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.
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:
- HMB (β-hydroxy β-methylbutyrate): Performance-Driven Muscle Supplement
- GG-Gold (Geranylgeraniol): The Most Important Essential Nutrient You’ve Never Heard Of
- RipFACTOR: The Muscle Accelerator from PLT Health
RipFACTOR is a powerful ingredient standardized from Mangifera indica and Sphaeranthus indicus that the industry shouldn’t overlook. It offers numerous benefits for optimizing physical performance, with two clinically-published human studies.
- PeptiStrong: Natural Anabolic Ingredient from Fava Beans
- Turkesterone
- Rhaponticum Carthamoides: The MAX Phytoecdysteroid Source
- EAA vs. BCAA
- Betaine
- Beta Alanine
- Ingredient Optimized (io) Protein (ioWhey and ioPea): Protein-Enhancing Technology for Greater Gains
- Velositol: Enhancing Muscle Protein Synthesis for Protein Powders and Aminos
- Pumpkin Seed Protein: Upending the Plant Protein Market
- Phosphatidic Acid
- Epicatechin
- Arachidonic Acid
- Tongkat Ali
- Tomatidine
- Spilanthes Acmella
- Laxogenin
- Dextrose
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Non-Stimulatory Performance Enhancers
Hydration: The Ultimate Guide. How do you stay hydrated? This article covers the best approach to fluid and electrolyte intake, also cautioning against what may harm your hydration status
- EndoFlo: Enhancing Vascular Health, Pumps, and Workout Performance
- Hydration: The Ultimate Guide to Electrolyte and Fluid Balance
- Nucleotides
- NMN Supplements (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide): The NAD+ Energy Precursor
- BioNMN: A Reliable NMN Supplement Ingredient
- The FDA vs. NMN (will be updated regularly)
- NucleoPrime: Step Up Your Immune and Recovery Stack
- NMN Supplements (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide): The NAD+ Energy Precursor
- Peak ATP: The Ultimate Guide to Disodium ATP Supplements
- PurpleForce: AMPK-Boosting Purple Tea Extract with GHG
- Senactiv: Regenerate Senescent Cells and Perform Better
- Taurine: An effective endurance-booster in just one use!
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Glycerol: The Ultimate Guide for Hydration, Heat Protection, and Pumps
- HydroPrime: Glycerol With More Pumps and Less Clumps
- Cordyceps
- Beta-Glucans: Mother Nature's Immunity Agents
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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!
- 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!
- See also: WAT to BAT: A High-Metabolism Guide to Brown and White Fat
- 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
- Chromax: 25+ Years of Insulin Sensitivity Improvement
- Chromax and Hunger Regulation: The Chromium / Appetite Connection
- aXivite Phenylcapsaicin: Performance-Enhancing Spice with Less Burn
- Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA): The Cognitive-Boosting Antioxidant
- InnoSlim: NuLivScience’s Potent Stimulant-Free Fat Burning Ingredient
- Bergamot: Natural Cardiovascular / Lipid Support
- Ephedra
- Forskolin
- 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)
- Rhodiola – The Salidroside-Powered Adaptogen of the Vikings
- RhodioPrime 6X – The Strongest Rhodiola Extract (6% Salidroside)
- Zynamite: Next-Generation Brain and Body Support using Mangiferin
- Zembrin: The Best-Studied Kanna Extract on the Market
- Choline
- Cognizin® Citicoline: The Brain Choline
- Bacopa Monnieri
- L-Tyrosine vs N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine
- nooLVL – Clinically-Validated Focus for Gamers
- SAMe (S-Adenosyl Methionine)
- Gotu Kola
- Vinpocetine
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
- Rhodiola – The Salidroside-Powered Adaptogen of the Vikings
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Stimulants
- Paraxanthine (the primary caffeine metabolite, launched in the MuscleTech iQ Series)
- zümXR: Extended and Delayed Released Caffeine from PLT Health
- Ephedra (hint: the ephedrine alkaloids have been removed and replaced with other ingredients)
- Higenamine: The Underrated Appetite Supressant Stimulant
- Dynamine
- Eria Jarensis Extract / N-phenethyl-dimethylamine
- Theacrine
- 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
- Zinc Picolinate (ZinMax): A Highly Bioavailable Form of Zinc
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Sleep Ingredients
- Magnesium Glycinate: A Master Class in Magnesium & Glycine
- Anandamide: The Body’s Blissful Endocannabinoid Molecule
- Venetron: A Synergistic Extract for Mood, Stress, and Sleep
- ETAS: Boost Heat Shock Protein Production
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Gut Supplements
- Digexin: Relieve Constipation, Stress, and Poor Sleep via the Gut-Brain Axis
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Joint Supplements
- Curcumin for Joint Pain
- MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) Supplements
- Cissus Quadrangularis
- ParActin
- (See also Anandamide above)
- 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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DEXTROSE: The Arms Race Strategy for Quick Energy and Glycogen Reload
Over the past couple of weeks, Arms Race Nutrition has launched two new products:
Arms Race Vegan – A vegan protein powder with inclusions! Arms Race Dextrose – A pure dextrose carbohydrate powderSince we already covered the incredible Arms Race Vegan on YouTube, we’ll dive into dextrose here:
Arms Race Nutrition Dextrose: Why Dextrose?[…]Continue Reading →
Which Kaged Pre-Workout Supplement is For You?
When it comes to phenomenal pre-workout supplements, there’s one brand that stands out in the sea of sports nutrition companies: Kaged. Known for years as industry innovators thanks to their first supplement, Pre-Kaged, the company has since grown — and with it, so have their pre-workout options.
Which Kaged Pre-Workout is best[…]Continue Reading →
Gut Supplements: The Ultimate Gut Health Guide and Stack
Over 2,000 years ago the ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates — namesake of the Hippocratic oath — wrote, “All disease begins in the gut.”
Probably radical for its time, especially considering that Hippocrates is considered to be the founding figure of medicine.
Modern ultra-processed foods are ruining our gut healthGiven the ultra-processed nature of the […]
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Turkesterone and Phytoecdysteroids: Mother Nature’s Anabolic Warfare
You’ve probably noticed that a plant-based anabolic compound called turkesterone is taking the supplement industry by storm lately. We recently covered the massively successful launch of Anabolic Warfare’s Project Muscle, which has a few different supplements containing the ingredient.
As is usually the case with trends in supplementation, the sudden popularity of turkesterone has […]
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Weight Loss Supplement Stack 101: Start Your Day the Animal Cuts Way
Here on the PricePlow Blog, we love to discuss the latest dietary supplement ingredient science and technology, often covering novel compounds. Most of these ingredients are geared towards weight loss and fat burning, which is unsurprising given our ongoing obesity epidemic / metabolic crisis.
First, cover the basicsBefore getting too deep into the […]
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Bergamot Supplements: Natural Cardiovascular Support
Bergamot isn’t new to the supplement world, nor the medical field for that matter. Countries in the Mediterranean region have known about the bergamot orange and its oil for several centuries. In this article, we’ll discuss the use of bergamot as a dietary supplement (generally as a lipid management supplement), but will also touch upon […]
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NMN Supplements (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide): The NAD+ Energy Precursor
The human body is a fine-tuned machine, capable of performing quite efficiently when all of its internal mechanisms are firing correctly. Just like any machine, though, it relies on some sort of power to get the job done. Most motor vehicles, for example, rely on gasoline whereas computers require electric power, and humans run on […]
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The Power of “Mito”: Optimizing the Mitochondria to Unlock Clean Energy!
When looking for an additional boost in energy, we often turn to stimulants and other supplements to provide a jolt. While this usually does the trick temporarily, how often do we take a step back and ask why we needed the kickstart to begin with? Maybe the previous night’s sleep wasn’t great, or a tough […]
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Glycerol: The Ultimate Guide for Hydration, Heat Protection, and Pumps
Sports supplements are built upon the foundational desire to perform better, and regardless of your goals, this aspiration is often the reason for introducing supplements into your regimen. We’re constantly searching for safe and effective ways to better our training, and supplementation is one avenue towards doing just that.
There’s no “one-size-fits-all” formula or […]
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What is Ion Exchange Whey, and is it Bad?
If you’ve ever stepped foot in a supplement store or searched for “most popular supplements”, whey protein is bound to come up. Whey is one of the most commonly-used supplements on the market, and for a good reason: it’s effective, relatively cheap, and convenient. Research suggests that active individuals need to consume between 1.6g/kg-2.2g/kg […]
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