STABILIZE HIS

Berberine HCl

There is extensive literature demonstrating berberines primary mechanism of action as a potent AMPk agonist in skeletal muscle. This enzyme, often referred as a “metabolic master switch”, is found in many cells of essential organs and has a major role on regulating metabolism. Based on the pharmacological similarities between berberine and the anti-diabetic medicine metformin (with respect to AMPk activation), it is possible that berberine may promote an anti-catabolic state through increased expression of AMPk.

The human data, both in healthy and disease state populations, demonstrating berberine’s other physiological effects are numerous. A 2012 meta-analysis examined 14 randomized trials, containing 1068 patients, and assessed berberine’s efficacy in numerous biometrics, including resting plasma glucose levels, plasma insulin levels, body weight, body mass index, and reduction in fat mass and serum triglycerides and total cholesterol content. The aggregate data suggests that berberine performs at least as well as oral hypoglycemic agents (such as metformin) in these key metrics.

Another study, looking at berberines benefits on body composition, showed beneficial improvements in key biometrics. Overweight individuals given berberine three times per day showed an average of five pounds lost as well as reductions in body fat. These improvements can also induce benefits on many health markers as a result. These results are studied to be due to berberines ability to improve the function of adipose regulating hormones, such as insulin and leptin, as well as inhibit the growth of adipose cells at the molecular level.

It is important to note that these are just a few of the benefits of berberine. Other studies have centered around its ability to improve markers of metabolic disorders, heart health, and certain types of cancers.

3,3’ Diindolylmethane (DIM)

What we typically refer to as “Estrogen,” is in fact a group of three biologically distinct hormones – estradiol (E2), estrone (E1), and estriol (E3), each possessing different activities in different cell, tissue, and receptor types. When experts refer to either the benefits or downfalls of “estrogen," they really mean to (but probably cannot) identify a specific estrogen.

These specific estrogens, in turn, metabolize into even more specific estrogen sub-compounds, such as the 2-hydroxyestrogens (2-OHE’s), 2-methoxyestrogens, 16a-hydroxyestrone (16-OHE1), and 4-hydroxyestrogens (4-OHE’s). As their parent estrogens, these estrogen metabolites exert different effects depending upon the tissue and cell one is examining. In fact, two estrogen metabolites in particular, 16-OHE1 and 2-OHE, have such contrasting cellular activities that 2-OHE is an estrogen antagonist. Yes, that is correct: there is an anti-estrogen, estrogen.

In recent years, so-called “phytonutrients” have become the focus of clinical research, as these natural compounds have shown the ability to increase the ratio of good, estrogen decreasing estrogens (such as 2-OHE), to bad, estrogen increasing estrogens (such as 16-OHE1). One of these phytonutrients, a dietary indole known as indole-3-carbinol (I3C), is the bioactive phytochemical and a presumed modulator of reduced cancer risk in areas with high cruciferous vegetable consumption. Unfortunately, despite its potent antiestrogenic activity, I3C is highly molecularly unstable, and therefore unsuitable for use as a therapeutic agent or dietary supplement.

Luckily, however, I3C readily metabolizes into the secondary indole 3,3’ diindolylmethane, or DIM for short. When used in a supplemental fashion in clinical trials, DIM appears to possess all the positive effects of its parent compound with respect to antiestrogenic action – promoting the metabolism of beneficial estrogens that themselves reduce estrogenic activity.

Aside from its healthy-estrogen promoting abilities, DIM also exerts its own direct physiological effects, including:

• Promoting pathways of internal estrogen metabolism that favor the production of anti-estrogen estrogens.
• Adjusting the activity of certain cytochrome enzymes, reducing the activity at the estrogen receptor site.
• Limit the cell division and growth of certain estrogens.

Despite the bodybuilding community’s single-minded crusade to eliminate estrogen wherever it lies in wait, compounds such as DIM show us that estrogen is a very diverse set of compounds – and that we should actively pursue increasing certain estrogens that have beneficial, and ironically, anti-estrogenic effects

Eurycoma longifolia Extract (root) (40% glycosaponins and 22% eurypeptides)

The name Eurycoma longifolia is probably familiar to most within the bodybuilding and fitness community, as it has a long history of use as an aphrodisiac supplement. Also known as Tongkat Ali, Malaysian Ginsgeng, and Longjack, the herb is found in temperate regions of Southeast Asia and has been used for centuries as an aphrodisiac in medicinal systems local to those regions.

Western research has begun to establish that Eurycoma longifolia’s does in fact have an effect on libido, in both animal and human trials. Over the past several decades, numerous in vivo animal and human studies have been conducted to further explore Eurycoma longifolia’s effect on the management of sexual disorders, infertility, low libido, and low testosterone levels. A large majority of these studies have gathered enough evidence to conclude that Eurycoma longifolia use in the support of improving these outcomes is an acceptable rationale. While the exact mechanism of action is somewhat unclear, it is suggested that it helps to restore normal testosterone levels through increasing the release of free testosterone from its binding hormone, sex hormone-binding globulin.

Benefits from an increase in testosterone levels can include higher physical vigor and strength as well as increased vitality and cortisol management.

Though more research is required to establish Tongkat’s aphrodisiac and/or pro-erectile effects in humans, the existing animal research is fairly consistent in suggesting the herb’s effects in these areas.

Shoden® Ashwagandha Extract (Withania Somnifera) (root and leaf) (35% withanolide glycosides)

Withania somnifera Dunal, colloquially known as Winter Cherry or Indian Ginseng, is an herb that features prominently in the traditional Indian medicinal system of Ayurveda. Known as Ashwagandha in Ayurveda, Withania somnifera is a critical ingredient in various Ayurvedic tonics and tinctures prepared as a traditional remedy for the treatment of various ailments.

Recently identified as a potent adaptogenic and target for therapeutic applications, Ashwaghanda has been the subject of numerous animals, pre-clinical, and clinical trials designed to examine its potential effects as an antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anxiolytic, antibacterial, antifungal, and immonumodulating compound. Ashwagandha’s broad therapeutic potential is hypothesized to be the result of its robust phytochemical profile, including a wide swath of alkaloids, sitoindosides, and the highly biologically active withanolide group. As the principally biologically active compounds within Ashwaghanda, withanolides such as withanone, withaferine A, withanolides A, D, and G have been identified, isolated, and extensively studied in the various applications noted above.

Arms Race Nutrition selected the potent Shoden® Ashwagandha Extract due to these potential physiological benefits of withanolides to include in its Stabilize for Men formula. Shoden® is a full-spectrum Ashwaghanda extract, standardized with 35% withanolides. Shoden® offers a very high bioavailability and demonstrated optimal activity even at low doses.

The high concentrations of withanolides within Shoden® has resulted in encouraging results in a number of human, clinical trials looking at the benefits on aerobic and anaerobic physical activity. In several randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled studies, Shoden® Ashwagandha showed positive impacts on reduction of stress induced cortisol, power output, rate of perceived exertion, capillary lactate levels, and oxygen intake (VO2 max). Shoden® has also shown increases in DHEA-S and testosterone in men when supplemented.

Though each of these results is impressive, perhaps the most significant is reduction in cortisol. As detailed above, cortisol possesses a multitude of potentially degradative physiological effects, including: inhibiting glucose uptake, causing a constriction of the vasculature (vasoconstriction), the breakdown of glycogen, and inarguably the result most would desire to avoid, proteolysis (the breakdown of muscle tissue).

Boron (as Boron Citrate)

Boron is a mineral present in multiple fruits, vegetables, tubers, and drinking water, though it is not widely accepted as either an essential mineral or essential vitamin. Boron affects a few physiological functions in the body, particularly modulating hormonal homeostasis.

While still emerging, recent data suggest that boron may play a role in potentiating free testosterone levels in even healthy men. In one study, otherwise healthy men were provided an acute serving of boron and had their free and total levels of testosterone, alone with SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) and DHT (dihydrotestosterone) levels measured. In that study, total testosterone was unaltered, but free testosterone was enhanced by 14%, while SHBG was significantly (9%) reduced.

A 2015 study showed that boron supplementation was able to increase the metabolism of total testosterone in the body to free testosterone, which is used for many sex-related function. Additionally, it was able to increase free testosterone by almost 25%, and allow more free testosterone to bind with proteins in the blood, and control estradiol levels. Estradiol, although beneficial for men as a form of estrogen in modulating libido, erectile function and spermatogenesis, high levels of estradiol in men have been associated with less-than-optimal sperm production.

These results leave boron to be a reliable addition to Arms Race Nutrition’s male driven hormone support regimen.