Longevity & Energy · Research compound
Aicar
AMPK activator · acadesine · Longevity · Energy · Performance
The "exercise in a pill" candidate — famous from a mouse study, unproven in people.
- Form
- 50 mg — pre-reconstituted in the Cellvéra injector
- Oversight
- Licensed clinician, included
- Price
- From R3 353 / protocol
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Checkout begins your confidential medical intake. Aicar is dispensed only if a licensed clinician prescribes it after reviewing your intake — nothing is charged until your provider approves.
Pathway
A nucleoside compound (AICA riboside, also known as acadesine) that gained fame as a candidate "exercise in a pill."
Mechanism
Once inside the cell it is converted to a molecule that closely resembles AMP, the signal a cell produces when it is running low on energy. This tricks AMPK into activating as though the cell had just been exercised, shifting metabolism toward burning fat and building endurance capacity.
Studied for
- Endurance and exercise capacity
- Metabolic and insulin-sensitising effects
- Separately investigated in leukaemia and in protecting the heart during surgery
Areas of research interest — not promised outcomes.
Where the evidence stands
The headline came from a 2008 mouse study in which sedentary mice given AICAR ran significantly further. Translating that to humans has proven difficult: it has poor oral availability and would require impractically large doses. Human endurance benefit has not been demonstrated.
Typical protocol
Dosing is individualised and set by your supervising clinician at intake. Published human dosing for this compound is not established; conservative titration and monitoring are part of every protocol.
Contraindications & cautions
Not approved for human performance use. Explicitly prohibited in sport under the WADA code as a metabolic modulator. Because AMPK activation affects cell growth pathways, theoretical concerns exist. Pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Prescribed only after evaluation by your supervising provider, based on your history and bloodwork.