Review: German American Technologies JetFUSE NOX

Posted By elissa on May 19, 2009 | 1 comment

“Get ready, and light the fuse. New JetFUSE by GAT is the bomb! The most powerful and complete N.O. pre-training driver, ever! Faster anabolic, superior, super-human strength, now! Scientifically and carefully formulated for the most heightened intensity, strength, energy, drive, alertness and focus you can really feel. JetFUSE’s powerful building blocks fortify your blood during training. Quickly pack on seriously denser, quality muscle during exercise. This all-new muscle sparing, super-catalyst signals the most efficient muscle growth while creating the most awesome muscle pumps you’ve ever had. JetFUSE truly delivers…and tastes awesome!”

JetFUSE NOX is German American Technologies’ entry in the pre-workout/nitric oxide-booster product competition. Like others in the genre, it’s an “all-in-one” product, designed to produce a pump, sharpen focus/concentration, reduce fatigue, and otherwise power through a heavy workout.

What’s it got goin’ on? Here’s the label…

JetFUSE Proprietary Blend 20,500mg

GAT JetFUSE For Size & Optimized Pump
L-Arginine AKG, L-Arginine, Di-Arginine Malate, Creatine Anhydrous, Creatine Monohydrate, Waxy Maize (Ultra-High Molecular Weight Long Chain Starch)
L-Taurine
L-Citrulline Malate

GAT JetFUSE For Focus & Intensity
Beta Alanine
L-Tyrosine
Green Tea
Glucuronolactone

JetFUSE For Muscle Repair, Growth, Stamina, Speed, & Endurance
L-Leucine
L-Valine
L-Isoleucine
Acai Extract
Mangosteen Extract
Vitamin C
L-Glutamine
Modified Glucose Polymers
1,3,7-Trimethylxanthine
Betaine

GAT JetFUSE Electrolytes For Replenishment
Di-Calcium Phosphate
Di-Potassium Phosphate
Di-Sodium Phosphate

As you can see, JetFUSE NOX’s 25 ingredients are divided between 4 proprietary blends. Let’s take a closer look at each one…

GAT JetFUSE For Size & Optimized Pump: There’s nothing particularly novel here: arginine, creatine, waxy maize starch, taurine and citrulline malate are (mostly) tried ‘n’ true ingredients.

Arginine and creatine are front and center in most competing products, and it’s not hard to understand why. Arginine, of course, is the immediate precursor for nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, while creatine contributes to both lean mass and strength gains. Citrulline malate is a good complement to the two. As noted in the citrulline review, it can a) serve as a back up source of arginine; and b) improve aerobic energy production.

Waxy maize starch is an alternate carbohydrate source that—for a while—was heavily touted as a superior alternative to conventional sources (i.e., dextrose and maltodextrin). Although it’s now being viewed in a more realistic light, in my opinion, it’s still “good enough for government work”—particularly in a supp like this, where the carb component isn’t particularly critical.

Taurine is a non-essential, non-protein amino acid that serves a number of important functions in the body. It acts as an antioxidant and can improve insulin sensitivity, so—in theory—taurine could be a useful addition to a creatine-containing formula. On the other hand, there’s no evidence that it actually has any effect on creatine uptake. As researcher Richard Kreider wrote :

“Although we have found that creatine supplementation…is effective in promoting gains in strength and muscle mass, we have not found that the addition of taurine (3 grams/day for 2 weeks) had any added benefit.”

GAT JetFUSE For Focus & Intensity: This blend also contains some pretty familiar ingredients…beta-alanine, l-tyrosine, green tea and glucuronolactone are used in quite a few supps these days.

Beta-alanine is one-half of the naturally-occurring dipeptide carnosine (beta-alanyl-l-histidine), which—among other functions—helps to buffer hydrogen ions produced during intense muscular contractions.

Beta-alanine supplementation has been shown to increase storage of muscle carnosine, reduce muscular fatigue, and improve high-intensity athletic performance.

L-tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid synthesized from phenylalanine.

Tyrosine is a precursor for several important physiological compounds, including thyroid hormone(s) and the catecholamine neurotransmitters (dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine). It’s been shown to improve mood and performance under environmental and physical stress.

Green tea is a popular beverage and addition to any number of fat loss supplements, due to its documented antioxidant and thermogenic activity. Green tea is also a source of caffeine and l-theanine, a non-protein amino acid that has relaxant and neuroprotective effects.

Finally, glucuronolactone is a naturally-occurring metabolite of glucose. It’s used in energy drinks as well as some pre-workout supplements as an energy booster. There are no studies on glucuronolactone to validate its use for enhancing mood or energy, although most people using the bulk powder give it a thumbs up. I’ve tried it myself: it seems to give a mild boost.

JetFUSE For Muscle Repair, Growth, Stamina, Speed, & Endurance: This is a sort of catch-all blend, containing the branched chain amino acids (BCAAs)/glutamine, antioxidants, carbs, caffeine and betaine.

Both the BCAAs and glutamine are reviewed separately here on the site, so only a few words are needed…The three BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine and valine) are essential amino acids that play important roles in stimulating protein synthesis, reducing catabolism and delaying fatigue. Glutamine is a conditionally-essential amino acid and bodybuilding staple, due to its immune-enhancing and anticatabolic properties (at least in larger doses).

Acai extract, mangosteen extract and vitamin C are all sources of antioxidant nutrients. Acai and mangosteen are “superfruits” with high ORAC activity and reputed (but unproven) health benefits. Vitamin C, of course, is an essential micronutrient that must be supplied in the diet.

“Modified glucose polymers” and “1,3,7-trimethylxanthine” are just different ways of writing “maltodextrin” (carb source) and “caffeine”, respectively. Lastly, betaine = trimethylglycine: a methyl donor that can help reduce plasma homocysteine—a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It may also protect the liver against fatty liver disease.

GAT JetFUSE Electrolytes For Replenishment: All three of these compounds are common inorganic salts used to supply electrolyte minerals (sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus) that are lost in sweat during hard exercise. Sodium is the most important of the lot to replace, but there’s little harm to including the others.

So—taking all 4 blends together—what can we conclude?

In my opinion, JetFUSE NOX appears to hit the right notes w/respect to pump, fatigue reduction and alertness, but I was a bit disappointed to NOT see some of my favorite nootropics (vinpocetine, huperzine A, picamilon) in the formula…in the end, caffeine and tyrosine wake me up, but don’t quite cut it in the focus/concentration department (in other words, they get me “wired” but not especially “fired”).

A test drive confirmed this. I ordered the “Exotic Fruit” flavor and took two scoops prior to my workouts over a 3 week period.

Taste-wise, it was ok, although not great…it had a sort of a Hawaiian Punch/chemical flavor that was drinkable, but not as good as some others I’ve used, such as SuperCharge Xtreme N.O. or SuperPump 250. It did not dissolve all that well, either, thanks to the BCAAs, which are hydrophobic and tend to clump at the top of solutions.

My “so-so” reaction to the formula carried over to my workouts. JetFUSE NOX certainly helped me shake off any pre-workout tiredness or lassitude I (occasionally) have…likewise, the pumps were good. I can’t say I felt anything beyond that, however. It didn’t really do anything for my mood or ability to eke out some extra reps through sheer force of will. To paraphrase Gertrude Stein, there was no “there,” there.

I don’t mean this as a slam, per se, on the product: there are some good—even healthful—ingredients here, and it did have some (modest) positive effects. But I’ve trialed quite a few competing products over the last couple of years, and had better (I really enjoyed Controlled Labs’ White Flood, for example).

Overall, I guess I’d put JetFUSE NOX somewhere in the middle of the pack—ok, but not destined to be one of my faves. If you’re interested, it’s available online at BodyBuilding.com, our recommended online retailer.