Ingredients Glossary
learn about each of our effective, scientific study-backed ingredients below.
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zumxr® extended-release caffeine
ZumXR® Extended-Release Caffeine provides a steady time-released dose of caffeine every hour for up to 6 hours. For more information see caffeine.
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whey protein
Whey Isolate is absorbed quicker than any other protein on earth. When absorbed, whey isolate sends a rapid flood of amino acids into your bloodstream. These amino acids trigger muscle protein synthesis (MPS), the process that repairs and builds muscle.
Whey Concentrate:
Whey Concentrate is absorbed slower than whey isolate, but actually creates a greater spike in MPS. When the two types of protein are combined, there is a fast-acting and long-lasting spike in MPS that is ideal for muscle growth and repair.
Moreover, there is no protein on the planet that promotes MPS better than whey protein, this includes all types of foods and vegetarian proteins.
Whey Concentrate has the added bonus of being rich in immunoglobulins and bioactive peptides, which in turn provides numerous health benefits such as immunity & antioxidant support, lipid support, bone support, liver support, and heart support.
Grass-Fed:
It is interesting to note that grass-fed whey isolate has 4% more protein, gram for gram than average whey isolates.
Additionally, grass-fed cow’s milk has greater CLA, Vitamin A & E, beta-Carotene and Omega-3 when compared to grain-fed cows.
Found In:
Grass-Fed Whey Protein -
vitamin d
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is activated by the sun. It is important for skin repair and growth, as well as being necessary for bone health.
Vitamin D is perfect for hair, skin, and nails when combined with Biotin and collagen protein.
Found In:
Total Tone -
vitamin b6
Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is an essential vitamin that your body needs for various functions. Your body cannot produce this vitamin though, so it must be consumed in food and supplements.
Consuming adequate amounts of B6 is important for optimal health.
For Weight Loss:
Vitamin B6 increases the efficiency of carbohydrate metabolism, which helps maintain lean body composition.
Also, B6 prevents the accumulation of fat.
Finally, Vitamin B6 increases thyroid hormone function. As a result, your metabolism speeds up which results in weight loss.
Found In:
Fat Loss -
phosphatidic acid
For Muscle Endurance:
Phosphatidic acid is a naturally occurring phospholipid that acts as a cellular messenger in the brain, nerves, and muscles.
During intense exercise, phospholipids improve nerve and muscle endurance, decrease fatigue, and lower lactic acid concentration.
This improves exercise and athletic performance.
For Muscle Growth:
Phosphatidic Acid stimulates muscle growth thru at least two different pathways:
- Phosphatidic Acid activates p70-S6 (muscle growth promoter), which is normally stimulated by resistance exercise.
- It is also a regulator of mTOR activation, which is the mechanism by which muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and muscle growth occur.
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l-tyrosine
L-Tyrosine is a naturally occurring amino acid that acts as a nootropic that improves brain function.
L-Tyrosine can also be used to support weight loss.
As a Nootropic:
L-Tyrosine is used by the body to manufacture a number of hormones and neurotransmitters including dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and thyroxine.
Increasing these hormone and neurotransmitter levels leads to increased wakefulness, as well as improved mood, focus and attention.
Additionally, boosting these hormone and neurotransmitter levels protects your mental state in periods of stress.
To elaborate, when you experience stress, your brain releases norepinephrine to stimulate your central nervous system (CNS), and to increase your energy and mental power.
Unfortunately, this depletes the norepinephrine stores, which produces fatigue, and in the presence of stress can produce anxiety.
To combat this, L-Tyrosine increases the rate of noradrenaline synthesis so that you are less susceptible to stress, and so you do not experience an energy crash.
Studies show that L-Tyrosine increases both memory and mental performance under psychological stress and in distracting environments.
L-tyrosine functions synergistically with L-Carnitine, Caffeine, and Alpha-GPC to improve brain performance.
For Weight Loss:
L-Tyrosine also acts as an appetite suppressant. Higher levels of L-Tyrosine in your body tell your brain that you are full, which in turn decreases appetite.
Moreover, L-Tyrosine stimulates the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Again, higher norepinephrine levels decrease appetite.
Also, the combination of L-Tyrosine and caffeine will increase fat burning.
Finally, L-Tyrosine works synergistically with L-Carnitine to increase fat oxidation.
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l-theanine
L-Theanine is a naturally occurring amino acid that is typically found in green tea and black tea.
L-Theanine acts as a nootropic that amazingly has the dual effect of improving mental focus, while also minimizing your response to stress.
Interesting to note, L-Theanine normally creates a relaxed, sleepy state. However, when it is combined with caffeine, it has the opposite effect and improves alertness and concentration.
As a nootropic, L-Theanine provides greater visual acuity, greater muscle dexterity, significantly increased mental focus, self-reported alertness, better reaction times to stimulus, better memory recall, and longer natural attention span.
How it Works:
L-Theanine increases the production of GABA, an amino acid and neurotransmitter that works to calm the mind and body.
L-Theanine also works to block L-Glutamic Acid from binding to specific brain receptors that produce the “fight or flight” reaction.
Finally, L-Theanine limits the neurochemicals which cause stress reactions and reduce mental clarity.
Other:
L-Theanine works synergistically with caffeine to modulate the stimulatory effects that caffeine can produce. It also works synergistically with L-Carnitine, L-Tyrosine, and Alpha-GPC to improve mental processing, mood, and clarity.
Found In:
Brain -
l-carnitine
L-Carnitine is an amino acid naturally produced in the body. When given as a supplement, it functions as a natural nootropic.
How it Works:
L-Carnitine increases the acetylcholine levels in your Central Nervous System (CNS). Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter, meaning it is a chemical used to send signals between nerve cells.
L-Carnitine also increases brain cell energy by increasing the production of ATP. It does this by helping convert fat molecules into ATP energy molecules that the cells use to function better.
This improved brain energy and increased acetylcholine lead to improved memory formation, learning, memory recall, critical thinking, focus, attention, and decreased mental fatigue.
Other:
L-Carnitine works synergistically with Alpha-GPC to increase the rate of acetylcholine formation to a greater extent than either ingredient does alone.
Because L-Carnitine increases the use of fat for energy production, it has been found to be a useful ingredient for fat loss.
Found In:
Brain -
hmb
HMB is naturally produced in the body as a metabolite of the amino acid Leucine. This is similar to HICA, however, it is created via a different pathway than HICA metabolism.
For Muscle Endurance:
HMB helps in the repair, recovery and growth phases of the muscle.
High-intensity training sessions and long-lasting athletic events cause significant muscle breakdown. HMB minimizes this.
Studies also show that HMB supplementation directly correlates with improved athletic performance.
Finally, studies show HMB also has positive effects from a health standpoint in benefiting the cardiovascular system and lipids.
For Muscle Growth:
HMB works through a series of chemical reactions in the muscle cell that turns on growth genes within the cell.
These chemical reactions then stimulate mTOR, and in turn stimulate muscle protein synthesis (MPS), the process that repairs and builds muscle.
Clinical trials have shown that HMB supplementation can increase bench press 55%, and increase lower body strength over 100% when compared to placebo.
Moreover, other trials resulted in increases in 1-RM by 14%, as well as increased lean muscle mass.
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5-htp
Your body naturally produces the amino acid 5-HTP, also known as 5-Hydroxytryptophan. 5-HTP cannot be consumed in foods.
In your body, 5-HTP creates serotonin, which is a chemical messenger that sends signals between your nerve cells.
For Weight Loss:
5-HTP is used for weight loss because it is an appetite suppressant.
Found In:
Fat Loss -
1-3-7 trimethylxanthine
1-3-7 Trimethylxanthine is basic caffeine. For more information see caffeine.
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hica
p>For Muscle Endurance:Intense exercise will cause exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) that leads to adaptations in the muscle that vary based on the type of athletic activity. Unfortunately, EIMD is the cause of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
With that said, your body uses the amino acid Leucine to fuel, repair, and adapt to intense exercise. One of the metabolites of Leucine is known as HICA.
HICA is used to limit the amount of muscle breakdown.
The prevention of muscle breakdown is anti-catabolic and results in less EIMD, less DOMS, and improved recovery and adaptations.
For Muscle Growth:
Scientific trials have shown that HICA supplementation in soccer players and wrestlers performing 2x and 3x a-day training increased lean muscle mass, while the placebo group actually lost muscle.
For Recovery:
Scientific trials also indicate that HICA decreases delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) compared to placebo groups.
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fucoxanthin
Fucoxanthin is a natural substance and a member of the carotenoid family. It is found in some types of seaweed, such as wakame.
Just like most carotenoids, fucoxanthin is an antioxidant.
Additionally, studies indicate fucoxanthin may reduce inflammation and promote healthy liver, brain, skin, bones, and eyes functionality.
For Weight Loss:
Fucoxanthin speeds up your metabolism and stimulates your body’s ability to burn fat.
Studies also indicate fucoxanthin helps prevent the growth and build-up of fat.
Found In:
Fat Loss -
creatine
For Muscle Endurance:
Creatine is a naturally occurring molecule. In the muscle, it takes the form of Phosphocreatine, which is used to create the energy molecule ATP that is needed for muscle fiber contraction.
Supplementing with creatine increases the amount of phosphocreatine in the muscle, and thus increases the amount of ATP available to muscle fibers.
Increased muscle ATP allows the muscle to work longer and harder.
For Muscle Growth:
Creatine supplementation increases the size of the different muscle fiber types: type I (slow-twitch), type IIA (fast-twitch) and type IIX (very fast-twitch) muscle fibers. This, in turn, leads to greater muscle mass.
Creatine supplementation also allows for greater work by the muscle and as such increases muscle growth factors.
For Health:
Concussions: It is now thought that creatine supplementation can be supportive in concussion recovery by helping replenish brain energy stores. In fact, it is known that creatine levels in the brain decrease after sustaining a concussion.
As a nootropic: Creatine improves the variability of reaction time. Also, creatine supplementation with vegetarians has been shown to improve memory.
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collagen protein
Most popularly, collagen protein adds shine and strengthens your skin, hair, and nails. It also actually improves the elasticity and texture of your skin.
That said, collagen protein also has positive effects on joint pain, bone health, and the digestive tract. In fact, it actually has a very high concentration of the amino acid glycine that is vital to a healthy gut lining.
Studies also show that collagen protein can stimulate muscle growth and repair, and it can even help older individuals preserve muscle mass when aging.
Collagen protein is most effective in the predigested (hydrolyzed) form.
Found In:
Total Tone -
cla (conjugated linoleic acid)
CLA is an essential fatty acid that must be consumed because our body cannot produce it on its own. Essential fatty acids help maintain healthy tissues and organs like the digestive tract and brain.
Normally, CLA is found in meat and milk. It should be noted that it is found in higher concentrations in the beef and dairy of grass-fed animals.
For Weight Loss:
CLA increases the use and burning of stored fat within fat cells called adipocytes. It accomplishes this by telling your body to burn the adipocytes as a fuel source.
Also, CLA not only discourages the formation of new fat cells but it also actually promotes programmed fat cell death.
Other:
Studies indicate that CLA will promote lean muscle growth when combined with proper exercise.
Other clinical trials suggest CLA may play a role in supporting the immune system.
Found In:
CLA -
choline
There are 3 forms of choline used in supplements: choline, CDP-choline, and Alpha-GPC. See Alpha-GPC for more details.
CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid)
CLA is an essential fatty acid that must be consumed because our body cannot produce it on its own. Essential fatty acids help maintain healthy tissues and organs like the digestive tract and brain.
Normally, CLA is found in meat and milk. It should be noted that it is found in higher concentrations in the beef and dairy of grass-fed animals.
For Weight Loss:
CLA increases the use and burning of stored fat within fat cells called adipocytes. It accomplishes this by telling your body to burn the adipocytes as a fuel source.
Also, CLA not only discourages the formation of new fat cells but it also actually promotes programmed fat cell death.
Other:
Studies indicate that CLA will promote lean muscle growth when combined with proper exercise.
Other clinical trials suggest CLA may play a role in supporting the immune system.
Found In:
CLA -
biotin
Biotin is a form of Vitamin B that is important for healthy skin, hair, and nails. Biotin deficiencies can lead to brittle hair and nails and scaly skin.
Biotin is perfect for hair, skin, and nails when combined with Vitamin D and collagen protein.
Found In:
Total Tone -
egcg
EGCG is a type of plant compound called catechin that is often found in green tea. Studies show that catechins like EGCG act as powerful antioxidants that protect you from cellular damage caused by free radicals.
EGCG can also be found in other teas like white, oolong and black tea, and in some fruits like blackberries, strawberries, apples, and avocados.
EGCG is the most potent and most researched catechin.
For Weight Loss:
EGCG is excellent for weight loss, especially when paired with caffeine.
EGCG will promote fat breakdown and increase fat burning, both during exercise and at rest.
Found In:
Fat Loss -
digestive enzymes
Adding digestive enzymes to a protein will help break down protein into amino acids, and improve protein’s absorption into your system.
This can increase the effectiveness of protein by 2-3X.
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caffeine
Caffeine is an all-natural nootropic meaning it enhances the function of the brain. Though commonly used to help with wakefulness (waking up in the morning or staying awake), caffeine actually works by amplifying the processes in the brain, making it work better, rather than by turning on the wakefulness systems in the brain.
How it Works:
Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS consists of the brain, spinal cord, and the nerves coming out of the spinal cord.
It improves physical movement, coordination, and mental processing, making it a very significant aid when performing sports and athletic activities.
Other:
Caffeine works synergistically (meaning the effect of each ingredient is amplified when they work together) when combined with L-Theanine and Alpha-GPC.
For Weight Loss:
Caffeine can increase metabolic rate, boost fat loss, stimulate thermogenesis, and suppress appetite.
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beta-alanine
For Endurance:
When muscles work hard, they build up waste products like lactic acid. Excess lactic acid is one of the factors that cause muscle fatigue. When this lactic acid buildup is neutralized, the muscle can contract more effectively, and endurance is improved.
The amino acid carnosine is the best lactic acid buffer. Supplementing with carnosine is not effective though, because it is broken down in the GI tract, which means it does not reach the muscle. Lucky for us, carnosine is formed from beta-alanine.
Thus, beta-alanine leads to improvements in muscle endurance and exercise capacity. Specifically, it improves the anaerobic threshold and time to exhaustion.
For Muscle Growth:
Beta-Alanine helps you train harder and longer by allowing you to increase the intensity of your workouts thru greater anaerobic capacity.
Increased training volume results in greater time seen under tension, and thus more muscle growth.
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BCAAs (branched-chain amino acids)
There are 20 naturally occurring amino acids encoded in our genes. Nine of the amino acids are Essential Amino Acids (EAA’s) meaning your body cannot make them, so you must eat them. Three of the EAA’s are further sub-classified by their chemical structure and are called Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs). The BCAA’s are leucine, isoleucine, and valine.
Leucine, isoleucine, and valine make up 35% of the protein in muscle. They play critical functions in muscle growth and repair via a process called muscle protein synthesis (MPS). They also play a large role in fat metabolism, immune function, and neurologic function.
For Muscle Growth:
BCAA supplementation helps maintain and build lean muscle tissue.
The body is always cycling between muscle breakdown and muscle growth. That said, BCAA’s help decrease breakdown, and actually turn on the process that stimulates muscle growth known as MPS. It does this by turning on mTOR, the biochemical switch that activates MPS.
It is interesting to note that leucine supplementation alone can increase MPS by 145%. When you add in the BCAA cofactors isoleucine and valine, the MPS boost is further magnified.
Also important to note, BCAA’s have a positive effect on the Testosterone to Cortisol ratio in athletes performing high-intensity exercise.
Testosterone helps produce muscle growth. Cortisol, on the other hand, leads to muscle breakdown. Thus, the higher the Testosterone:Cortisol ratio, the more anabolic an individual will be.
For Endurance & Recovery:
BCAA supplementation increases endurance and decreases fatigue.
Intense exercise decreases normal BCAA blood levels, which leads to increased brain serotonin levels. Elevated serotonin levels are associated with athletic fatigue.
BCAA supplementation boosts BCAA blood levels, suppresses serotonin levels, and thus decreases fatigue and increases endurance.
Additionally, BCAA supplementation decreases muscle breakdown and minimizes the muscle damage intense exercise produces. In fact, taking BCAA’s prior to exercise will even decrease Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).
Finally, studies also indicate BCAA’s reduce perceived exertion, soreness, and central nervous system fatigue during exercise.
For Weight Loss:
BCAA supplementation, when combined with exercise and a reduced-calorie diet, will help decrease the amount of fat around your organs.
Adequate BCAA supplementation also naturally decreases your appetite, allowing you to decrease your calories, and thus decrease your body’s desire to store fat.
Found In:
Vegan BCAA’s -
alpha-gpc (choline)
Choline is naturally found in certain foods and considered to be a type of B-vitamin.
There are three different versions of choline available for supplementation: choline, CDP-choline, and Alpha-GPC. Alpha-GPC has been shown to be the most effective version because of its improved absorption and transport to the brain.
What does it do?
Choline is a nootropic that has been shown to improve memory, focus, learning, and verbal ability.
How it works:
- Alpha-GPC increases the central nervous system (CNS) production of acetylcholine so more is available for nerve communication.
- It also supports nerve membrane health by providing necessary components for the production of phospholipids (specialized fats) that make up the outer coating of the nerves.
Other:
Alpha-GPC works synergistically with Caffeine, L-Carnitine and L-Tyrosine to improve brain neurotransmitter production and brain function.
Found In:
Brain
