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Supplement Godfather

Don Gauvreau MSc, CSCS
Don Gauvreau, A.K.A. The Supplement Godfather, is one of the leading researchers and product formulators in the sports supplement industry.
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What is AstraGin and ActiGin?

NuLiv Science is quickly becoming known as one of the top branded ingredient suppliers in the dietary supplement industry. Its flagship ingredient, AstraGin™, can now be found in a wide variety of sports and health supplements worldwide, primarily for its absorption-enhancing properties. More recently, it has released AstraGin’s sister ingredient, ActiGin™. What’s the difference between these two ingredients and how do they work?

Well, AstraGin™ is a natural compound composed of highly fractionated Astragalus membranaceus and Panax notoginseng. Multiple pre-clinical studies show that AstraGin has the ability to significantly improve the absorption of key nutrients into the body. Most nutrient absorption takes place in the small intestines. Amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and many other nutrients are taken up from the intestines into the blood via transporter proteins. AstraGin™ has the ability to positively upregulate these transporter proteins. In fact, AstraGin™ has been shown in multiple in-vivo studies to increase the absorption of amino acids, such as arginine, lysine, citrulline, and histidine. Further to that, AstraGin™ has the ability to help repair the health of intestinal walls, where absorption takes place. As people age and when the body is under chronic stress, the intestinal villi (small, finger-like projections that protrude from the epithelial lining) can become inflamed and damaged, which then negatively affects the absorption of nutrients. AstraGin™ has been shown to help repair the intestinal walls and reduce inflammatory damage, which is critical for optimal absorption of nutrients. In 12 in-vivo and in-vitro studies, AstraGin™ has shown that it can increase the absorption of amino acids such citrulline by up to 43 percent and vitamins such as folate by up to 50 percent. AstraGin™ has even been shown to improve ATP (energy) production by up to 18 percent!

ActiGin™, although somewhat similar to AstraGin™, is a unique ingredient with different effects. Through collaboration with the University of Taipei and National Defense Medical College in Taipei, NuLiv has developed ActiGin™ as an all-natural endurance and recovery ingredient. ActiGin™ is derived from the Panax notoginseng and Rosa roxburghii plants. These plants are isolated for a unique ratio of ginsenosides and active markers. Research shows that Panax notoginseng contains two main groups of ginsenosides, Rb1 and Rg1, and various sub-molecules under the Rb1 and Rg1 grouping. Studies indicate that these unique compounds found in Panax notogineng can help boost endurance and recovery through multiple mechanisms of action. Rosa roxburghii is widely regarded for its high antioxidant properties and belongs to the rose plant family. Its fruiting body is extremely rich in antioxidants, and gram for gram, Rosa roxburghii provides significantly more antioxidant capacity and vitamin C than most other citrus fruits and plants.

ActiGin™ works to boost performance and recovery through three main mechanisms. Firstly, it can help increase muscle glycogen levels, which means your muscles have more fuel to power through intense workouts. Secondly, it enhances the activity of an enzyme called citrate synthase, which is the enzyme that initiates the Krebs cycle, a series of chemical reactions that generates aerobic energy in the body. Finally, ActiGin™ can help reduce post-exercise inflammation, which inherently speeds up recovery. Essentially, ActiGin can help boost exercise performance before, during, and after working out by way of these mechanisms.
ActiGin™ is a patent-pending compound and is supported by a 2015 published human clinical study, which delivered the following results: (a) increased glycogen recovery by up to 370 percent, (b) increased high-intensity endurance performance by up to 20 percent, and (c) decreased oxidative inflammation up to 69 percent after high-intensity exercise.

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Reference: Hou CW, Lee SD, Kao CL, et al. Improved inflammatory balance of human skeletal muscle during exercise after supplementations of the ginseng-based steroid Rg1. PLoS One. 2015 Jan 24;10(1):e0116387.