Alpha Lion Gains Candy GlucoVantage Optimizes Nutrient Partitioning and Gains

Be SuperHuman.

Alpha Lion, the brand that started out producing high octane pre workouts, pump products, and protein powders, has added more focus towards health in 2020. They are one of the most innovative brands in the industry, and have brought a few cutting edge ingredients to the market. A good example is their latest creation in SuperHuman Burn, which featured both MitoBurn and CaloriBurn from NNB Nutrition.

To go along with that, Alpha Lion also released Gains Candy MitoBurn, a single ingredient exercise-boosting powerhouse that can either be used on its own or stacked with other Alpha Lion supplements for maximum results. For example, many have begun taking SuperHuman Burn on training days and Gains Candy MitoBurn on rest days. This is just one of the many benefits of the Gains Candy Series – unique customization and timing.

The Gains Candy Series Expands with GlucoVantage

The Gains Candy Series is one of Alpha Lion’s most underrated product lines – few companies take patented ingredients and put them in single-serving capsules. Gains Candy gives you the ability to customize your supplement stack and experience these ingredients on their own.

With Alpha Lion’s focus on both health and performance in mind, they’re expanding the Gains Candy Series with the addition of Gains Candy GlucoVantage.

GlucoVantage: The Superior Form of Berberine

GlucoVantage is another innovative patented ingredient from the bright minds at NNB Nutrition. It is pure dihydroberberine, which is known as the most potent berberine supplement on the market.

Let the gains begin with superior nutrient partitioning provided by Gains Candy GlucoVantage!

Berberine is an alkaloid derived from plants that’s touted for its positive effects on insulin sensitivity, nutrient partitioning, fasting blood glucose levels, and HbA1C reduction. Berberine’s capabilities are quite impressive, however it generally has poor bioavailability and absorption and requires large, expensive doses that could lead to GI distress.

Fortunately, NNB was able to solve this issue by developing the far more bioavailable form — dihydroberberine — which is now trademarked as GlucoVantage.

After trying this ingredient on it’s own, we can confidently say that dihydroberberine is easily PricePlow’s top pick for maximizing nutrient partitioning and optimizing insulin sensitivity. Alpha Lion is not the first company to use this ingredient, but they are one of the first to bring it to market as a stand alone product for you to use and test. Thanks to Alpha Lion, you’ll get to experience just how effective GlucoVantage is on its own!

Get ready for a deep dive on everything that Gains Candy GlucoVantage has to offer and sign up for Alpha Lion news and deal alerts to get the best prices on supplements that transcend you into a superhuman.

There’s only one ingredient to analyze for Gains Candy GlucoVantage since it’s a standalone supplement. Note that below, we give an introductory article on Alpha Lion’s supplement, but for those who seek even more info, we also have two highly comprehensive articles on the subject: Berberine: The Best Glucose Disposal Ingredient Just Got Better and GlucoVantage: Dihydroberberine for Superior Insulin Sensitivity.

GlucoVantage in one minute

Listen to Mike talk about GlucoVantage in this quick one-minute clip:

Gains Candy GlucoVantage Product Breakdown

In case you’re not familiar with the Gains Candy Series, it’s not actual candy, but brightly-colored capsules!

GlucoVantage and BioPerine may be all you need to maximize your gains and speed up fat loss!

Alpha Lion recommends taking one capsule 30 minutes prior to a carb dense meal and you can take it up to three times per day. Each bottle comes with a total of 60 capsules which can last you anywhere from 20-60 days depending on how many capsules you take. As you’ll see with the research and mechanisms, it works for both dieting and bulking – as this is a tool to more effectively use carbohydrates for those purposes.

Before we dive into exactly what GlucoVantage does, let’s first give you some background information on nutrient partitioning, carbohydrates, and insulin! But if you’re already familiar with these concepts, you can skip down to the berberine section here.

Nutrient Partitioning

If there’s one area of nutrition that’s quickly gaining popularity, it’s nutrient partitioning.

This is a term that represents where the nutrients you ingest from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are being distributed to or used for. Typically, protein is utilized to build and repair tissue, whereas carbohydrates and fats can either be stored or burned for energy.

When it comes to having a lean and muscular physique, while fueling performance, you want the majority of the nutrients you ingest to get utilized and stored by the muscle, opposed to fat. In regards to insulin sensitivity and dihydroberberine, the main macronutrient we’re going to focus on is none other than carbohydrates.

Complex vs Simple Carbohydrates

There are two main types of carbohydrates that are classified based on their structure, which are complex and simple. Complex carbohydrates consist of several sugar molecules strung together and are typically higher in fiber and micronutrients. Complex carbs also take the body a longer time to digest because of all the bonds that the body must break down before turning it into absorbable glucose. Good examples of complex carbohydrates include: bread, whole grains, oatmeal, pasta, rice, and starchy vegetables.

Need more help digesting all those carbs? SuperHuman Gut is here to save the day.

On the other hand, you have simple carbohydrates which are a lot easier and quicker to digest because the sugar molecules are only held together by a few bonds. Simple carbs oftentimes lack a sufficient amount of micronutrient and fiber content. Good examples of simple carbohydrates include: sugar, fructose, glucose, lactose, and maltose.

The carbs we just listed are much more closer structurally to blood glucose at the start, which is why they can cause massive spikes in insulin.

This is one of the reasons why many people advise consuming a diet that’s mainly composed of nutrient rich whole foods and complex carbohydrates opposed to bags of candy. Even though carbs are not considered essential like protein and fats, they do help enhance recovery, build muscle, and provide a great energy source for various activities.

However, in order to best serve your health and fitness goals, the carbs must go to the right place and that’s where insulin comes into the picture. Despite the myths, insulin is not the enemy (we cannot live without it), but under certain circumstances, it can become problematic.

Insulin Sensitivity vs Insulin Resistance

No matter what your health and fitness goals entail, maintaining or achieving insulin sensitivity is crucial for both overall health and performance. Insulin sensitivity refers to how efficiently your body’s cells respond to a hormone secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas known as insulin.

You can consider insulin resistance to mean “sugar saturation” – at some point, overfilled adipocytes refuse to store more energy. Waist-to-Height ratio makes for an excellent proxy to insulin resistance. Image courtesy Dr. Ted Naiman.

After you eat a carb dense meal, your body begins to metabolize the carbohydrates to turn them into glucose. The small intestine will uptake the glucose and the molecules will enter circulation. This causes blood sugar levels to rise and specific cells in the pancreas will sense this increase and react accordingly.

Beta cells within the pancreas will start to kick out insulin, which is supposed to tell your cells to essentially “open up the floodgates” and allow glucose in. Once glucose enters the cells, it gets converted in glycogen to be used later on for energy.

The two main areas where the body stores glycogen is the liver and muscle cells. However, when the liver and muscles are maxed out or become unresponsive to insulin, then additional carbs get repackaged and stored as fat. If you end up developing insulin resistance, no matter how much insulin the pancreas secretes, the cells become far less responsive, leading to chronically elevated levels of blood sugar. Eventually, the beta cells become dysfunctional and serious health concerns arise.

Several factors can lead to insulin resistance such as reaching your “personal fat threshold”, low physical activity, and a poor diet. If this isn’t addressed in a timely fashion, you can develop serious health conditions such as diabetes.

One of the best ways to prevent or treat insulin resistance is with a proper diet and exercise. However, there’s also a few supplements available that you can add to amplify your efforts.

Enter glucose disposal agents (GDAs)…

Meet Glucose Disposal Agents (GDAs)

Glucose disposal agents (GDAs) are one of the most trending dietary supplement categories, gaining popularity as new and exciting ingredients enter the market. As the name suggests, GDAs contain ingredients that mimic insulin and get your cells to more efficiently uptake glucose in an effort to keep blood sugar levels at a healthy range.

Berberine: The best supplemental GDA ingredient? Science seems to dictate such

A well-formulated GDA will preferably shuttle nutrients into the muscle instead of fat. For athletes, more glycogen stored in muscle tissue leads to better performance, recovery, “pumps”, and enhanced muscle growth. Although there are several GDA ingredients available, the most powerful one thus far is none other than berberine.

Now it’s time to get into the specifics of berberine, and even deeper into the specifics of the dihydroberberine that is GlucoVantage.

• GlucoVantage (Dihydroberberine) – 100mg

  Berberine is a bioactive alkaloid derived from plants of the Berberis family, it’s also known in the scientific literature as 2,3-methylenedioxy-9,10-dimethoxy-protoberberine.^[1]

  

  There’s no better GDA ingredient than berberine, and there’s no better form of berberine than dihydroberberine in GlucoVantage!

  Although berberine seems to be knew to the sports supplement scene, it’s been used for centuries in both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine for its antimicrobial and antiprotozoal properties.^[2,3]

  Due to berberine’s unique chemical structure, it can have a wide variety of positive effects within the body. But it seems to be most effective at improving insulin sensitivity, HbA1c markers, lipid profiles, and fasting blood sugar levels. Some studies have even shown that berberine is as powerful as a pharmaceutical drug known as metformin, in terms of reducing HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, post-prandial blood glucose levels, and triglyceride levels.^[4]

  Berberine is quite powerful, but how does it accomplish these effects on a physiological level?

  • Berberine’s Mechanism of Action

    After the body absorbs berberine, it gets metabolized into four primary metabolites: demethyleneberberine, jatrorrhizine, berberrubine, and thalifendine.^[5] Although each metabolite has its own unique interactions with various enzymes, proteins, and pathways, they all collectively result in similar effects.^[5]

    Berberine and AMPK

    The first mechanism of action we’re going to discuss is berberine’s interaction with AMPK, also known as adenosine monophosphate kinase. AMPK is an enzyme that’s primarily responsible for regulating energy metabolism through controlling glucose and fatty acid uptake into the cell.^[6] In other words, when the cells are in need of fuel, AMPK works it’s magic to shuttle the nutrients into the cells.

    In regards to insulin sensitivity, the activation of AMPK leads to an upregulation in both PI3K and Akt pathways.^[7] Through the stimulation of these two pathways, insulin sensitivity gets enhanced in multiple ways.

    

    Hypothalamic AMPK plays a key role in glucose sensing. ^[8]

    Furthermore, AMPK is able to prevent mammalian target of rapamycin’s (mTOR) effects on insulin, further boosting insulin sensitivity. There are various ways to activate AMPK and one of them is through supplementation of berberine!^[9]

    Research shows that berberine enhances AMPK activity in a dose/time-dependent manner through the inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory complex 1 and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B.^[10,11] This is just one example of how berberine improves insulin sensitivity!

    Berberine and Adiponectin

    Another way berberine increases insulin sensitivity is through stimulating the release of adiponectin from adipose tissue through a process called adiponectin multimerization.^[12]

    This protein hormone is known for its ability to boost cellular response to insulin.^[13] Adiponectin expresses its effects by activating AMPK, which creates a downstream effect resulting in improved insulin sensitivity.^[13]

    Multifactorial enhanced glucose response

    One of the reasons why berberine is so powerful is because it affects the body’s ability to uptake glucose in a multitude of ways.

    In addition to stimulating AMPK, berberine has also been shown to increase GLUT1 transporter activity, and down regulate PTP1B enzyme activity.^[14,15]

    GLUT1 (glucose transporter 1) is a protein that facilitates the transportation of glucose across the cells’ membrane. It one works in one direction, meaning when it’s open glucose enters the cell, but cannot escape. Whereas, PT1B (protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B) is classified as a negative regulator of the insulin pathway, meaning it prevents insulin from expressing its effects. Thus, the inactivation of PT1B allows insulin to fully work it’s magic.

    Berberine’s notable effects

    

    How does the best glucose disposal ingredient in berberine get any better? It’s known as dihydroberberine, and sold as GlucoVantage!

    Due to the mechanisms outlined above, several studies have found that berberine is able to:

    • Improve glucose uptake, especially in patients with diabetes^[4,16]

    • Enhance insulin sensitivity and insulin levels^[17]

    • Increase glucose uptake in muscle cells^[11,18]

    • Serve as an effective body recomposition agent (more muscle, less fat)^[4,19]

    Berberine is quite impressive, but there’s one thing you should know if you really want to improve your health and body composition…

    Berberine and fat storage

    Now that you know how berberine works, it’s important to note that it cannot replace a solid exercise program. Berberine does an incredible job at getting glucose out of the blood stream, however once the muscles and liver are full then the glucose will be shuttled into fat cells.^[15]

    This is why we always recommend exercising regularly and preferably, resistance training, to maximize your physique and overall health. A solid nutrition plan and exercise regimen is one of the most powerful ways to boost your insulin sensitivity and improve various other health markers. Always remember that proper supplementation is just a part of the puzzle.

    Issues with Berberine

    Berberine is a fantastic ingredient with a robust amount of literature supporting its use, however there’s a few details we’ve left out that are crucial to address for the best results. Just like with any other supplement, not all forms of berberine are created equal. Two major issues that arise with specific extracts of berberine are quality and bioavailability!

    

    If you reallly want to maximize gains and fat loss, then be sure to pick up SuperHuman Burn!

    We can admit that sometimes we sound like a broken record always discussing the importance of proper absorption and bioavailability, but their key to seeing actual benefits. If berberine does not get into your system adequately, then all of the positive effects we just discussed are definitely not going to happen. You might as well just through the powder on your skin and expect it to do something.

    And with research showing that berberine has very low bioavailability, clocking in at a weak 5%,^[20] meaning out of 100mg dose, only 5mg actually enters circulation, it’s something we need to discuss.

    Studies report that the poor absorption is attributed to berberine’s interaction with a protein called P-Glycoprotein.^[20] This protein sits within cell membranes and inhibits the absorption of berberine. Furthermore, some research also shows that berberine boosts the activity of P-Glycoprotein within the digestive tract, further exacerbating the issue.^[21]

    Beyond having such terrible bioavailability, there are various forms of berberine that are not third party tested for safety, potency, purity, or quality. It’s very important that what’s on the label is in the bottle, but the majority of time, you cannot be sure of that. And to make matters worse, taking high doses of low quality extracts can cause some serious gastrointestinal distress.^[4]

    Fortunately, there’s companies like Alpha Lion and NNB Nutrition that are working together to bring a reliable and more powerful form of berberine to the market and it goes by the name of GlucoVantage!

  • GlucoVantage : The Super Berberine Developed By NNB Nutrition

    

    GlucoVantage from NNB Nutrition is a pure form of Dihydroberberine (DHB) and is known as “The Super Berberine”. See more on NNBNutrition.com

    NNB Nutrition was able to solve nearly all of the potential problems with berberine by coming out with a superior form known as Dihydroberberine (DHB)!

    DHB is classified as a derivative of berberine and consists of berberine bonded with two hydrogen atoms. Although it doesn’t seem that different from regular old berberine, the two additional hydrogen atoms have been shown to increase bioavailability, enhance effectiveness at lower doses, and reduce gastrointestinal distress!

    Superior Bioavailability

    One of the ways that DHB achieves superior bioavailability is through more efficient intestinal absorption. When regular berberine enters the body. it must get broken down into various metabolites, one being DHB.^[22] After DHB enters circulation it can be oxidized back into berberine to carry out its intended effects.^[22]

    

    A high octane pre workout with an unrivaled formula, can anything be strong than the SuperHuman line up?

    This may not sound like an issue after all, since the end result is still berberine. However, this conversion from berberine to DHB and back again is very inefficient. Therefore, taking DHB directly can help “fast track” the process, leading to quicker and more efficient effects and there’s research to support this idea!

    A study published in 2015 found that dihydroberberine is absorbed five times faster than berberine in vitro.

    As a follow-up, the same researchers performed another study with a different model to further assess whether this finding was accurate.^[22] For this experiment they used mice with low intestinal bacteria and gave them berberine to see how well it was absorbed. The reason why they used mice with low intestinal bacteria was because berberine needs a good amount of gut bacteria to be properly absorbed.

    They concluded that the amount of gut bacteria was a limiting factor in berberine absorption within the intestinal tract.^[22] This further supports the hypothesis that DHB will have greater bioavailability than berberine because it doesn’t have to be broken down in the gut.

    More potent at a lower dose!

    Greater levels of bioavailability typically mean that you don’t have to take nearly as much to see the same benefits! A study from 2008 found that when berberine was compared to DHB, it’s derivative was significantly better at preventing triglyceride and adipose tissue build-up, along with enhancing insulin sensitivity.^[23]

    

    NNB Nutrition is an innovative ingredient development company with an elite team of over 100 scientists from over 10 countries.

    Furthermore, the dihydroberberine group had a 44% increase in insulin sensitivity compared to the control group.^[23] Those findings are impressive, but what’s even more important about this study is that DHB was able to induce all of these positive effects to a much greater degree at a lower dose.^[23]

    Other studies have also shown that DHB is just as effective as berberine at inhibiting an enzyme responsible for facilitating fatty acid absorption, known as pancreatic lipase, at a much lower dose.^[24] Through the down regulation of PL, DHB may be able to decrease the amount of fatty acid uptake, potentially reducing fat storage.

    This is yet another benefit of berberine, but more notably DHB!

    Less gastrointestinal distress

    Because DHB is more bioavailable, you don’t have to use such a massive amount to see results, and that’s key for reducing the chance of GI distress. Multiple studies report that dihydroberberine is way easier on the stomach than berberine, with fewer noted adverse effects.^[22,23] However, it’s important to note that you may still experience some GI issues due to DHB passing through the digestive system.^[25]

    It’s also likely that the greater amount of berberine or DHB you have to take will increase your chances of experiencing side effects. This is another reason why DHB is superior to berberine because the research shows you don’t need nearly as much to get the results you’re after.

    The power of GlucoVantage

    At this point you know what berberine does and that dihydroberberine is the better choice, but what we never discussed is how you can find it!

    

    Alpha Lion also partnered with NNB Nutrition to develop Gains Candy MitoBurn and it’s a top seller!

    As discussed previously, there are several berberine extracts out there, but few are third party tested to guarantee potency, purity, or safety. Furthermore, if you wanted to get your hands on DHB, which is what we highly recommend, it was nearly impossible to find…until now!

    NNB Nutrition is the first ingredient supplier to come out with a commercially available product that contains 100% DHB. As always, NNB Nutrition even has lab tests to prove that it’s not adulterated in any way. You won’t find a higher quality, all-natural extract of DHB anywhere else, therefore if you really want to see what DHB is capable of look for GlucoVantage on the supplement facts panel!

    That’s quite a comprehensive write-up on the topic, and for even more information, see our original Berberine and GlucoVantage articles that remain updated over time.

    There’s one more ingredient in Gains Candy GlucoVantage that needs to be mentioned and it’s BioPerine!

• BioPerine Black Pepper (piper nigrum) Extract – 5mg

  BioPerine is a standardized extract of piper nigrum, more commonly known as black pepper.

  You can tell that Alpha Lion is a huge fan of BioPerine because you will find it in nearly every one of their products.

  

  Bioperine is the trusted, trademarked form of black pepper extract that promises 95% or greater piperine, the part of black pepper with all the activity!

  Since BioPerine contains at least 95% piperine, the main biologically active component, it helps deliver superhuman absorption. Studies show that adding BioPerine to several supplements significantly increases the bioavailability of multiple ingredients.^[25] In addition, BioPerine is also capable of enhancing thermogenesis by activating the release of catecholamines, independent of the cAMP pathway.^[26]

  More research is warranted to fully understand how BioPerine works, but the current hypothesis is that piperine expresses its effects through modulating the activity of various enzymes involved in metabolism and what’s known as the efflux mechanism.^[26]

  We’ve already heavily discussed the importance of optimal bioavailability in regards to DHB. But of course, Alpha Lion is taking it a step further with the addition of BioPerine to ensure that you’re getting the most out of Gains Candy GlucoVantage!

The Ultimate Alpha Lion Stack Base On Your Goals

Gains Candy GlucoVantage is a stand alone product that will deliver insane results on it’s own, but if you’re looking for even more, then here’s some products Alpha Lion recommends adding to your stack:

• Maximum Fat Loss: Gains Candy MitoBurn, SuperHuman Burn, or Cheetah Burn Thermo

• Muscle Building: Lions Blood

• Pump/Performance: Komodo Pump and/or SuperHuman Pre Workout (experts may consider SuperHuman Supreme for even more intensity)

• Cheat Meal Damage Control: Increase serving size to two capsules, consume 30 minutes before a large cheat meal

Alpha Lion Keeps Pushing The Industry Forward

Far too often, the supplement scene can fall under the illusion of lacking innovation because it’s filled with the same old stuff.

One of the biggest launches of 2020 for Alpha Lion was SuperHuman Burn!

Fortunately, there are brands like Alpha Lion that exist to push the industry forward by partnering with leading ingredient suppliers that are really the driving force behind keeping up to date with the latest research and helping these brands develop never before seen formulas.

We’re excited to see that Alpha Lion is not following along with other brands and instead, they’re carving their own path. Not to mention, they’re doing the right thing by working with companies like NNB Nutrition to bring the highest quality ingredients to their loyal consumers.

At the end of the day, Alpha Lion just wants to make products that are the best they can be and actually yield results. To them, that means sourcing the highest quality ingredients, doing the research, maxing out the dose, and educating the consumer. Not to mention, they do all of this while also giving back to people in need. Alpha Lion isn’t slowing down any time soon, so make sure to subscribe down below to follow along!