Supplement Guides on PricePlow
Welcome to PricePlow, the sports supplement industry's premier thought leaders!
This page links to our “best of” lists and “mega posts” – extremely well-researched articles ranging from scams to avoid to buyer's guides to in-depth ingredient analyses.
2020 Supplement Industry Awards
- 2020 Brand of the Year: GHOST
Congrats to the 2020 Brand of the Year! See all GHOST Supplements or check out their hit pre-workout, Ghost Legend!
- 2020 Pre Workout Supplement of the Year: Glaxon Specimen V2
- 2020 Protein of the Year: CORE Post (Hot Cocoa flavor)
- 2020 Functional Food / “Protein Bar” of the Year: Myprotein Crispy Wafers
- 2020 Vegan Protein of the Year: Kaged Muscle Plantein
- 2020 Flavor System of the Year: BEAM Pre Workout (Mango Lime)
- 2020 General Supplement of the Year: Glaxon Serenity (Stress Support)
Buyer's Guides
Each of these includes a Top 10 list, but we actually like the choose your own adventure guides where we recommend products specifically tailored for you and your needs:
When it comes to whey protein isolates, NutraBio 100% Whey Protein Isolate is consistently on top – with fully-disclosed labels are public lab-tests too!
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Best Protein Powder (Ghost Whey)
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Best Pre Workout
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Best Fat Burner
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Best Sleep Aid
(2020 Update: Glaxon Tranquility)
Critical Information
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The Amino Acid Protein Spiking Scandal
Read and understand this before ever buying protein powder!
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Proprietary Blends
Understand the risks of encountering a “Batch-to-Batch Bait and Switch” when buying a proprietary blend!
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Nutrition Facts Label Rounding Scams
Learn about a scam where brands take advantage of the FDA's labeling laws and use rounding to their advantage with ultra-small serving sizes.
Ingredient Analyses
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Muscle Building Supplements:
- EAA vs. BCAA
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Glycerol: The Ultimate Guide for Hydration, Heat Protection, and Pumps
When it comes to hydration, endurance, cell volumization, and heat tolerance, water is king. And this simple ingredient — glycerol — enables you to hold more water for better performance!
- Taurine: An effective endurance-booster in just one use!
- ioWhey and ioPea: Protein-Enhancing Technologies for Greater Gains
- Velositol: Enhancing Muscle Protein Synthesis for Protein Powders and Aminos
- Phosphatidic Acid
- Epicatechin
- Arachidonic Acid
- Tongkat Ali
- Peak ATP
- Cordyceps
- Tomatidine
- Spilanthes Acmella
- Laxogenin
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Weight Loss Ingredients (non-stimulatory)
- Berberine: The Best Glucose Disposal Ingredient Just Got Better
Berberine is a nutrient partitioning ingredient that sends more carbs to muscle! Read about Berberine and GlucoVantage in the above guide.!
- GlucoVantage: NNB Nutrition's Dihydroberberine
- BAIBA: New Ingredient Generates Exercise in a Pill?!
- MitoBurn: L-BAIBA (“The Exercise Molecule”) is finally on the market!
- MCT Oil: The Dietary Fat Source Built for Efficient Energy
- C8Vantage: C8 MCT Powder for Maximum Energy, Clarity, and Performance
- Chromium Picolinate: The Ultimate Trace Mineral For Insulin Sensitivity
- Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA): The Cognitive-Boosting Antioxidant
- InnoSlim: NuLivScience’s Potent Stimulant-Free Fat Burning Ingredient
- Ephedra
- Forskolin
- Grains of Paradise
- CaloriBurn: Taking Grains of Paradise to Hot New Heights
Finally, a grains of paradise extract that actually passes lab tests for all clinical constituents!
- Dehydrozingerone (Anti-inflammatory adipose tissue blocker from ginger)
- ZinjaBurn: “The Adipose Tissue Assassin”
- Gamma Butyrobetaine (GBB) – Super Carnitine That Makes You Sweat?!
- Ecklonia Cava
- Sinetrol
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Nootropics (cognitive focus and brain enhancers)
- Start with the Best Nootropic Stack for Beginners
- Rhodiola – The Salidroside-Powered Adaptogen of the Vikings
- RhodioPrime 6X – The Strongest Rhodiola Extract (6% Salidroside)
- Bacopa Monnieri
- L-Tyrosine vs N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine
- nooLVL – Clinically-Validated Focus for Gamers
- SAMe (S-Adenosyl Methionine)
- Gotu Kola
- Vinpocetine
- Choline
Rhodiola: The Adaptogen Powered by Salidroside. In this article, we dive deep into rhodiola, and take a different approach to the adaptogenic herb!
- FDA vs. Picamilon
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Stimulants
- Ephedra (hint: the ephedrine alkaloids have been removed and replaced with other ingredients)
- Higenamine: The Underrated Appetite Supressant Stimulant
- See our DMAA Legal Updates
- DMHA / Octodrine / 2-Aminoisoheptane / 2-Amino-6-Methylheptane – 2016's Stimulant?!
- Dynamine
- Eria Jarensis Extract / N-phenethyl-dimethylamine
- Theacrine
- BMPEA
- Caffeine and Athletic Performance – Can High Pre-Workout Doses of Caffeine be Optimal?
Nutrition21's nooLVL is the first clinically tested focus ingredient on actual gamers – who played modern games!
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Men's Fertility Supplements
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Joint Supplements
- Arecoline (Potentially carcinogenic ingredient in new pre workouts and fat burners)
- AMP Citrate (banned)
- Isomaltooligosaccharide (IMO Fiber): A Fraudulent “Fiber”?
- Maximum Shred (Scam: $87 Product with $4 of Ingredients)
- Instant Knockout (Is this questionably-dosed fat burner worth $59?!)
- Labz Supplement Brands
- Soylent (see also the Soylent Lawsuit)
- Beware: Ion Exchange Whey — An Inferior type of protein processing
Other Scams / Scandals / Potentially Unsafe Ingredients
Contact us if you have ideas / requests for new ones.
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Supplement Facts vs Nutrition Facts and Protein Powder. NutraBio Was Right (Again).
Last week, when I was reviewing the new Strawberry Ice Cream flavor of NutraBio’s 100% Whey Protein Isolate, I stumbled on something “odd” when I was going over the label. I couldn’t find fat!
What gives? Where is the […] Continue Reading →
The Best Nootropic Stack for Beginners (Expert Shawn Wells)
In our second podcast episode, Optimizing Brain Performance with Shawn Wells, the master formulator dropped so much information it was tough to keep it all straight.
But one of the most important pieces was around the 40-minute mark, where […] Continue Reading →
Buying Whey Protein Isolate? Consider This Label Trick…
Note: Just looking for our Top 10 List? Then check out our Best Whey Protein Isolate article!
In our last article, we put together a quick whey protein buyer’s guide, discussing what type of whey protein you should look […] Continue Reading →
EAA is the New BCAA: Essential Amino Acids Stage a Coup
“BCAAs vs. EAAs?”
For quite a while, that was the big argument. Over the decades, branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) supplements have been some of the most popular (and profitable) products on the market. Catapulted into the spotlight by some early […] Continue Reading →
Dynamine: A Neuroactivating “Stimulant” by Compound Solutions
Major Announcement! Dynamine has achieved GRAS Status with the FDA with several new safety studies! Read more in our Dynamine GRAS announcement to understand the importance of this decision.
Compound Solutions is regarded as one of the premier companies on […] Continue Reading →
Bait and Switch: The REAL Reason to Hate Proprietary Blends
Over the past decade, the supplement industry has made a serious shift towards open labeling practices and away from proprietary blends. Nearly all new brands on the scene are opting to disclose the dosages of all active ingredients, while the […] Continue Reading →
DMHA / 2-Aminoisoheptane / Octodrine: Potent Workout Stimulant
New year, new stimulant? You bet your ass!
In the wake of the removal of other popular stimulants over the past few years, a battle has raged to fill the void left by the ingredients now gone. The supplement industry […] Continue Reading →
Ecklonia Cava: The Sugar-Shuttling Seaweed Supplement
Seaweed is one of Earth’s most interesting dietary wonders. Packed with nutrient-rich polyphenols, scientists are continually finding great new compounds inside.
It’s often postulated that some of these compounds, along with higher fish consumption, can be attributed to coastal populations […] Continue Reading →
MSM Supplements: Joint Support for Athletes AND Aging!
To any athlete looking to achieve consistent and long-term results, joint health should be considered as important as proper training and diet. If the joints aren’t fully functional, then strength and speed will be suboptimal, no matter how good the […] Continue Reading →
Spilanthes Acmella: Testosterone-Boosting Flower of Power
Spilanthes Acmella is a food used throughout history as a medicine specifically for its pain relieving properties. It’s also known as the Toothache Plant, or Paracress, for its frequent use in helping relieve toothaches.
More poignant to this […] Continue Reading →
