Laxogenin:

Laxogenin, also known as 5a-hydroxy laxogenin is plant-based steroid derived Smilax sieboldii. Laxogenin is part of the Brassinosteroid class of plant hormones, polyhydroxylated derivatives 5a-cholestane – and thus is structurally to the cholesterol-backbone steroid hormones found in animals and ecdysteroids found in insects. Brassinosteroids function in plant tissue as steroid hormones function in animal tissue, namely by stimulating protein synthesis and inhibiting protein degradation via the PI3K/Akt signaling cascade. Unlike steroid hormones, however, both Brassinosteroids generally, and 5a¬¬-hydroxy laxogenin specifically, show no binding affinity to the androgen receptor (AR) in vitro.

While evidence is still emerging, the extant animal data on Laxogenin is promising. In a trial in healthy rats fed a protein-controlled diet (39.4% protein content), oral administration of Laxogenin “increased food intake, body weight gain…[and]…lean body mass.” Upon dissecting the animals, researchers demonstrated that both phenotypic variation and muscle hypertrophy occurred. Laxogenin “significantly increased” Type IIa and IIx muscle fibre phenotype and increased Type I and Type IIa cross-section. As noted above, Laxogenin dose- and time-dependently increased Akt phosphorylation in rat muscle cells at levels similar (though less) than insulin and IGF-1 controls. Protein synthesis as a result PI3K/Akt activation increased by approximately 35%, while protein degradation decreased by approximately 9% – suggesting that administration of Laxogenin promotes net positive protein conservation in animal muscle.

PeakO2™:

PeakO2™ is an organic-certified combination of six Ayurvedic mushroom strains extracted for their principal bioactives (Cordyceps militaris (Cordyceps), Ganoderma lucidim (Reishi), Pleurotus eryngii (King Trumpet), Lentinula edodes (Shiitake),Hericium erinaceus (Lions Mane), and Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail).

The results of several human clinical trials on this compound suggest that it may meaningfully and dose-dependently impact several key metrics in exercise performance and physiology. A recent trial on 13 healthy, exercising adults consuming either 1.3 grams of PeakO2 or placebo, for example, demonstrated significant increases to oxygen kinetics, aerobic power and time to fatigue. In the adults receiving the 1.3g of PeakO2 for three weeks, VO2max (a measure of aerobic capacity) increased by 11% as compared to 1.8% in placebo; TTE (total time to exhaustion) increased by 8.2%; and peak power increased by 10%.

The results were similar in an additional study with 40 healthy adults, provided both low and high-dose PeakO2 for 28 days and compared with placebo. In this trial, participants receiving the mushroom extract experienced statistically significant increases to both VO2max and heart-rate economy – suggesting that PeakO2’s effects are both systemic and cumulative. That is, not only does PeakO2 exert its effects on the entirety of the human cardiovascular system – likely due to the multiple mechanisms of action in the mushroom blend – but these effects accumulate over time.

These results suggest that PeakO2 may have beneficial effects on:

• Workout duration
• Time to exhaustion
• Maximum power output
• Peak strength
• Anaerobic peak power
• Oxygen utilization during exercise
• Ability to uptake oxygen
• Exercise capacity