DADZ Lightning Sticks: An Energy Drink Formulated for Fathers!

Supercharge your day with DADZ Lightning Sticks!

Here on the PricePlow blog, we typically cover the latest protein powders, pre workout supplements, nootropics, and amino acid formulas that enter the market. What do all of these have in common? They are all primarily geared towards optimizing sports performance. However, there are several ingredients in the dietary supplement industry that can be used for a variety of purposes, and no one highlights that better than DADZ!

DADZ is one of the newest companies to enter the supplement industry in 2020, and they’re doing things right by using some of the highest quality ingredients available from top-tier companies like Nutrition21. DADZ was co-founded by Max Greenfield and veteran consumer goods entrepreneurs — Mike Constantiner, Dan Suski, and Russ Wallace.

Max is a father of two and understands the challenges that come with parenting. He embarked on a mission to create a product that would help other dads overcome any obstacle that comes their way, enabling them to be the best dad possible for their children: introducing the DADZ Lightning Sticks!

“We’ve been neck-deep in the trenches – peed on, pooped on, and puked on – and that’s just this morning’s diaper change. But we also know that being a Dad is the most important, exciting and straight-up fun challenge that we’ve ever taken on. And we aim to celebrate and support that.

DADZ is all about fun-loving, healthy, performance-minded products for Dad and baby that let you know that we see you, Dads, and we have your back.”

— DADZ

DADZ Lighting Sticks: Made For Dads, By Dads

DADZ Lightning sticks feature an extremely effective list of ingredients that are designed to increase your energy, mood, and focus. With just four key compounds — gelatinized maca root (as Lepidamax), inositol enhanced bonded arginine silicate (as nooLVL), organic lion’s mane, and caffeine from green coffee beans, the DADZ Lightning Stick gives you the boost you need to power through the day.

Co-founder Max Greenfield understands the challenges of parenting!

We’ve written about every ingredient included in this product at some point on the blog, but this is the first time we’ve seen them all used in one comprehensive formula. Not only is DADZ using well-researched ingredients, they made sure to include the clinically-studied dose of each one so you get the most out of this supplement. The Lightning Stick is portable, easy to use on the go, naturally flavored, works quickly, and sustains energy levels for hours.

“Supporting the Man”: Donations to Fathers Incorporated

In addition, DADZ donates a portion of the proceeds to charities and organizations that support families. Most notably, they partnered with Fathers Incorporated — a nonprofit organization that works to build stronger families and communities through the promotion of responsible fatherhood.^[1] This is known as “DADZ helping Dads”. By purchasing the Lightning Stick, not only are you getting a well-formulated product, you’re also helping out others, which is an incredible way to give back.

Everything you need to know about DADZ Lightning Stick is included down below, but before you read any more — sign up for PricePlow news and deal alerts to stay up to date with everything going on in the supplement industry!

DADZ Lightning Sticks Ingredients

As mentioned above, DADZ uses top-shelf ingredients, including Lepidamax and nooLVL from Nutrition21 to create their Lightning Sticks. This combination caught our attention straight away. The Lightning Stick also has a fully disclosed label so you know exactly what you’re putting into your body. This shows us that DADZ is transparent, honest, and is using efficacious dosages — everything we like to see in a supplement company!

Although the Lightning Stick only has 50mg of caffeine, that’s just enough to give you a slight energy boost, mentally and physically. Furthermore, there are several other ingredients that enhance energy, mood, and focus even more. Without further ado, let’s dive right into what the Lightning Stick has in store for all the dads looking for an extra edge!

Here’s what’s included in one Lightning Stick (8.4g):

• Gelatinized Maca Root (as Lepidamax) – 2.1g

  The first ingredient in the Lightning Stick is none other than gelatinized maca root extract as Lepidamax.

  

  A simple, yet effective formula for increased energy, mood, and focus!

  Ledpidmax is essentially the gold standard of maca root supplementation, since it comes from such a high quality source and is rigorously tested for potency, purity, safety, and efficacy. What makes Lepidamax really stand out is that it’s a patented and clinically-supported blend of Lepidium peruvianum — a proprietary formulation of Peruvian maca phenotypes that provides superior effectiveness in improving specific aspects of male performance, including energy, strength, and libido.^[2]

  As discussed in our original Lepidamax article, finding a trustworthy and high-quality lab-tested source of maca root extract is extremely difficult. So regardless of the use case, when looking for maca, we only recommend Lepidamax on the supplement facts panel. One of the main reasons is because it’s been reported that the majority of maca supplements are likely to be adulterated and/or contaminated^[3] – you want the real deal from the Peruvian mountains, where it grows best.

  Multiple supplement companies have conducted third party tests on batches of maca powder and found that they were filled with toxins, heavy metals, and cheap fillers.^[3] Especially if you have a family to take care, the last thing you need is to waste money on an ingredient that doesn’t work due to poor quality. Thanks to Nutrition21 you no longer need to worry about that!

  Now that you know Lepidamax is an ingredient you can trust, let’s see what it has to offer.

  Lepidamax Benefits

  The maca plant primarily grows within the Andes Mountains of Peru, and unlike other vegetation, it thrives in harsh, cold conditions.^[4] Maca has been harvested for hundreds of years and it became a lot more sought after once people started to uncover its numerous health benefits.^[4] An abundance of evidence shows that maca supplementation leads to increased libido, male fertility, enhanced mood and cognitive function.^[4-9]

  

  We’ve always known maca to be incredible, but the suppliers simply weren’t. Consider that problem solved: The Maca game has officially been changed by Nutrition 21’s Lepidamax

  Multiple human clinical trials have found that maca supplementation is not only able to enhance libido, but also improve overall male fertility by increasing sperm motility, concentration, and quality.^[7,8] Furthermore, this positive effect was reported in both infertile and fertile males, which is a very significant finding considering that you would assume fertile males would see no drastic difference in fertility.^[7,8]

  Other preliminary research has discovered that maca increases endurance and overall work capacity by lowering lactate levels via enhancing mitochondrial efficiency.^[10,11] In a study from 2018, researchers took 28 mice and divided them into four groups: an exercise only group, a control group, an exercise plus maca group, and a maca only group.^[11]

  

  For college aged users, Lepidamax yielded several benefits to the men!

  For this experiment, the researchers noted that they specifically used Lepidamax for the form of maca, since it’s a trusted source.^[11] The results were clear that the mice who exercised and took Lepidamax saw significant improvements in time to exhaustion, along with decreased levels of lactic acid and oxidative stress, suggesting that they experienced less muscle damage.^[11]

  Another study published in 2019 found similar performance enhancing effects in humans.^[12] Researchers gave 47 subjects either 2.1g of maca for 28 days or a placebo.^[12] This study used both males and females to assess whether or not maca supplementation would benefit both genders.^[12] The main outcome measures were body composition, mood, strength, fatigue, and libido.^[12]

  Although the females had no significant differences, the males who supplemented with maca experienced significant improvements in strength, libido, and fatigue compared to the placebo.^[12]

  Since this is a product geared towards males, Lepidamax is an excellent ingredient for enhancing overall men’s health and we’re happy to see that DADZ used a trusted source and a clinically studied dose!

  Learn more about the power of Lepidamax in our article titled A Better Maca Ingredient: Lepidamax by Nutrition21.

• Inositol-Enhanced Bonded Arginine Silicate (as nooLVL) – 1.6g

  The next ingredient in the Lightning Stick is arguably the most popular ingredient of 2020, since several large brands are starting to unlock the power of nooLVL. nooLVL is another cutting-edge ingredient from the masterminds at Nutrition21.

  

  nooLVLis another one of Nutrition21’s best selling ingredients and it’s dominating the gaming supplement scene!

  The ingredient has gained notoriety within the gaming supplement industry because a landmark study, conducted on real gamers, which showed that 1.6g of nooLVL significantly enhances performance, accuracy, speed, decision making, and reaction time.^[13] What’s even more interesting is that the researchers used relevant games including Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Madden.^[13]

  So it’s obvious that nooLVL belongs in a gaming supplement, but what’s it doing in the Lightning Stick?

  Let’s first discuss what nooLVL is made of and how its benefits go beyond gaming!

  nooLVL goes beyond gaming

  nooLVL consists of two key elements: inositol and arginine silicate — both play an important role in the cognitive boosting effects of nooLVL, however we would argue that inositol does most of the heavy lifting.

  Inositol is an essential carbohydrate that’s highly concentrated in the brain.^[14,15]

  It’s known for contributing to a variety of physiological processes, including maintaining structural integrity of cell membranes, osmoregulation (fluid balance), and cell-to-cell signaling.^[15] But in regards to improving cognitive function, we’re most concerned about it’s role in the phosphatidylinositol (PI) cycle.^[15]

  The PI cycle is a secondary messenger system that helps relay signals from the nervous system to various cells in order to carry out specific functions.^[15] It essentially serves as a “middle man” and ensures that things run smoothly. The PI cycle is highly involved in overall brain function, fine and gross motor movements, decision making, reaction time, and focus.^[15]

  

  Nutrition21 also makes nooLVL, and it’s one of the top ingredients for egaming supplements!

  In addition, inositol plays a role in the synthesis and homeostasis of serotonin and dopamine, which are key neurotransmitters involved in motivation, reward, pleasure, mood, and overall sense of well-being.^[16]

  It’s likely that being extremely busy all day and performing mentally demanding tasks, such as work, workouts, or taking care of your kids, results in the depletion of inositol, leaving you feeling more sluggish than normal. Thus, supplementing with additional inositol ensures that the neurons are firing on all cylinders and if you want to be on the top of your game for any task, it’s a good thing to supplement with!

  Lastly, the arginine silicate helps improve the effectiveness of the inositol since it causes the blood vessels to the brain to vasodilate, resulting in more efficient delivery. Overall, nooLVL is a powerful nootropic, meaning that it significantly enhances mental focus, clarity, and energy. Its uses go beyond gaming — many users take it for studying, work, and anything else that requires maximal concentration. Furthermore, nooLVL recently was named “Sports Nutrition Ingredient of The Year” for 2020 by NutraIngredients-USA. Thus, it’s no surprise that DADZ decided it would be a phenomenal addition to the Lightning Stick!

  Learn more about nooLVL from Nutrition21 by checking out our two articles titled nooLVL for Next-Level Gaming: Focus Supplement Ingredient for Gamers! and Inositol: Why It’s Added to nooLVL For Increased Gaming Performance.

• Organic Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) (mycelial biomass) – 250mg

  nooLVL is quickly becoming one of the most popular nootropic ingredients in the dietary supplement industry, but when you combine that with another that has stood the test of time, the effects may be even further amplified! Lion’s Mane is a mushroom which packs a host of benefits that’s nothing short of being magical.

  Lion’s Mane, also known in the scientific literature as Hericium erinaceus, has been used for its healing properties for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese and Japanese medicinal practices.^[17-19] One of the reasons why Lion’s Mane is very well known today is because of it’s potent brain boosting effects and adaptogenic properties.^[20,21]

  

  Portable and easy to use on the go!

  An adaptogen is a compound that helps you adapt and overcome stressful situations, whether physical or mental. Not very many companies use Lion’s Mane typically due to the cost, however we would argue that its benefits far outweigh a few extra dollars.

  Research shows that Lion’s Mane is a rich source of several bioactive compounds, such as glycoproteins, beta-glucans, erinacines, erinacea lactones, and hericerins.^[20] These compounds are what make Lion’s Mane so effective since they interact with various physiological pathways within the body and brain. Lion’s Mane expresses anti aging, anticancer, anti-fatigue, antioxidant, neuroprotective, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, and cognitive enhancing properties.^[20,21]

  Lastly, it’s important to note that Lion’s Mane is one of the rare dietary ingredients that’s been shown to increase nerve growth factor in the brain.^[22,23] This means that it may help stimulate the growth of neurons through enhancing nerve function and promoting nerve cell longevity. Let’s face it, you’re not getting any younger, so taking a supplement that can protect your brain is likely extremely beneficial. Fortunately, DADZ has your back with 250mg of Lion’s Mane per Lightning Stick!

  Learn more about lion’s mane by checking out this in-depth blog post: Lion’s Mane: The Nerve Growth Nootropic Mushroom.

• Caffeine (from green coffee bean extract) – 50mg

  The last ingredient to round out the Lightning Stick’s formula is a shot of caffeine derived from green coffee bean extract. For most people 50mg doesn’t seem like much, especially considering energy drinks and pre workout supplements typically range from 200-400mg per serving. However, DADZ’s goal was not to leave you feeling stimmed out or over anxious in any way, they simply wanted to give you a slight increase in energy that would be sustained for hours.

  

  DADZ Lightning Stick gives you energy fast that lasts for hours!

  Furthermore, it’s fairly common to see lower doses of caffeine in nootropic type formulas which is what DADZ is going for with the Lightning Stick. They want you to be sharp mentally so you can tackle the day with ease.

  Instead of going with a synthetic form of caffeine, such as caffeine anhydrous, DADZ wanted to keep things all natural, thus they opted for using green coffee bean extract. Although there are no studies showing that natural caffeine is more optimal for sustained energy levels than synthetic caffeine, several people prefer natural caffeine because it’s less likely to make them crash.

  Caffeine is an incredibly effective stimulant that works by inhibiting adenosine receptors and phosphodiesterase.^[24] Adenosine is known for causing a decrease in neural activity, leading to mental fatigue, whereas phosphodiesterase is responsible for breaking down a secondary messenger system involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism known as cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP).^[24] Fortunately, caffeine is able to prevent both of these actions from occurring, resulting in increased energy and alertness!^[24]

  And if you want more caffeine, simply keep your coffee.

Flavor Variations

DADZ Lightning Stick is naturally flavored and colored, vegan, non-GMO, gluten-free, allergen-free, and uses recyclable packaging. Furthermore, it’s sweetened with a blend of allulose and stevia leaf extract (no artificial sucralose or ace-k!). Allulose is a low calorie sugar alternative that has no blood sugar impact. While it adds roughly 5g of carbs per serving, it does not behave anything like sugar, so we don’t feel there’s anything to worry about — even for low carb dieters!

The Lightning Stick first launched in one refreshing flavor — Natural Black Cherry — but with how popular this product is becoming, we expect a lot more flavors to be added in the near future!

Below will be an updated list of all available flavors for DADZ Lightning Stick:

DADZ Has Your Back, So You Can Have Theirs!

For all the dads out there that need an extra boost, the Lightning Stick is a great product to try out! Their team did an excellent job formulating this supplement, it’s simple, effective, dosed well, and includes some of PricePlow’s favorite ingredients from Nutrition21 — Lepidamax and nooLVL. Even though DADZ just arrived on the market, they’re definitely doing things right by using fully transparent labels, giving back to organizations in need, and partnering with some of the top ingredient suppliers in the industry.

DADZ Lightning sticks are truly one of a kind!

Nutrition21 leads the way in ingredient research and development and you can be certain that when you see their logo on a product that the company is giving you the highest quality ingredients they can source. Although we’ve seen each ingredient included in the Lightning Stick across several product categories — nootropics, pre workout supplements, gaming supplements — they’ve never been combined in this way.

In an industry that can seem very saturated it’s crucial that new brands do things differently and DADZ has definitely accomplished that. They’re even targeting a specific audience which we rarely see in the industry — dads who are doing everything they can to balance work, physical activity, and fatherhood. It’s definitely not an easy task, but at least the Lightning Stick is here to give you some assistance. This is just the beginning for DADZ, so make sure to subscribe down below to see what they come up with next!