AICAR is a research compound with no established human dose for performance or metabolic use. It is banned in sport and has been used in humans only in tightly controlled clinical studies. Any numbers online are not medically established. This page is education, not a protocol.
Overview
AICAR is a small molecule studied as an AMPK activator — the cellular "energy-sensing" pathway — of interest in metabolism and exercise research. It acts inside cells after conversion to a compound called ZMP.
What is known about dosing
There is no common, validated dosing pattern to report:
- Human exposure has occurred mainly in controlled clinical research, typically intravenous and set by a study protocol.
- Meaningfully activating AMPK in target tissues is difficult, because the molecule works intracellularly — so a simple "amount equals effect" relationship does not hold.
- There is no approved label and no established safe amount for gym or self-experiment use.
Community "dose" figures exist but are not anchored to any validated human protocol, so this page does not present them as usable numbers.
Why no dose can be given
Quoting a number would imply a settled, safe amount that does not exist. The delivery challenge, the absence of an approved use, and its prohibited status in sport all mean there is no legitimate self-administration dose. The honest educational answer is that no established dose exists.
Why oversight matters
AICAR acts on a pathway present throughout the body, and its human safety over time is not well characterized. Any legitimate use would occur within a supervised research setting. A clinician is also the right person to explain why the marketed "exercise in a pill" framing overstates what is actually known.
For a broader overview, see the main AICAR reference page and the safety-focused guide.