testosterone supplements - any evidence?

[Dred Pirate]

I always thought for the most part these were just a sales scam, but I have a buddy who was an athlete back in the day, now in his 40's that swears that they have helped him bulk up and get back in shape - and he asked me if there was any evidence/studies. I am guessing in his case it is due to just getting his butt back in the gym, but it made me think at least.

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[PharmDBro2017]

I always thought for the most part these were just a sales scam, but I have a buddy who was an athlete back in the day, now in his 40's that swears that they have helped him bulk up and get back in shape - and he asked me if there was any evidence/studies. I am guessing in his case it is due to just getting his butt back in the gym, but it made me think at least.

Placebo. No supplement will boost test levels to a supraphysiological level; you'd need exogenous testosterone to do that (prescription stuff/TRT/ anabolic steroids).

edit: If you can, ask your friend what supplement and post a pic of the supplement label & company that makes it. I'd enjoy dissecting the ingredient panel. @Dred Pirate

 

[confettiflyer]

Placebo. No supplement will boost test levels to a supraphysiological level; you'd need exogenous testosterone to do that (prescription stuff/TRT/ anabolic steroids).

edit: If you can, ask your friend what supplement and post a pic of the supplement label & company that makes it. I'd enjoy dissecting the ingredient panel. @Dred Pirate

Based on how many supplement recall emails I get from FDA (mostly for libido-related supplements), there’s a chance > 0% that some of these contain actual, undeclared, API.

 

[RxPreceptor]

Hmmm, I’d argue that motivation, planning/objective goal setting, execution & consistency are more effective and overrated. You know, people want that short term fix with Physiological dependence

getting back into shape myself after a **** ton of stressful changes this past year...less talk and time for cardio now

 

[Chap00l]

Here is a clinical study, there are too many variations in these products, is there a specific product that works? maybe but there are also so many products that are tainted with other things and do not contain what it says on the label.

This study looked at 50 of them.

‘Testosterone Boosting’ Supplements Composition and Claims Are not Supported by the Academic Literature

Men take testosterone (T) boosting supplements to naturally improve T levels. We evaluated the composition and advertised claims of “T boosting” supplements, and supporting published evidence.Fifty “T booster” supplements ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[randompharm]

Yes, they can and absolutely do work. Ingredients such as KSM66 have been proven in many human clinical trials to not only raise testosterone but also lower cortisol, etc.

I have been using the following:

NIGHTSHIFT®

ADVANCED SLEEP & RECOVERY/CORT REDUCING & T BOOSTING AID Boosts T by 17% & Luteinizing Hormone by 36% Reduces Cort. by up to 27% Supports Recovery and Muscle Rebuilding Vegan Friendly THE STAPLE EVERYDAY SLEEP & RECOVERY AID Since 2017, Nightshift® has been the ultimate recovery & performance aid

proccor.com

It is open label so you know what you are getting, the dose is clinical, and helps me sleep as well (without groginess). It was recommended to me and I’ve recommended it to various friends, most have been on it for years now (myself and a couple of others did blood work for fun and it raised it by ~100-150). I’m a supplement junkie in a way and have practically all of them out there over the years but nothing made visible difference like that product. I’ve been using it with their Glycodrin for a few years, no other supplements (occasionally protein) and body fat is at 5%ish, and pp is hard all the time lol.

Edit: to add to the above poster in regards to tainting, it is true, many are underdosed and/or don’t contain what they say. But yes, there are certain ingredients that have been proven (KSM 66) in various clinical trials. It’s one of the few along with beta alanine/creatine that have extensive research showing them to actually work and be safe for consumption and long term. This product/company i referenced includes testing right on the product pages for what it’s worth. From what i saw on their social media they are working to add it to all products on the site itself but have posted it/i have seen them post it on social media.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

Ashwagandha does have decent literature backing and I have tried it from time to time. What did you think of the GDA glycodrin?

But 99% of supps are still a scam, and 99.9% of T boosters are a scam.

 

[Dantes]

Tongkat ali might be promising but needs better human research. But nothing is gonna come close to actual TRT.

 

[RXDOC1986]

Yes, they can and absolutely do work. Ingredients such as KSM66 have been proven in many human clinical trials to not only raise testosterone but also lower cortisol, etc.

I have been using the following:

NIGHTSHIFT®

ADVANCED SLEEP & RECOVERY/CORT REDUCING & T BOOSTING AID Boosts T by 17% & Luteinizing Hormone by 36% Reduces Cort. by up to 27% Supports Recovery and Muscle Rebuilding Vegan Friendly THE STAPLE EVERYDAY SLEEP & RECOVERY AID Since 2017, Nightshift® has been the ultimate recovery & performance aid

proccor.com

It is open label so you know what you are getting, the dose is clinical, and helps me sleep as well (without groginess). It was recommended to me and I’ve recommended it to various friends, most have been on it for years now (myself and a couple of others did blood work for fun and it raised it by ~100-150). I’m a supplement junkie in a way and have practically all of them out there over the years but nothing made visible difference like that product. I’ve been using it with their Glycodrin for a few years, no other supplements (occasionally protein) and body fat is at 5%ish, and pp is hard all the time lol.

Edit: to add to the above poster in regards to tainting, it is true, many are underdosed and/or don’t contain what they say. But yes, there are certain ingredients that have been proven (KSM 66) in various clinical trials. It’s one of the few along with beta alanine/creatine that have extensive research showing them to actually work and be safe for consumption and long term. This product/company i referenced includes testing right on the product pages for what it’s worth. From what i saw on their social media they are working to add it to all products on the site itself but have posted it/i have seen them post it on social media.

Low T is a medical condition diagnosed by blood work, then treated with Testosterone Cypionate Injections. If you have normal Testosterone Levels, there is no medical way you can "boost" them to Super T levels. This is medically proven. NIGHTSHIFT and similar products MAY contain some "useful" ingredients, very doubtful!!!!
There is a reason why effective T boosting MEDICATION only come as injectables, same as Amino Acid Supplements and B12 , Because they are extensively metabolized into inert ingredients while going through the GI tract. Take this for what it's worth, I did a residency in Nutritional Support and extensively researched supplements,
but what would I know?
My advice on Supplements, take them at your own peril. No matter what they say, it hasn't been FDA tested or been through 5 layers of clinical testing.

 

[randompharm]

Low T is a medical condition diagnosed by blood work, then treated with Testosterone Cypionate Injections. If you have normal Testosterone Levels, there is no medical way you can "boost" them to Super T levels. This is medically proven. NIGHTSHIFT and similar products MAY contain some "useful" ingredients, very doubtful!!!!
There is a reason why effective T boosting MEDICATION only come as injectables, same as Amino Acid Supplements and B12 , Because they are extensively metabolized into inert ingredients while going through the GI tract. Take this for what it's worth, I did a residency in Nutritional Support and extensively researched supplements,
but what would I know?
My advice on Supplements, take them at your own peril. No matter what they say, it hasn't been FDA tested or been through 5 layers of clinical testing.

There are many things wrong with (many) of your statements, but i’ll address a few.

What would you know? It appears little at best, no offense. There is clinical testing at the amounts included in the quoted product, on actual people (not rats) and there is a LOT of it. You don’t even appear to know which ingredient is responsible for the mechanism, so it appears your residency in “Nutritional Support” with the “extensive” research in nutritional supplements was a waste of time, or a paper weight you were rick rolled into that you are now trying to convince others you mastered (and who knows, maybe some who lack the background might believe your statements carry weight/you know what you’re talking about) - but this is pretty basic stuff.

Also, you can absolutely “boost” testosterone via supplements. Low testosterone (i.e. below 300, or any level), does not mean it cannot be increased, and no one is claiming to be boosting it to “super T levels”, whatever that refers to. There is patient paperwork on the quoted product, quite a bit of it, showing consistent T boosting of ~100. Is it going to boost it as much as E or Cyp? Obviously not, an important distinction being “natural” vs “medication”, that your residency apparently did not make.

Lastly, i own a manufacturing facility where we manufacture not only prescription medication (generic and some brand names) but have a division for dietary supplements, with 15 or so PharmDs on staff, but what would i know?

Edit: I do this day in and day out, i’m happy to answer any questions regardless if they’re yours or others as they relate to dietary supplements (i.e. trends, efficacious/clinically proven ingredients, pending materials of interest, cGMP, FDA related matters, etc.)

 

[randompharm]

Tongkat ali might be promising but needs better human research. But nothing is gonna come close to actual TRT.

This, TRT is the way to go if clinically low, nothing natural will match it. If one is just looking for a boost, currently KSM66 has the best data/safety, etc. About 10 years ago, D Aspartic Acid was popular but it was more UG type stuff and not much substance. The most clinically proven ingredients (nutraceutical), with the highest safety profiles and highest efficacy are creatine, beta alanine, and KSM66 (ashwagandha, has to be standardized).

 

[RXDOC1986]

There are many things wrong with (many) of your statements, but i’ll address a few.

What would you know? It appears little at best, no offense. There is clinical testing at the amounts included in the quoted product, on actual people (not rats) and there is a LOT of it. You don’t even appear to know which ingredient is responsible for the mechanism, so it appears your residency in “Nutritional Support” with the “extensive” research in nutritional supplements was a waste of time, or a paper weight you were rick rolled into that you are now trying to convince others you mastered (and who knows, maybe some who lack the background might believe your statements carry weight/you know what you’re talking about) - but this is pretty basic stuff.

Also, you can absolutely “boost” testosterone via supplements. Low testosterone (i.e. below 300, or any level), does not mean it cannot be increased, and no one is claiming to be boosting it to “super T levels”, whatever that refers to. There is patient paperwork on the quoted product, quite a bit of it, showing consistent T boosting of ~100. Is it going to boost it as much as E or Cyp? Obviously not, an important distinction being “natural” vs “medication”, that your residency apparently did not make.

Lastly, i own a manufacturing facility where we manufacture not only prescription medication (generic and some brand names) but have a division for dietary supplements, with 15 or so PharmDs on staff, but what would i know?

Edit: I do this day in and day out, i’m happy to answer any questions regardless if they’re yours or others as they relate to dietary supplements (i.e. trends, efficacious/clinically proven ingredients, pending materials of interest, cGMP, FDA related matters, etc.)

Easy Bro, who pi$$ed in your cereal? Wow, anger much? Maybe it's roid rage? I shared my opinion, sprinkled with a little knowledge and you go OFF! I am so happy for you being a manufacturing facility, what a marvelous distinction! So you make it and take it? Good for you, THE ABSOLUTE GOD of the industry! Sees all knows ALL! I will crawl back under a rock and think twice about sharing my ignorance with others.
No need to respond, almighty, I have you on ignore now. I will not be further educated by you, almighty.

 

[PharmDBro2017]

Except the KSM-66, that nightshift ingredient panel is garbage for T, but decent for sleep.

 

[RXDOC1986]

Except the KSM-66, that nightshift ingredient panel is garbage for T, but decent for sleep.

Watch what you say Bro! Or, God almighty will descend down upon you, void your license, and smite you! Heresy! Don't you know he is a MANUFACTURER and a USER of all that is Pharmaceutical! He just tolerates us, up to a point!
Love these KEYBOARD Tough Guys, maybe he is the Eli Lilly? - Dr.Randomguy on permanent ignore.