Muscletech’s NANO VAPOR® Supplement Review: 67 Ingredients?
Note: NANO VAPOR has been significantly reformulated – and simplified. I will be covering it in a separate review, rather than revising this one, however… I’d like to keep this one “as is,” as it’s a fabulous illustration of how certain supplement manufacturers use ingredient labels to try to “blind by science” (above and beyond the use of over-the-top, breathless adjectives and technobabble).
“The systematic activation of the key physiological systems crucial to prime your muscle for unrestrained size and inhuman strength was the driving force behind naNO Vapor™. Team MuscleTech researchers invested countless hours scouring stacks of scientific research to discover some of the most powerful and effective musclebuilding compounds in existence. In total, 2,180 research studies on key blends and ingredients were analyzed to precisely develop the incomparable naNO Vapor formula. As opposed to other pre-workout formulas that randomly throw ingredients together, naNO Vapor’s devastating complexes are engineered to synergistically ignite a feeling unlike anything before – the World’s Strongest Vaso-Anabolic Psychoactive Experience™.”
Uh-huh. Other companies “randomly throw ingredients together”, but NOT Muscletech. I don’t want to burst your bubble, but if you believe it’s possible to “precisely develop” a formula like NANO VAPOR® containing 67 distinct ingredients, then there’s a bridge I’d like to sell you. It’s a feat beyond the capabilities of “Big Pharma.”
The reason you never see extremely complex drug blends is because predicting interactions is difficult—however well an ingredient works in isolation, combinations (inadvertent or otherwise) create separate issues. If “Team Muscletech” has truly mastered the art of optimizing the efficacy of extremely complex blends, why on earth is the company wasting its time on niche market bodybuilding supplements???
I think the question sorta answers itself, don’t you?
Of course, just because the “precision” claim is suspect, doesn’t mean NANO VAPOR doesn’t work… it does contain some useful ingredients, after all. You can see for yourself by looking at the label:
NaNo Vapor™ Proprietary Blend 22031mg
Intravol™ (Muscle Cell Volumizing Complex)
Maltodextrin
Creatine Monohydrate
Taurine
Creatine Anhydrous
Cinnamon Extract (As Cinnamomum Cassia Blume) (Bark) Standardized To 40% Polyphenols
Creatine Malate
Creatine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
Creatine HCA
Creatine L-Pyroglutamate
Taurine Ethyl Ester HCL
Taurine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
18 Beta Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Coriolus Versicolor Powder (Plant)Vasoprime™ (Nitric Oxide Amplification Matrix)
D-Glucose Monosaccharide
L-Arginine
L-Aspartic Acid
Disodium Phosphate
Dipotassium Phosphate
Dicalcium Phosphate
Xanthinol Nicotinate
L-Arginine Ketoisocaproic Acid
L-Arginine Ethyl Ester HCL
L-Norvaline
L-Norvaline Ethyl Ester HCL
L-Citrulline
Citrulline Malate
L-Citrulline Ethyl Ester
L-Histidine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
Gynostemma Pentaphyllum Extract (Root) (Standardized To 85% Gypenosides)
Acetyl L-Carnitine L-Arginine Dihydrochloride
Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge Extract (Root) Standardized To 10% Cryptotanshinone
Artichoke Flavonoids (As Cynara Scolymus L.)(Root) Standardized To 5% Chlorogenic Acid
Crataegus Pinnatifida Bunge Extract (Fruit)NeuroAMP™ (Psychoactive Signaling Intensify Catalyst)
N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine
L-Tyrosine
Sulbutiamine
Vinpocetine
Alpha Glycerophosphocholine
Cis-9, 10-Octadecenoamide
Huperzine-A (As Huperzia Serrata)Anaphex™ (Anabolic/Anti-Catabolic Signaling Complex)
Glycine
L-Leucine
L-Isoleucine
L-Valine
Beta Alanine
Beta Alanine Ethyl Ester HCL
L-Leucine Methyl Ester HCL
L-Leucine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
L-Leucine Isovaleric Acid
L-Isoleucine Ethyl Ester HCL
L-Isoleucine Methyl Ester HCL
L-Valine Ethyl Ester HCL
L-Valine Alpha-Ketoglutarate
Alpha Amino L-ButyrateInfernogen™ (Lipid Inferno Fusion)
Caffeine Anhydrous (Standardized For 117 Mg Caffeine)
Yerba Mate Powder (As Llex Paraguariensis)(Leaf)
N-Acetyl-L-Carnitine HCL
Yohimbine HCL (Pausinystalia Yohimbe)(Bark)
Evodia Rutaecarpa Extract (As Tetradium Ruticarpum)(Fruit) (Standardized For 10% Evodiamine)
Black Tea Extract (As Camellia Sinensis)(Leaf) (Standardized For 70% Polyphenols, 50% Catechins, 25% EGCG)
Theobroma Cacao Extract (Seed) (Standardized For 6% Theobromine)
White Tea Extract (As Camellia Sinensis)(Leaf) (Standardized For 50% Polyphenols, 35% Catechins, 15% EGCG)
White Willow Extract (As Salix Alba)(Bark) (Standardized For 25% Salicin)MyoGF™ (Hormonal Growth Complex)
Quercetin Dihydrate
Dihydroxy-Diosgenin (25R-5 Alpha-Spirostan-2-Alpha, 3-Beta)
Acetyl L-Cysteine Amide
Melatonin (N-Acetyl-5-Methoxytryptamine)
It’s a looong, somewhat chaotic list, but there are some familar names there: creatine, arginine, leucine/isoleucine/valine, caffeine and so on. They’re just presented in unfamiliar—and intentionally bewildering—forms. Instead of just plain ol’ creatine, leucine, etc., NANO VAPOR contains:
- 6 different forms of creatine
- 4 different forms of leucine
- 3 different forms of taurine
- 3 different forms of valine
- 3 different forms of isoleucine
- 3 different forms of arginine
- 3 different forms of citrulline
- 2 different forms of norvaline
- 2 different forms of beta-alanine
- 2 different forms of tyrosine
Now, there’s nothing wrong with having creatine, branched chain amino acids, beta-alanine or arginine in a bodybuilding supp!
These are staple ingredients found in a great many popular products. But is it necessary to provide 10 basic compounds in 31 different ways?
Muscletech wants you to believe, for example, that 6 different forms of creatine are more effective than one, when there’s exactly zero proof that this is true.
Nor is there any proof that all this redundancy = “firepower.” Does anyone really believe that a supp like NANO VAPOR provides more “ooomph” than a far simpler pre-workout supp like USP Labs Jacked does?
It should already be apparent that NANO VAPOR is a “clown car” supplement… and we’re barely halfway through the list of ingredients!
To continue, it wouldn’t be a Muscletech supp without an array of herbal ingredients. NANO VAPOR does not disappoint, although the lineup is rather… speculative, for the most part. Ingredients like hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge), Gynostemma pentaphyllum, artichoke, Danshen root (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge), Coriolus versicolor, etc. certainly have therapeutic potential, but there’s little science to support their uses for improving either athletic performance or strength. In my opinion, most of them could be removed without users knowing the difference.
This is also true of the fat loss-oriented ingredients: yohimbine, tea extracts and (possibly) evodiamine. These are hardly needed in a pre-workout supp.
In fairness, NANO VAPOR also contains an impressive array of compounds with cognitive/mood-enhancing effects—which IS important for a pre-workout supp. Caffeine, theobromine, Tyrosine/acetyl-l-tyrosine and yerba mate are effective stimulants; while acetyl-l-carnitine, sulbutiamine (a derivative of the B-vitamin thiamine), vinpocetine, huperzine A and alpha glycerophosphocholine are all well-known nootropics/smart drugs. Healthful antioxidant compounds (quercetin, acetyl l-cysteine amide and melatonin) are also included.
Of course, who knows whether useful amounts of each compound are present? Problem is, 12g out of every 25g serving = carbs (maltodextrin and dextrose); and compounds like creatine, BCAAs and other amino acids need to be taken in multigram amounts to be effective. This explains why Muscletech recommends taking 2–3 scoops of NANO VAPOR at a time, but even then, I suspect that there are still ingredients that are underdosed.
Nonetheless, with a serving that size, there’ll be ingredients that ARE properly dosed, too. “Team Muscletech” isn’t stupid, after all… The company’s marketing may be over-the-top, but it’s rare to see a Muscletech supp that’s a total dud.
This made NANO VAPOR worth a trial run—despite the label lunacy. It comes in 4 different flavors: Orange Haze, Grape Rush, Fruit Punch and Blue Raspberry Fusion…I ordered the last to put to the test. Although I’m small, I tolerate pre-workout supps pretty well, so I opted for 2 scoops, rather than the 1 recommended for those of us who don’t yet “understand the power” of this particular supp. Flavor-wise, it wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible, either… it was bland and somewhat berry-like, with a slight chemical “bite” to it.
I found the effects were noticeable, but not dramatic. I certainly felt more alert during my workouts, and got a decent (but not exceptional) pump, but that was about it. I didn’t feel like it increased my stamina or my ability to pound out extra reps. I had my husband try it too… and his experience was similar to mine.
In other words, I thought NANO VAPOR was ok, but considering all those ingredients (not to mention the hype), it was a bit disappointing. There’s definitely less here than meets the eye.
It’s worth saying again: complexity is NOT a prerequisite for effectiveness… and NANO VAPOR is a case in point. It more-or-less gets the job done, but I’ve had better… and simpler, to boot.
