MyoSynergy is a brand new, unique formula designed to potently trigger multiple pathways of muscle building at the cellular level. In addition, it will also aid in preventing muscle breakdown, boosting strength levels, and encouraging mitochondrial biogenesis.
To better understand the inclusion of the specific ingredients in the formula, it is important to have a little bit of background on the ways the body upregulates muscle growth. We don't just grow or shrink unless we have the proper signals to do so. The primary growth signal, and the main anabolic focus of MyoSynergy, is the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.
Anabolic/Catabolic Signaling To trigger anabolism, the body primarily engages in the following sequence of events:
Insulin Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1) activates Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase (PI3K), which activates Protein Kinase B (Akt), which then activates the Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin (MTOR, also known as the mammalian Target of Rapamycin). Considered the master regulator of protein synthesis in muscle, MTOR is the key player in this cascade.
IGF1>PI3K>Akt>MTOR
When this happens, we see the following take place Error: Reference source not found:
Protein Synthesis (muscle growth)
Anti-catabolism (prevention of muscle breakdown)
Myostatin inhibition (major governor on muscle growth)
MuRF1 reduction (more on that below)
Although it was previously thought that Myostatin generated a cellular signal to kickstart muscle breakdown, it has now been shown to instead block the above anabolic pathway Error: Reference source not found. So inhibition of myostatin allows for accelerated anabolism.
Now with this background out of the way, let's get into how MyoSynergy will favorably manipulate these pathways to greatly augment your ability to gain muscle!
Astragalus Membranaceus 20:1
While Astragalus Membranaceus (AM) has numerous potential benefits, here we are focused on a few specific ones, namely IGF1 boosting, Myostatin inhibition, glucose and insulin signaling, and exercise performance.
AM has been shown to upregulate IGF1 production, which, as noted above, kickstarts the entire anabolic cascade Error: Reference source not found. Researchers later conducted a study to re-test this, and found that it did in fact increase IGF1 while also stimulating bone growth in rats, and suggested that AM "may be helpful in stimulating growth in children with short stature", which it is actually used for in traditional Korean medicine Error: Reference source not found. In fully-grown adults, IGF1 is no longer responsible for bone growth, as it shifts its focus to other duties like muscle growth. So, sorry, MyoSynergy will not make you taller, you'll just have to distract people with your bigger muscles.
As you recall from earlier, IGF1 activation is going to indirectly decrease Myostatin levels. In addition to that, another study showed that AM was able to reduce Myostatin more directly by inhibiting the NF-kappaB pathway Error: Reference source not found.
Aside from boosting IGF1 to enhance anabolism, AM also appears to have a pronounced effect on the way the body handles glucose and insulin. In one study, when researchers tried to fatten rats up and give them diabetes, AM was able to ameliorate "glucose toxicity", improve insulin sensitivity, and increase glucose uptake in the muscle cells Error: Reference source not found. This boost in insulin sensitivity and increased muscle glycogen storage has been corroborated by other studies as well Error: Reference source not found. Better skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity and more glucose uptake = bigger muscles. Nice.
AM has also been shown to enhance exercise performance by reducing the accumulation of metabolic waste products Error: Reference source not found.
Angelica Sinensis
AKT. Now, I consider my customers to be pretty savvy. We should all be well aware of what the mTOR pathway is in relation to Muscle Protein Synthesis. The primary trigger of mTOR is several key amino acids, notable the Branched Chain (L-Leucine, especially). What is less well known is the AKT pathway. AKT works hand in hand with mTOR to increase muscle Hypertrophy as well as block atrophy, in particular, trigger an increase in fiber size .
Several compounds have been shown to increase AKT signaling at physiological doses, notably in the Angelica family. We are using a potent Angelica Sinensis extract.
For you older lifters (like myself) or those that will be combining MyoSynergy with BMP, recent research demonstrates synergy between BMP7 signaling and AKT signaling in hypertrophy. Notably, as we get older increases in BMP7 levels are counteracted by reduction in AKT signaling. The combination of BMP and MyoSynergy should therefore be essential inclusions in the older lifters aresenal.
Interesting side fact – MyoStatin dramatically reduces AKT signaling.
Shilajit
Shilajit is one of those mythical substances touted for centuries as a wonder, which was largely dismissed initially by modern science. A substance “secreted” at the base of the Himalayan Mountains, Shilajit is complex indeed. Almost serendipically, Shilajit aids in muscle adaptation to demanding exercise as well as providing amazing anti-fatigue properties. Seems handy if you live in the mountains. Shilajit has also been indicated as a compound that assists in the absorption of other compounds.
(-)Epicatechin is an exciting ingredient with potential to stimulate muscle growth through multiple avenues. EvoMuse was the first product to include Epicatechin, specific for muscle growth, but that wasn’t enough. Finding that the results in real world applications weren’t mindblowing, some companies began jacking up dosage to ridiculous levels. Biding my time, and spending thousands of hours researching, it was determined that several road blocks were in the way. Most obvious was absorption. We will get into this as the writeup continues, as the solution lie in an innovative new approach designed exclusively by EvoMuse, with patents filed.
As we age, Myostatin increases while its inhibitors like follistatin and myogenin/MyoD (the latter two are responsible for regulating muscle cell differentiation) tend to decrease. This sets the stage for increased muscle loss. (-)Epicatechin has been shown to reverse this, decreasing Myostatin and improving the follistatin/myostatin ratio and increasing strength after only seven days of intake Error: Reference source not found. As well, MyoStatin expression is one of the major limiting factors in muscle growth for people of all ages. Inhibition of MyoStatin by MyoSynergy should result in increased muscle growth rates for all users. As well, see below for Broccoli Sprout/Myrosinase.
(-)Epicatechin has also been shown in multiple studies to increase muscle capillarity and biogenesis of mitochondria, which persists even with cessation of use Error: Reference source not found. More blood flow and mitochondria paves the road to enhanced hypertrophic capability and improved performance. In addition, (-)epicatechin has recently been shown to favorably regulate the function of specific proteins in control of muscular contraction Error: Reference source not found.
Nicotinamide
Nicotinamide aka Niacinamide is a potent water soluble amide form of B3. It forms a core compound that is absolutely essential in the body, A cofactor known as Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (in several forms including NADH, NADP). Malfunction has been implicated in aging and resultant malfunctioning of the body, including muscle weakness and wasting. Nicotinamide can be combined with Tryptophan to form these essential cofactors, or it can also be recycled through several pathways. NAD is crucial for proper function of the body.
Several studies involving muscle wasting and mitochondrial dysfunction identified NAD+ deficiency as the main culprit, and researchers were able to reverse these with proper supplementation. Unfortunately, like most critical nutrients, modern diets tend to be poor sources of most B vitamins.
Nicotinamide is included for the above reasons, as well as the fact that it is an incredible coformer in the structural formation of cocrystals and, in our case, my special tricrystal lattice.
Ursolic Acid
Once in a while something comes along that looks so amazing on paper, and we just cannot get it to pan out. In TopMuscle, we used a topical delivery with decent results, but everyone really just wants a capsule they can swallow. Unfortunately, UA has such dismal chemical properties that oral dosing is worthless. By taking advantage of the painstaking process I worked out, we are able to make a layered crystalline lattice using Epicatechin/Nicotinamide and Ursolic acid, which allows major doses of each ingredient to be absorbed. For functionality, I will use my previous section on UA:
UA is in the MyoSynergy formula based on its ability to further target two of the previously mentioned pathways, as well as a third pathway that will be a common theme with some of the upcoming ingredients (so pay attention).
For starters, UA favorably triggers that sweet, sweet IGF-1 pathway (19), (20). Additionally, UA allows us to reduce the myostatin governor of muscle growth (21).
The third pathway involves something called irisin. Irisin is a myokine triggered by exercise, which favorably modulates several pathways involving inhibition of fat gain, adipocyte browning, and muscle growth. In a study involving 16 healthy males, adding UA to a resistance training protocol for 8 weeks resulted in significantly decreased body fat percentage, elevated IGF-1 and irisin, as well as boosting strength levels (all vs. placebo pill combined with resistance training) (20).
In summary, combined research shows UA supports an increase in muscle fiber size, strength, exercise capacity, adipocyte browning, IGF-1, irisin, and protein synthesis. It also promotes a suppression of myostatin, inflammatory cytokines, and body fat accumulation (19), (20), (21).
Broccoli Sprout
Broccoli Sprout is a source of sulforaphane, which has numerous beneficial effects on general health, such as acting as a histone deacetylase inhibitor Error: Reference source not found. It also acts as an antioxidant, and more specifically, modulates the redox environment in muscle cells to control exercise induced muscle damage Error: Reference source not found.
The main reason for inclusion of Broccoli Sprout, however, is the interaction with Myostatin. A recent study in the journal Epigenetics showed that sulforaphane significantly suppresses Myostatin, while also suppressing the negative feedback inhibitors of the Myostatin pathway Error: Reference source not found.
Myrosinase/Brown Mustard
Broccoli Sprout Extract, which contains Sulphoraphane (above) also contains major amounts of its immediate precursor, glucoraphanin . By combining Broccoli Sprout with Brown Mustard, extracted specifically for the enzyme Myrosinase, we boost the conversion to Sulphoraphane and wind up with quite a potent dose. In addition, this process itself is dynamic, and results in a 4x increase in bioavailability.
Borneol
You will recall one of my projects for the last couple of years has been absorption enhancement. As detailed in the BMP writeup, one of the biggest hurdles is called the p-Glycoprotein efflux pump. Efflux is a word that means the opposite of Influx. Quite simply, compounds trying to enter the bloodstream via intestinal cells are actively “pumped” back out again. Not helpful, and a huge waste. Borneol has a high affinity for the pGP pump. It busies this mechanism like that superstar student that would get the attention of the hall monitor while everyone else would sneak by. Not that I misbehaved in school….at all. You hear that mom? Anyway, Borneol inhibits that pGP pump, allowing everything else that might get tossed back out to absorb.
In summary, MyoSynergy is designed to potently upregulate the body's main anabolic signals, inhibit catabolic pathways, and promote increases in strength and exercise performance. This state of the art formula is the most potent inhibitor of MyoStatin available, and should allow you to Mack Truck your way through previous physiological limitations, adding more muscle than ever though possible. The specific combination and dosages of these novel ingredients should allow users to tap into a previously unattainable level of muscle growth.
