MAN Body Octane Review
In an industry full of supplements marketed towards eager young men wishing to look like their favorite IFBB pro it is very difficult to discern what is fact and what is fiction when it comes to non-hormonal manipulating supplements. It seems the recent trends in supplementation formulation are geared towards eliciting an effect among younger users which creates a psychological addiction to the feeling of being pumped or energized but does little to actually improve performance or the physique. The rewards of a good workout that old school lifters would experience like a good pump or the rushes of endorphins post workout are now found in a pill or powder form.The usual suspects you will find on the labels of supplements like this are methylxanthines, arginine alpha-ketoglutartate (AAKG), glycocyamine (GAA), and guanidinopropionic acid (GPA). These ingredients do nothing to actually improve performance and recently some have had serious questions raised about their potential negative effect on long term health and wellness. Nowadays, we have a generation of young and aspiring bodybuilders who depend on these supplements to get the same reward which actual hard work in the gym elicited. As time goes on they are often left disappointed as the effects begin to wear off and along with their fake pump.
Science based formulation has always been something I pay close attention too because I want real results that have a foundation in research. There is a lot of pseudoscience floating around in the supplement industry and it is quite disgusting. However, there are a few gems out their which actually live up to their claims. Fortunately, I was able to review one of these products which support the functional performance supplement movement I stand behind and puts these psychologically addictive effect supplements to utter shame.
No Pseudoscience Allowed
One functional ingredient which elicits a moderate pump effect is citrulline malate. You rarely see this ingredient in a lot of formulas because quite frankly it isn’t cheap. When you are trying to increase a profit margin it isn’t ideal. However, this is one powerful little molecule. Essentially, citrulline malate has the ability to increase aerobic ATP production in cells and also aide in ammonia clearance (1).A popular misconception though is that citrulline itself is responsible for increased aerobic capacity within mitochondria of a cell. In reality it is actually malate which contributes to aerobic ATP production as it is a TCA cycle intermediate. Citrulline supplementation is responsible for enhanced ammonia clearance during exercise (2). This is very important because ammonia deanimates AMP in both fast and slow twitch muscles which can greatly hinder performance as it accumulates (3, 4). As you can see this serves a functional role as opposed to just eliciting some temporary effect.
Another ingredient which has been receiving a lot of well deserved press as of late is beta-alanine. This fun molecule, when supplemented has the ability to raise intramuscular carnosine levels (6, 7).The performance benefits of elevated carnosine levels are not few and far between. When exercising the intramuscular hydrogen ion concentration (H+) increases (8) thus inhibiting performance (9). When intramuscular carnosine levels are elevated it acts as a buffer against the H+ increase during exercise thus increasing performance (10,11). Furthermore, stacking beta-alanine with creatine has shown to be well tolerated and provides a strong synergistic effect increasing multiple quantifiable performance enhancing tests results (12).
Beyond Performance Enhancement
It has been suggested that with age “decreased expression of the transporter for beta-alanine as precursor to carnosine, or a decrease in carnosine sythetase” (13) which quite possibly account for the noticeable decline in intramuscular carnosine levels found in older/elderly adults (12, 14). More strikingly this contrast was observed in type II muscle fibers (13) and as the result of ageing and denervation (15). Could beta-alanine supplementation help slow or even stop age related muscle wasting in active seniors? I don’t know for sure, but I would recommend beta-alanine supplementation not only to a young healthy athlete but also to active seniors looking to maintain there youthfulness and to attenuate fatigue from physical activity.Beyond the direct performance enhancements beta-alanine offers through boosting skeletal muscle carnosine levels is its effect on a process called glycation. In a nutshell, glycation causes an irreversible configuration of proteins which forms advanced glycosylation end-products (AGEs). These have been attributed to playing a role in cancer (16-19), diabetes related health complications (20-26), rheumatoid arthritis (27), heart disease (28-32), and Alzheimer’s disease (33-39).
Carnosine has proven itself an effective as both an effective antioxidant (40-45) and powerful antiglycotic (45-47) in humans. Increasing carnosine in the diet is proving to also be an effective anti-aging tool as well (48-53). Since beta-alanine has proven to increase carnosine concentrations in humans (6, 7) and based on the body of research supporting it’s efficacy I do not see why it should not be taken as a nutritional staple along with your multivitamin. It would be a wise choice for anyone who cares about their health.
Did the Product Meet the Stated Claims: 1-10 Scale
Claim 1: Contains scientifically proven ingredients and doses. One look at the label tells you all, High-Voltage BODY OCTANE© contains no gimmicky proprietary blend and works big-time!
10 out of 10: The proof is on the label.Claim 2: Improves muscular fire power and endurance by boosting muscle carnosine concentrations and aerobic ATP production.
10 out of 10: Volume training using the P/RR/S methodology and cardio sessions were made easy.Claim 3: Regulates nitric oxide and boosts plasma arginine better than arginine supplements.
8.0 out of 10: Vascularity was present 24/7 and did not diminish over the duration of the review.Claim 4: Speeds recuperation from athletic performance.
8.4 out of 10: Definitely noticeable especially during repeated bouts of maximal and supramaximal exercise.
Claim 5: Removes performance and health hindering endotoxins such as lactic acid and ammonia from the body.
9.1 out of 10: Based on the positive effect during maximal and supramaximal exercise I would have to agree.Claim 6: Increases oxygen & blood flow to exercising muscles.
9.5 out of 10: Based on the increased vascularity and performance enhancement effects I would have to agree.Claim 7: Ideal for fat loss and muscle gains.
8.7 out of 10: When considering the amount of fatigue induced by a hypocaloric diet and increased physical activity while “cutting” I would have to agree. As for muscle gains, anything which would contribute to increased performance in the gym such as this supplement would warrant strong favor as well.Final Thoughts
MAN BODY OCTANE© was a truly revolutionary product when it was released in March of 2004. In my honest opinion, it is by far the most effective hybrid beta-alanine product on the market. I respect innovation and research based formulation and why I have put so much effort forth shedding some light on this great product. The formulators for this product hit a home run and I wish them all the best. Hopefully, we will see more pioneering supplements like this one from the MAN team in the near future.
References
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