The holiday season is upon us – a time of celebration, family gatherings, and let’s be honest, metabolic challenges. From Thanksgiving dinner to Christmas parties to New Year’s festivities, we’re about to face a gauntlet of delicious but fat- and carbohydrate-heavy meals that can wreak havoc on our blood sugar levels and energy.
Are you and your customers ready for the holiday calories? If not, formulate something like our GlucoVantage Holiday GDA in Formulator’s Corner #14. Remember, this is a hypothetical formula — build the stack yourself, or take the idea and run with it!
While we believe the holidays should be enjoyed, we also know many of our readers want to maintain their metabolic health during this festive season. Whether you’re following a strict diet protocol (with or without medications) or just trying to stay healthy through the winter months, supporting glucose metabolism becomes especially important this time of year.
In this 14th edition of our Formulator’s Corner, we’re creating a hypothetical glucose disposal agent specifically designed for the holiday season. We’ve partnered with NNB Nutrition to develop a formula that combines their cutting-edge ingredients with other proven compounds to help support healthy glucose metabolism when you need it most.
The Formula: Holiday Glucose and Appetite Optimization
For 2 capsules (recommended 2x daily):
- GlucoVantage® (Dihydroberberine) – 150mg
- CaloriBurn GP® (Grains of Paradise Extract) – 40mg
- enfinity® (Paraxanthine) – 150mg
- Chromax® (Chromium Picolinate) – 300mcg
- Cinnamon Extract – 150mg
This is a stack you can assemble yourself from various single-ingredient supplements, or one that brands can adopt in time for 2025.
Let’s break down why we chose each ingredient and how they work together, but first, sign up for our NNB Nutrition news alerts so you don’t miss any news from the industry-leading novel ingredient developers:
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GlucoVantage® Dihydroberberine (150mg): The Superior Form of Berberine
At the core of our formula is GlucoVantage dihydroberberine from NNB Nutrition, a patented,[1] more bioavailable form of berberine that’s been shown to be 5 times more effective than standard berberine.[2] Recent research has revealed some fascinating mechanisms behind this ingredient:
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Enhanced GLP-1 Secretion
Is Berberine “Nature’s Ozempic”? We take a look at their mechanisms as GLP-1 agonists, and answer, “Yes, somewhat.”
- New research shows berberine can promote GLP-1 amide secretion,[3-8] supporting healthy metabolic function
- Beyond glucose uptake (mentioned below), this also helps explain why berberine has been historically successful for blood sugar support
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Superior Absorption
- Dihydroberberine bypasses the conversion bottleneck that makes regular berberine hard to absorb[2]
- This allows for lower doses while maintaining efficacy
- Especially important for those with compromised gut health, who often have the greatest need for metabolic support[9]
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Improved Glucose Uptake
- Supports healthy glucose disposal into muscle tissue
- Helps maintain insulin sensitivity[10]
- Particularly beneficial when consuming holiday carbohydrates
Why 150mg per serving?
A study published in early 2022 showed that NNB Nutrition’s GlucoVantage dihydroberberine outperformed higher doses of normal berberine in elevating plasma berberine and reducing blood sugar and insulin levels!
The 150mg dose we’ve selected allows for twice-daily dosing while staying within research-backed parameters.
Thanks to GlucoVantage’s superior bioavailability, this is significantly less than the 1500mg of ordinary berberine that’s often required to move the needle, yet at this dose, it provides comparable efficacy.
The 1500mg berberine dose is important to compare to, because it was seen to outperform metformin — and with fewer side effects![11]
However, this serving is still strong enough for once-daily dosing, but really meets its full potential if used twice daily for a big holiday run.
There’s a lot more coming to GlucoVantage
As NNB’s Chief Science Officer Shawn Wells recently discussed on Episode #152 of the PricePlow Podcast, there’s more data coming for GlucoVantage as well.
We’ve written numerous articles on dihydroberberine — for further reading, read the following:
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CaloriBurn GP® (40mg): Activate Brown Adipose Tissue
CaloriBurn GP (standardized grains of paradise seed extract for 12.5% 6-paradol) complements our formula by supporting healthy energy expenditure through a fascinating mechanism – the activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT).[12-14]
Shawn Wells and Dustin Elliott of NNB Nutrition join the PricePlow Podcast for Episode #152 to discuss innovative ingredients that capture ongoing trends like GLP-1 and MPS. We also get into Dustin’s trip to China, NNB’s participation in XPO NRG with MitoPrime, and Shawn’s psychedelic experiences and his post-trip supplement stack.
Recent pilot study data from NNB Nutrition showed impressive results with their 160mg dose,[15] but we’ve opted for the clinically-validated 40mg dose since we’re recommending twice-daily use, and 40mg is still clinically-backed in humans.[14,16]
Key benefits in our formula:
- Supports metabolic rate through BAT activation
- Helps maintain healthy energy expenditure
- Works synergistically with enfinity paraxanthine
We’ve covered CaloriBurn numerous times on the PricePlow Blog, some great articles to get more information are below:
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enfinity® Paraxanthine (150mg): Clean, Targeted Energy
Instead of using standard caffeine, we’ve included enfinity paraxanthine – manufactured by NNB Nutrition and distributed by TSI Group. We used it for our XPO NRG project with massive success, and believe that paraxanthine represents the future of energy supplementation:
New research data has been published on enfinity (paraxanthine), showing increased energy expenditure compared to placebo (100 calories in 3 hours) — yet it decreased appetite and heart rate![17]
- Provides the benefits of caffeine without the downsides, such as supporting lipolysis[18]
- Average half-life of 3.1 hours (vs. caffeine’s 4.1)[19]
- Supports metabolic rate: new research shows increased energy expenditure while decreasing hunger[17]
- Helps reduce cognitive decline after exhaustive exercise[20]
The 150mg dose provides noticeable energy without being overwhelming, allowing for two servings daily if needed while avoiding late-day stimulant issues.
For further reading, see our article titled Paraxanthine: Caffeine’s Major Metabolite for Laser-Targeted Energy.
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Chromax® Chromium Picolinate (300mcg): Supporting Healthy Appetite and Body Composition
We’ve included a solid 300mcg dose of Chromax chromium picolinate per serving (600mcg daily), which research shows can help:
- Support weight loss[21] and healthy body composition[22,23]
- Aid in appetite management[24]
- Maintain lean mass while dieting[23]
The 600mg dose in two servings becomes especially important during the holidays when both appetite management and muscle preservation are key concerns. If formulators really want to go all-in, they can bump it to 1000mcg, which has another study showing appetite support.[25]
There’s far more information on the mechanism and studies in our articles, “Chromium Picolinate: The Ultimate Trace Mineral For Insulin Sensitivity“ and “Chromax Chromium Picolinate: 25+ Years of Insulin Sensitivity Improvement“.
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Cinnamon Extract (150mg): The Classic Insulin Mimicker
Rounding out our formula is 150mg of cinnamon extract, a time-tested ingredient that:
- Supports healthy glucose metabolism[26-28]
- Provides antioxidant benefits
A key constituent in cinnamon is a polymer called methylhydroxychalcone, which supports glucose clearance by mimicking insulin.[27,28]
We’ve seen larger doses, but this allows us to fit everything into one capsule – any remaining room can be put towards more cinnamon as a “filler” when possible.
Synergistic Effects
What makes this formula special is how the ingredients work together:
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Glucose Disposal Enhancement
- GlucoVantage and Chromax work through different mechanisms to support healthy insulin signaling
We’ve long said that GlucoVantage dihydroberberine has 5x the bioavailability if traditional berberine. In our ‘5X’ article, we explore the very well-designed study that demonstrated this.
- This dual approach helps maximize nutrient partitioning around holiday meals
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Metabolic Support
- CaloriBurn GP activates brown adipose tissue
- enfinity paraxanthine supports energy expenditure
- Together they provide complementary metabolic support
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Body Composition Support
- Chromax helps maintain lean mass
- GlucoVantage supports nutrient partitioning
- CaloriBurn GP activates metabolically active tissue
Recommended Use
For optimal results:
- Take 2 capsules 20-30 minutes before your two largest meals of the day
- Ideal for use before holiday gatherings or large meals
- Due to the enfinity content, avoid taking your second serving after ~4PM
- Can be used daily throughout the holiday season
- Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner, office parties, and family gatherings
Who Is This For?
This formula is designed for anyone wanting to support healthy glucose metabolism during the holidays and those looking to maintain metabolic health while enjoying seasonal festivities. It’s also great for individuals seeking assistance with appetite management during a challenging season, as well as anyone who wants to maintain their healthy lifestyle through the winter months.
And if nothing else, the holidays are a good time to turn up the resistance training to further support insulin sensitivity!
Conclusion: Supporting Holiday Health
The holiday season doesn’t have to mean completely abandoning our health goals. This formula provides comprehensive support for:
- Healthy glucose metabolism
- Energy levels
- Metabolic function
- Body composition
GlucoVantage from NNB Nutrition is a pure form of Dihydroberberine (DHB) and is known as “The Super Berberine”.
By combining cutting-edge ingredients from NNB Nutrition with other research-supported compounds, we’ve ideated a formula that could help maintain metabolic health during the most challenging time of the year.
Remember, supplements like this work best alongside a healthy diet and exercise program. Even during the holidays, maintaining adequate protein intake and some form of regular activity will maximize the benefits of these ingredients.
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