Review Of NxLabs MuscleON; The World’s Most Intense Protein?
Note: MuscleON has been discontinued.
“Years of research have led to the pivotal breakthrough in protein supplementation that forms the basis of MuscleON™ – The World’s Most Intense Protein™. It took this long to make sure new MuscleON™ was like no other muscle-building protein in existence – and it’s about to blow your mind and engorge your muscles!…Soon after trials began, astonishing results began flooding in based on clinical research performed at esteemed universities. Test subjects taking key ingredients found in MuscleON gained an average of 12.4 pounds of rock-hard new lean muscle mass.”
Pretty bold claims for a protein powder, no? But then again, NxLabs claims MuscleON is a protein powder like no other. Can using it as directed really slap 12+ pounds of lean muscle on your frame? Or is it all just hype?
To answer that, we need to take a look at the formula…
(1) NANO-PRO™ (Anabolic Pulse-Release Fractioned Protein) 28,051mg
Calcium Caseinate (Bovine Milk)
Milk Protein Isolate (Bovine)
Micellar Casein
Milk Protein Isolate (Goat)
Albumin (Egg)
NANO-WHEY™ (Triple-Level Whey Protein Matrix)
Whey Protein Concentrate (Bovine Milk)
Whey Protein Isolate (Bovine Milk)
Biozate® Hydrolyzed Whey Protein Isolate (Bovine Milk)(2) Syntha-SIZE™ (Muscle Synthesizing Technology) 8,671mg
MyoSORB™ (Amino Acid Up-Take Delivery Technolgy)
Aminogen® Protease (Aspergillus Niger)(Aspergillus Oryzea)
Lactase (Aspergillus Oryzea)
Cinnulin PF® Cassia Extract (Cinnamomum Cassia)(Bark)[0.95% Trimeric And Tetrameric A-Type Polymers]
Promillin® Fenugreek Extract (Trigonalla Foenum-Graecum)(Seed)[20% 4-Hydroxyisoleucine]
MyoEXPAND™ (Vaso-Expanding Nutrient Delivery Technology)
L-Arginine
Pine Bark (Pinus Massoniana)(Bark)[95% Proanthocyanidins]
L-Arginine Alpha Ketoglutarate
MyoFUSE™ (Anabolic Amino Acid Muscle Stimulant)
Amino Acid Complex™
L-Leucine (3 g)
L-Lysine (2.7 g)
L-Glutamine (1.0 g)
L-Tyrosine (1.0 g)
L-Methionine
L-Histidine
L-Valine
L-Phenylalanine
L-Isoleucine
L-Aspartate(3) ProteoFUSE™ (Protein Synthesis Enhancing B-Complex)
Niacinamide (20 mg)
Vitamin B6 (Pyroxidine Hydrochloride) (2 mg)
Folic Acid (400mcg)
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin) (6 mcg)
(4) OmegaBURN™ (Metabolism Enhancing EFA Matrix) 3,028mg
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS)(Chicory Root)
Medium Chain Triglycerides (Palm/Coconut Fruit)
Flax (Linum Usitatissimum)(Seed)
Sesame Extract (Sesamum Indicum)(Seed)
Bitter Melon Extract (Momordica Charantia)(Fruit)
Borage Oil (Borago Officinalis)(Seed)
Congugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)(Safflower Oil)
Green Tea Extract (Camellia Sinensis)(Leaf)[50% EGCG]
Those proprietary blends look pretty impressive, don’t they? Nonetheless, first impressions can be a bit misleading… and they are, in this case. To see why, let’s take these blends apart, one at a time.
(1) NANO-PRO™ (Anabolic Pulse-Release Fractioned Protein) 28,051mg This is, not surprisingly, the “core” of formula. It’s a mixture of caseins and whey proteins, along with some egg albumin. Casein and whey are both pretty useful for building and maintaining muscle mass: the former is anti-catabolic and the latter is highly anabolic. Together, they’re a potent combination…which is why they’re found together in nature as well.
(2) Syntha-SIZE™ (Muscle Synthesizing Technology) 8,671mg This consists of 3 separate sub-blends: MyoSORB, MyoEXPAND and MyoFUSE. I’m going to take these out of sequence, and discuss the MyoFUSE blend first…for reasons that will be apparent below.
MyoFUSE contains 10 amino acids…but only the amounts of the first 4 are listed. These are:
- L-Leucine (3g) – the most important of the three branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), as it initiates muscle protein synthesis.
- L-Lysine (2.7g) – another essential amino acid.
- L-Glutamine (1g) – a conditionally-essential amino acid with anti-catabolic properties, but its benefits for building muscle—even in much larger amounts—are questionable.
- L-Tyrosine (1g) – the precursor to the catecholamine neurotransmitters (dopamine, epinephrine, etc.). Supplemental tyrosine can improve mood/cognitive performance under stress.
So far, so good, I guess… Now, what about the other 6?
They’re not even worth discussing.
Why? Let’s do the math:
3g + 2.7g + 1g + 1g = 7.7g (7,700mg)
Together, these 4 amino acids take up 7,700mg…or nearly 90% of the entire Syntha-SIZE blend. Know what that means?
8,671mg – 7,700mg = 971mg
Yup, you guessed it. There’s only 971mg of “room” left to accommodate the remaining aminos, PLUS all the other ingredients in the MyoSORB and MyoEXPAND blends. Those 6 amino acids are almost certainly a) underdosed; and b) dwarfed by the amino acids from the proteins in the NANO-PRO blend.
In other words, they’re largely irrelevant.
This has obvious implications for the MyoSORB and MyoEXPAND blends, too. 971 mg might be enough space to accommodate nutrients useful in amounts < 100mg, but as you’ll see below, that isn’t the case. For example, the MyoSORB blend contains…
- Aminogen – a proprietary proteolytic enzyme preparation which is used to enhance protein digestibility. According to the manufacturer’s own studies, relatively large doses (1–5g) are needed to make a significant impact on digestion/absorption.
- Lactase – an enzyme that digests lactose, the sugar found in milk. Since many dairy-based protein powders contain traces of lactose, lactase is a useful ingredient for those who are lactose-intolerant.
- Cinnulin – a proprietary, water-soluble cinnamon extract produced by Integrity Nutraceuticals. It’s standardized for polyphenol type-A polymers, which have been shown to have insulin-like activity in-vitro. A recent, peer-reviewed study demonstrated that Cinnulin PF improved fasting blood glucose, blood pressure and body composition in pre-diabetic subjects…but the dose was 500mg/day.
- Promillin – a proprietary Fenugreek extract standardized to provide 20% 4-hydroxyisoleucine, a unique amino acid that acts as an insulin secretagogue under experimental conditions. While it certainly has therapeutic promise, studies on its benefits for exercise recovery are conflicting: it may—or may not—boost rates of post-exercise glycogen synthesis. Nonetheless, the positive trial used 2.0 mg/kg of 4-hydroxyisoleucine—which is the equivalent of 140mg for a 70kg man. 700mg of a 20% extract would thus be needed to supply this amount.
If we credit the studies, we’d need 2+ grams of these ingredients to see significant results.
It’s the same deal with the MyoEXPAND blend, which contains a combination of l-arginine and arginine alpha-ketoglutarate (AAKG). As those of you who are familiar with NO (nitric oxide) boosters are aware, a typical dose is 2–3g (sometimes more). And while pine bark extract can boost nitric oxide production, we don’t know if the dose in MuscleON is even close to what’s been studied. There’s only so much you can cram into 971mg, after all.
(3) ProteoFUSE™ (Protein Synthesis Enhancing B-Complex) I’m generally not impressed with the addition of B-vitamins to various sports supplements. Yes, they’re needed for a wide range of vital physiological processes, but there’s little evidence to suggest that taking surplus vites will enhance performance or improve muscle gains. Most of the trainees I know already take a multivitamin and consume fortified foods of some kind. Thus, even more niacinamide, B6, folate and B12 are likely superfluous.
(4) OmegaBURN™ (Metabolism Enhancing EFA Matrix) 3,028mg This is another problematic blend, as it contains some good ingredients…but—just as with the Syntha-SIZE blend—it’s not large enough to contain useful doses of everything. For example:
- Fructooligosaccharides – a type of short-chain carbohydrate that’s poorly digested by humans, but can be utilized by probiotic “good” bacteria in the gut. This is why they’re often designated as “prebiotics”. A typical dose is 4–6g/day.
- Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) – a type of fat consisting of shorter chain fatty acids w/6–12 carbon atoms. Typically derived from coconut oil, MCTs are oxidized much more easily than the long chain triglycerides found in common food fats/oils, and have a greater thermic effect. MCTs have been proposed as replacements for dietary fats to facilitate weight loss, although comparatively large amounts are needed.
- Flax – Flax seeds are a source of fiber, minerals and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3 fatty acid). Flax is a useful and nutritious food, but once again, a typical dose is 1–2 tablespoons (10–20g).
- Sesame Extract – a source of the lignans sesamin and sesamol. Sesamin in particular has been marketed as a fat loss supplement, in doses of >5g/day.
- Bitter Melon – used as both a food and medicinal plant in Asia/Southeast Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Bitter melon has hypoglycemic effects, due to the ability of various components to inhibit alpha-glucosidase activity (which slows carbohydrate digestion), improve insulin signalling and reduce insulin resistance. There is no established dose, although supplements typically contain 250–500mg of extract.
- Borage Oil – a source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). GLA is an omega-6 fatty acid with anti-inflammatory effects. A typical supplemental dose of borage oil is 500mg–1g.
- Conjugated Linoleic Acid – a mixture of linoleic acid isomers used as a fat loss supplement. CLA is typically taken in doses >3g/day.
- Green Tea Extract – a concentrated source of polyphenols used as an ingredient in a wide variety of fat loss supplements. Green tea extract has thermogenic and antioxidant activities. The dose varies with the quality of the extract (a standardized extract is preferred).
Whew! See what I mean? It’s a nice-looking blend, but there’s just not enough “room” in ~3 grams for them all.
At any rate, this covers all the ingredients—such as they are. What can we conclude from all the above?
My “take” is that MuscleON is a decent, leucine-fortified protein blend—nothing less… and really nothing more. To return to the question at the top, “…is it all just hype?”—I’d say the answer is both yes AND no. When it comes to all those “extras”, the numbers don’t lie… there’s less to MuscleON than meets the eye. On the flip side, however, supplemental protein is a bodybuilder’s best friend—so MuscleON certainly delivers on that score.
It also delivers in one other key area: taste. While the formula may not live up to its billing, the flavor definitely makes up for it. I bought a container of the Chocolate Infusion and loved it: it’s rich and silky, even dissolved in plain water. In fact, it’s one of the best-tasting protein powders I’ve ever used.
Moreover, it’s quite satiating, thanks to the slow-digesting casein(s), fat and fiber content. I did a short cut while testing MuscleON, and found this property to be quite useful. A scoop, mixed in a glass of water + a teaspoon of fish oil, was an excellent snack… verrrry satisfying (in addition to being a great way to get a chocolate fix!).
As regular readers know, I tend to frown on overhyped products with padded ingredient labels. In the end, however, I liked MuscleON and thought it worked pretty well for me. “The World’s Most Intense Protein” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, for sure, but it’s still a tasty way to take your protein.
