We’ve seen NNB release some of the most potent branded ingredients in the supplement market, including patent-pending MitoBurn, CaloriBurn, ZinjaBurn, and the patented GlucoVantage. Each product is unique and, more often than not, superior to the generic version of ingredients that are available to consumers. NNB’s research and development team are problem solvers and are committed to making the industry better. This next ingredient might be some of their finest work yet!
HydroPrime: NNB Nutrition Solves the Glycerol Dilemma
No single ingredient is perfect. Some taste terrible, others don’t dissolve properly, and some have poor bioavailability. But very few ingredients can ruin a product the way clump-causing glycerol can. If you’re a gym bro or gal who loves getting a muscular pump or an endurance athlete working to gain an edge on the competition, then glycerol is an ingredient we suggest you add to your supplement stack. But not just any glycerol product. It has to be HydroPrime by NNB.
More Pumps, Less Clumps. After too much clumping and grit from the competition, NNB Nutrition’s HydroPrime is ready for primetime. Contact NNBNutrition.com to learn more.
Despite glycerol’s many benefits, a lot of consumers and supplement manufacturers avoid it if they can. And you would too if you opened a tub of powdered pre-workout you just bought a week or two ago and found it’s as hard as a rock.
Glycerol and water have a powerful mutual attraction. So as soon as the compound is exposed to moisture (which is naturally in the environment), it transforms into a dense, solid mass. Glycerol has been known to ruin a company’s entire product line and customers aren’t very happy either when their glycerol supplements are rendered unusable. Understandably, some people don’t like drinking a pre-workout that has the same texture as sand.
No clump, just pump
Several ingredient suppliers have attempted to solve the glycerol problem in the past, but none have really succeeded. While some brands have improved the formulation or added ingredients that should prevent clumping or tone down the gritty texture, none have really scored a homerun with consumers. To some degree, most glycerol products still clump.
HydroPrime is NNB’s attempt to tackle the glycerol issue head on. If you’ve been around the supplement industry for long enough then you’ve heard the saying “if it doesn’t clump, it doesn’t pump.” Whoever originated that quote was likely talking about glycerol. NNB believes it doesn’t have to be this way.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about HydroPrime, but before you do, sign up for NNB news alerts so you don’t miss out on another cutting edge ingredient analysis!
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HydroPrime vs Generic Glycerol
HydroPrime is the latest addition to NNB Nutrition’s Prime Series—a line of ingredients designed to optimize effectiveness and results. The company spent months developing the product so that it has all the same benefits of traditional glycerol, but none of the downsides.
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!
HydroPrime is named for glycerols’ water-attracting properties. And it’s known for inducing a state of hyperhydration, which not only boosts your ability to get a pump, but also enhances your hydration. So HydroPrime allows you to perform at a higher level for longer.
We all know hydration is a key factor for high octane performance. And glycerol is an ingredient that excels in that category. Sure, electrolytes are beneficial, but adding glycerol may give you an extra edge. Of course, when you look at glycerol’s drawbacks, especially from a supplement company’s point of view, you can understand why it’s not a popular ingredient. .
The brand hopes to change that with HydroPrime, a trademarked form of glycerol that’s extremely stable and doesn’t clump or have a gritty consistency. Ultimately, we consider HydroPrime an optimized variant of glycerol because it delivers all of the same benefits, but without the common pitfalls.
If you want to learn more about glycerol check out PricePlow’s Ultimate Guide to Glycerol!
Benefits of Glycerol
The five major areas that seem to benefit the most from glycerol supplementation are hydration, thermoregulation, muscular endurance, cardiovascular efficiency, and muscular pumps.
Mechanism of Action
Glycerol is a sugar alcohol that’s mainly known for inducing hyperhydration, meaning that when you consume it, the body maintains an above average level of hydration. Once glycerol enters the circulation system, it’s transported quickly through bodily fluids and disperses to various cellular compartments.[1]
Glycerol also increases total water volume in the body.[1] Think of glycerol as a sponge that absorbs water quickly and holds it for an extended period of time.
Hyperhydration
Osmosis is a process by which water molecules move across membranes and are guided by shifts in pressure.[2] By increasing osmotic pressure, glycerol can enhance water circulation throughout the body.[1] Furthermore, glycerol causes the body to retain a greater amount of water, which can result in hyperhydration![1]
Adequate hydration is key for overall health, muscular pumps, and combating fatigue during exercise.
Glycerol Research
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Hydration
Hydration is crucial for everyone, regardless of what activity you’re partaking in. It’s even more important when you’re performing endurance activities, such as long distance running or cycling. People who exercise in hot climates must prioritize hydration even more. While glycerol can enhance hydration, drinking a sufficient amount of water alongside it is paramount.
In a study published by the Journal of Athletic Training, scientists gathered to assess glycerol’s effects on cyclists while exercising in intense heat.[3] Twelve athletes were recruited to perform a 30-mile race. They were divided into three groups—one received glycerol at 1g/kg of body weight and water at a volume equivalent to 2.8% of each participants’ body weight. The remaining groups received water at the same amount as the glycerol group. Two groups, including the glycerol group, were given two water bottles for the race. One group received no water whatsoever.[3]
Each group was instructed to stop every 10 miles so the researchers could collect data such as fluid consumed, urine color and volume, perceived level of thirst, and percentage of dehydration.[3] In the study, which was published in 2004, the researchers explained that the glycerol group had lower levels of dehydration compared to the other groups.[3] Also, the glycerol group reported feeling less thirsty and less fatigued after the race.[3]A few years earlier, researchers from the University of New Mexico designed a two-part clinical trial to study the connection between glycerol ingestion and sustained hyperhydration. They found that glycerol not only helps promote hydration, but also maintains it over an extended period of time.[4] The researchers split study participants into two groups—one received approximately 3g/kg of body weight of glycerol along with large amounts of water (39.2 or 51.1 ml/kg of body weight), the second group consumed water with no glycerol.[4]The first part of the study assessed levels of hydration after 49 hours;in part two, researchers assessed levels of hydration after 32 hours.[4]At the end of the trial, the researchers found that the glycerol group had a significant reduction in urine volume. The results suggest that glycerol helps athletes retain water and instead of excreting water, the study participants maintained an adequate level of hydration[4] This can be advantageous for an endurance athlete since stopping for water and bathroom breaks would negatively affect their performance.
When the going gets tough in the final loop of this heat-based event, the glycerol group pulled through far faster at the end.[3]
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Muscular endurance
A study published in the International Journal of Sports Medicine demonstrated that glycerol may be a potent ergogenic aid, meaning that it enhances physical performance.[5] The researchers recruited 11 trained men and divided them into two groups.Both consumed water equivalent to their body weight, but one group received 1.2g/kg of body weight in glycerol supplementation, while the other got a placebo.[5] The main outcome measures were time to exhaustion and average heart rate.[5]
After performing submaximal load cycling until exhaustion,[5]the glycerol-water group had heart rates that were 2.8 beats-per-minute (BPM) lower and they saw a 21% increase in time to exhaustion.[5] In addition, the placebo group stopped cycling due to fatigue around the 77 minute mark, whereas the glycerol group exceeded 90 minutes![5]In this experiment, the researchers also conducted a second trial that included carbohydrates along with glycerol to see if there was a synergistic effect on performance. To no one’s surprise, they found that combining glycerol and carbohydrates resulted in even lower average heart rates (approximately 4.4 BPM lower) and a further increase in time to exhaustion (123 minutes on average).[5]These studies suggest that adding HydroPrime to an easy-to-digest carbohydrate powder, like highly branched cyclic dextrin, might significantly improve endurance performance. However, the key finding was that glycerol boosted performance, most likely through enhancing and maintaining hydration levels.
Last longer (bigger time-to-fatigue), hydrate better, and subsequently lose more weight due to longer endurance? Glycerol is a must-try for endurance athletes.[5]
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Cardiovascular efficiency
In addition to promoting hydration and increasing performance, studies also suggest that glycerol improves cardiovascular efficiency during endurance training!
HydroPrime is set to last longer in your tub than any other glycerol powder on the market!
A 1999 study conducted by TK assessed glycerol’s effects on cardiovascular function during aerobic activity.[6] Researchers recruited six subjects to test the hypothesis that since glycerol yields a hyper hydrating effect, it may boost cardiovascular efficiency, too.[6]
They found that glycerol, unlike a placebo, reduced free-water clearance. The results suggest a hydrating effect when participants consumed glycerol.[6] Most notably, participants in the glycerol group had lower heart rates and increased cardiac stroke volume.[6]
Pumping more blood with a lower heart rate is a key sign of an efficient cardiovascular system. Individuals who engage in high levels of endurance training typically have much lower heart rates than those who exercise a few times a week. That’s because their bodies are better equipped to pump blood to extremities and the heart doesn’t have to work as hard.
Another study found similar results. Researchers recruited 40 males and split them into four groups:
- Group S – no glycerol, no running routine
- Group GS – glycerol, no running routine
- Group E – no glycerol, running routine
- Group ES – glycerol, running routine.[1]
After 20 days, the subjects’ aerobic power and anaerobic power were assessed. Both glycerol groups saw significant increases in anaerobic power compared to the non-glycerol groups.[1] Furthermore, the glycerol group that exercised also saw a significant increase in aerobic power compared to the glycerol, non-exercise group.[1] Based on these results, the researchers concluded that glycerol could be a powerful ergogenic aid.[1]
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Thermoregulation
The ability to regulate body temperature during exercise is beneficial for maintaining a high level of performance, and a key aspect of thermoregulation is hydration, of course. So it makes sense that glycerol might help regulate core body temperature during exercise due to its hyperhydration properties.
Researchers set out to assess the impact of glycerol on subjects’ thermoregulatory capacity.[7] Over the course of three days, six participants performed treadmill workouts at 60% of their VO2 max in a climate-controlled environment.[7] On day one, participants consumed glycerol and water before the test. On day two, participants only ingested water. On the final day, participants weren’t given anything.[7]
The researchers were mainly interested in whether glycerol alters effects of hypohydration, as measured by exhaustion and increased body temperature.[7]
Liquid glycerol is the go-to for massive doses, but has a very unpleasant taste. This is why glycerol powders have become popular. Pictured: HydroPrime
In the end, subjects who consumed glycerol prior to exercise, experienced increased sweat rates by, on average, more than 33% compared to the placebo.[7] The suggestion is that the body is better able to regulate its core temperature because sweating cools the body. Significantly, glycerol lowered core body temperature by nearly 2 degrees[7]
A 2001 study from Monash University in Australia reported similar thermoregulatory properties from glycerol supplementation.[8] Six endurance-trained men drank 20ml of water per kg of body weight and half of them also ingested 1g of glycerol. Each participant consumed the drink two hours before a 90 minute cycling workout in dry heat and an electrolyte supplement every 15 minutes.
The glycerol group had, on average, a core temperature two degrees lower than the non-supplement group. The Monash researchers also reported a close relationship between increased performance, decreased cardiovascular strain, and adequate thermoregulation; all of these have been seen with glycerol supplementation!
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“The Water-Based Pump”
During the Monash University study of glycerol and hyperhydration, the researchers noted that participants who supplemented with glycerol experienced increased blood flow to the forearms. They did not see similar effects in the placebo group. More blood flow typically means greater nutrient and oxygen delivery, as well as improved metabolic byproduct removal, which is advantageous for performance as well as the pump!There are several pump ingredients on the market. The majority of them, though, have similar mechanisms of action—increasing nitric oxide production. For example, L-citrulline is an amino acid that the body converts into L-arginine.[9] L-arginine is used to create nitric oxide (NO), which tells the blood vessels to relax and expand ( known as vasodilation).[9]Blood can then circulate more efficiently throughout the body. So instead of using another ingredient that boosts nitric oxide production, such as nitrates or L-citrulline, why not use glycerol, which improves blood flow through a different pathway?That’s where HydroPrime comes in!Since glycerol attracts water, it leads to a water-based pump, meaning muscles fill with water. If you stack an NO booster with glycerol, your muscles fill with even more blood! When you combine a high quality glycerol, like HydroPrime, and a potent NO booster, like L-citrulline, expect some skin splitting muscular pumps!
Athletes using glycerol not only urinate less, but they are able to sweat more![9] This connects us to a heat tolerance benefit.
In the past, several companies have tried to use glycerol pre-workouts and pump products to create this synergistic effect. Even for those that were effective, within a few weeks, the powder would clump and stiffen into a hard, dense brick.
Imagine thousands of dollars of inventory wasted because of one ingredient! With HydroPrime, we can enjoy crazy pumps again without clumping or gritty texture!
Listen to Mike talk about HydroPrime
NNB Nutrition Sets the Standard
For years, NNB Ë› set the highest standards for developing quality branded ingredients. They’re always looking for ways to take the supplement industry to the next level and HydroPrime is a great example of that mission.
NNB Nutrition is an innovative ingredient development company with an elite team of over 100 scientists from over 10 countries.
While other ingredient suppliers have tried different versions of glycerol, most fell flat. NNB made sure that HydroPrime lives up to their high standards before releasing it.
Not only does NNB find ways to make existing ingredients better, they’re usually the first to bring a novel ingredient to the market. For example, MitoBurn, a trademarked form of L-BAIBA, was an obscure exercise molecule until NNB Nutrition stepped up to the plate. Now, MitoBurn is one of the hottest ingredients in the weight loss supplement scene.
NNB has been on a roll lately and you definitely don’t want to miss out on what’s next. So make sure to click the subscribe button below! And remember, next time you buy a product that contains glycerol, look for HydroPrime on the label!
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