AICAR : AMPK-activating&Athletic Performance

Endurance & Athletic Performance

• Mimics the effects of exercise by activating AMPK, improving oxygen utilization and stamina
• Used by athletes to delay fatigue and enhance aerobic capacity without training

Fat Loss & Metabolic Health

• Promotes fat oxidation by increasing mitochondrial biogenesis (similar to cardio)
• May improve insulin sensitivity, making it useful for metabolic syndrome and diabetes

Muscle Preservation

• Helps prevent muscle wasting in catabolic states (e.g., aging, illness)
• Supports recovery by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress

Neuroprotection & Anti-Aging

• AMPK activation may protect neurons and slow cognitive decline
• Potential anti-aging effects via improved cellular repair

Research
Tumor treatment: AICAR treatment can inhibit the proliferation of stromal cells such as alveolar macrophages, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts. These stromal cells adjacent to the tumors promote tumor formation and development by providing paracrine signals. AICAR may simultaneously reduce the survival rate of tumor cells by inhibiting the paracrine signals from these tumor stromal cells.
Air pollution-related metabolic disorders: Research into AMPK activation via AICAR has found that it may prevent metabolic disorders attributable to air pollution exposure. Researchers have associated the adverse impacts of air pollution on insulin sensitivity, energy homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and inflammatory response with AMPK inhibition
Anti-inflammatory activity: AICAR has been shown to play a protective role in animal models of acute lung injury, asthma, colitis, atherosclerosis, and other inflammatory diseases
Increased endurance: In a 2008 study, researchers treated sedentary mice with AICAR at a dose of 500mg/kg per day, finding that the treatment genetically reprogrammed their muscle metabolism to increase their running endurance by 44%.