PES Anabeta Testosterone Booster Review

Posted By Paul on Oct 7, 2012 | 0 comments

Anabeta is PES’s (Physique Enhancing Science) “natural myotropic phenomenon”, as witnessed by this sales pitch…

“PES, the leader in innovation and nutritional science has released a completely ground-breaking new compound found only in the new AnaBeta!  This naturally engineered extract has shown to build lean, quality muscle without the use of harsh hormones that destroy the liver and cause estrogen dominance.

No suppression means no Post Cycle Therapy or diminished testosterone levels, or unwanted estrogenic side effects like water retention, gynecomastia, and testicular atrophy.  The age of prohormones and the risks associated with them to build muscle has passed…Enter the Age of AnaBeta!“

Of course, Anabeta is no ordinary “test booster”…

“If we increase testosterone we then increase our natural muscle growth. PES wanted to be more innovative than this. Instead of creating a product that just increases your testosterone …why don’t we find a natural myotropic ingredient that elicits its own muscle enhancing effect without causing any suppression, toxicity, or requiring a PCT? Well, we did exactly that with AnaBeta!”

This certainly all sounds pretty impressive. The question, of course, is simple; what evidence is there to support these claims?

To answer that, let’s take a look at the formula—and to PES’ credit, it is quite simple; Anabeta contains only 1 ingredient: Anacyclus pyrethrum extract. Used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries, Anacyclus pyrethrum is a “perennial herb much like chamomile in habitat and appearance.”

A recent study confirms that an ethanol solution extract of Anacyclus pyrethrum root does appear to have some “test boosting” effect…

“Extract administration at all the doses produced significant increase in body weight, sperm count, motility, and viability along with serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone concentrations.”

That’s great, except the test “subjects” PES refers to in their sales copy aren’t weight lifters or body builders, or even everyday Joes and Josephines… they are Wistar rats.

To date, there are no human based studies that validate Anacyclus pyrethrum’s effects. And while small, positive animal studies are a good start, they are only that… a good start. As you know, results demonstrated in animal studies do not always translate over to humans.

And that is not the only problem.

Suppose Anacyclus pyrethrum does raise testosterone levels. It’s one thing to do this, but it’s quite another to do so to the point where you actually increase lean mass and strength.

Will Brink calls this point the “physiological threshold”, and in his article, “The Facts On Testosterone Boosting Supplements“, sums it up this way…

“If you take a small amount of testosterone, say 25mg per week of T- propionate, will your testosterone levels go up slightly for a short time? Yes. Will your muscle mass increase and or your strength increase? Nope. Anyone who has ever taken any T – or knows the first thing about the topic – knows  there’s a threshold dose at which one actually experiences changes in body composition and or strength.

The point being, it’s one thing to show formula/ingredient X has had some small impact on serum testosterone (and most have not…), quite another to show that change actually had any effects on body composition or other end points people using such products generally care about, such as increases in strength and muscle mass.

As with any hormone, there’s a physiological threshold that has to be met before it actually impacts muscle mass, strength, etc.”

In this article, Will goes on to indicate that changes in body composition generally start at around 200mg per week of testosterone cypionate at the least. To suggest Anabeta, or any other natural test booster is going to perform in a similar manner is just… laughable.

Second, there is no mention of “free testosterone” levels in the full study, and that is important, since it is the free testosterone that is biologically active. As our scientific and technical advisor Elissa Lowe put it…

“A rise in serum T combined with a compensatory rise in sex hormone binding globulin won’t do anyone any good.”

Third, while PES makes it appear like Anacyclus pyrethrum extract’s effect on testosterone levels makes it revolutionary it the world of herbal supplements, it isn’t. The following is just a short list of herbal treatments that have demonstrated t-boosting effects in the rat model…

• http://maxwellsci.com/print/ajms/v2-138-140.pdf: Acacia polyacantha
• http://www.brazjurol.com.br/july_august_2007/El_Tantawy_ing_554_559.pdf: Tribulus alatus
• http://examine.com/supplements/Bulbine+Natalensis/: Bulbine natalensis
• http://www.ergo-log.com/onionjuice.html: Onion juice
• http://www.ergo-log.com/gingertest.html: Ginger
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22966245: Tongkat Ali / Eurycoma

None of this seems to concern the makers of Anabeta, who state…

“If the science isn’t enough for you to believe that just read the feedback from AnaBeta users.”

Unfortunately, testimonials are not a good indication of whether a product “works” or not. For one, it is impossible to authenticate them. Testimonials are easily fabricated. And even if they are 100% genuine, at best they are only anecdotal evidence.

PES makes some other statements about their product—that it doesn’t require PCT (post cycle therapy) or cause “estrogenic” side effects.

Essentially, this can be said for every non-pharmaceutical testosterone-boosting product on the market. Why? Because none of them are particularly good at raising test levels and they certainly do not raise them to the sort of super-physiological levels necessary to require PCT, or an anti-estrogen like Nolvadex or Clomid.

This is what is known in advertising as “spin.”

So where does that leave Anabeta?

If you are OK with purchasing a product on the basis on a few animal studies and some unverifiable anecdotal evidence, then by all means. It’s not outrageously priced, costing about $40 for a month’s supply. If nothing else, it might be a decent aphrodisiac, based on its traditional use. Other “benefits” could be considered a bonus.

However, if you’re looking for a muscle-building product backed by peer-reviewed, human-based clinical trials, then this product is definitely not for you.