein and training remain what actually moves body fat.
Related: SARMs cutting stacks · best SARMs for women · safest SARMs
Frequently asked questions
What is the best SARM for cutting?
Ostarine, on human evidenceEvidence: Trial
It is the only SARM tested for both fat (about 0.6 kg less than placebo over 86 days) and muscle retention during weight loss (71% less lean loss with Wegovy, company topline). It lowered testosterone and HDL.
Is ostarine good for cutting?
Small fat effectEvidence: Trial
Fat fell about 0.6 kg more than placebo on 3 mg/day for 86 days, with no change in body weight. Its stronger effect is on keeping lean mass.
Does cardarine burn fat?
Not shown in peopleEvidence: Human data
It raised fat burning after a meal and cut liver fat 20% in a 2-week study, but no human trial has measured body-fat loss. Development stopped after cancers in long-term rat and mouse studies.
What SARMs help lose belly fat?
None shown toEvidence: Trial
MK-677 did not change visceral (belly) fat in trials, and the ostarine trial measured total fat, not belly fat. No study has tested cardarine or SR9009 on body fat in people.
Is RAD-140 good for cutting or bulking?
No human data for eitherEvidence: Limited
It is mostly used for bulking, but it has no human data for fat or muscle. In its only human trial, in women with breast cancer, liver-enzyme rises were common.
Which SARMs don't need PCT?
None shown to spare testosteroneEvidence: Trial
Ostarine and LGD-4033 lowered testosterone in trials; RAD-140 and YK-11 were never measured in men. Cardarine and SR9009 are not SARMs and do not act on the androgen receptor, but were never tested for this in people.
Are SARMs good for weight loss?
NoEvidence: Trial
In the ostarine trial body weight did not change, and with Wegovy total weight loss was similar with or without ostarine. The effect of SARMs is on lean mass, not on weight.
Are SARMs legal?
Not approved; banned in sportEvidence: Law
No SARM is FDA-approved; the FDA says SARM products are unapproved drugs, not supplements, and sent warning letters to sellers in December 2025. All are banned in sport, and rules differ by country.
Sources
- The selective androgen receptor modulator GTx-024 (enobosarm) improves lean body mass and physical function in healthy elderly men and postmenopausal women: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial
- Veru Announces Positive Topline Data from Phase 2b QUALITY Clinical Study: Enobosarm Preserved Lean Mass in Patients Receiving WEGOVY (Semaglutide) for Weight Reduction (press release, 27 January 2025)
- Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)delta promotes reversal of multiple metabolic abnormalities, reduces oxidative stress, and increases fatty acid oxidation in moderately obese men
- Lipid effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ agonist GW501516 in subjects with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol: characteristics of metabolic syndrome
- Rat carcinogenicity study with GW501516, a PPAR delta agonist (Geiger et al., The Toxicologist 2009, abstract 895)
- Regulation of circadian behaviour and metabolism by synthetic REV-ERB agonists
- The safety, pharmacokinetics, and effects of LGD-4033, a novel nonsteroidal oral, selective androgen receptor modulator, in healthy young men
- Effects of an oral ghrelin mimetic on body composition and clinical outcomes in healthy older adults: a randomized trial
- MK-677, an orally active growth hormone secretagogue, reverses diet-induced catabolism
- Two-month treatment of obese subjects with the oral growth hormone (GH) secretagogue MK-677 increases GH secretion, fat-free mass, and energy expenditure
- Chemical Composition and Labeling of Substances Marketed as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators and Sold via the Internet
- FDA: Certain bodybuilding products put consumers at risk for heart attack, stroke, serious liver damage and more (content current as of 2 December 2025)