Nugenix is a men's health supplement company with products ranging from a multivitamin to testosterone (T) boosters. The brand describes their supplements as sexual vitality boosters, and suggests that their supplements maximize energy and improve lean muscle mass and libido.

But does Nugenix contain research-backed ingredients for improving testosterone and libido? Does the brand use any unhealthy ingredients? Does it cause side effects? And is Nugenix better or worse than popular T-boosting supplements like Mars Men?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of the brand's most popular supplements (Total-T and GH-Boost) to give our take on whether or not they're effectively formulated.

We'll also discuss the risk of side effects, and compare Nugenix to other popular T-boosting supplement brands, in terms of formulation quality, to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Total-T contains one active ingredient we consider effectively dosed
• GH Boost contains inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend Nugenix

Nugenix Total-T Review

The active ingredients in Nugenix Total-T, which is used to support testosterone (T), are shown below:

Vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 are part of a vitamin and mineral blend.

A clinical trial published in a Japanese research journal found that 1,500 micrograms (mcg) per day of vitamin B12 supplementation, or 625 times the amount in Total-T, had no influence on testosterone.

Boron is a mineral that was studied in a 2011 clinical trial, and trial participants supplementing with boron at a similar dose to that in Total-T experienced a 28% increase in free testosterone levels.

Eurycoma longifolia extract, commonly referred to as tongkat ali, is an effective ingredient for naturally boosting T, but may be underdosed in this formulation.

As we documented in our Gorilla Mind review article, the minimum effective tongkat ali dose appears to be 200 milligrams (mg) per day, while there's only 100 mg in Total-T.

Fenugreek extract previously existed in this formulation and was removed, and we're unsure why, because it was the active ingredient with the most research backing in our view.

A meta-review on fenugreek extract reported a “significant effect” on serum testosterone levels.

The inactive ingredients in Nugenix Total-T, shown below, should be safe and non-toxic:

Overall, we consider Nugenix Total-T somewhat likely to be effective for improving T levels, but we consider the new formulation to be significantly inferior to the previous formulation, which had an effective dose of fenugreek seed extract.

Nugenix GH Boost Review

The active ingredients in Nugenix GH Boost, which is used to support growth hormone levels, are shown below:

L-lysine, l-arginine and l-ornithine are amino acids that have been shown in research studies to transiently increase GH levels, as we documented in our review of the GF9 supplement.

Glutamine was shown to increase GH levels in a clinical trial published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

GABA is clinically shown to increase GH by up to 400% when used at a dose 10x higher than in this supplement. The dose used to be higher; we don't understand why Nugenix reduced it in the new formulation.

We consider three of the inactive ingredients, shown below, to be unhealthy:

Citric acid is typically manufactured using fungus and can cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals, according to a medical review published in the Toxicology Reports journal.

Sucralose is an artificial sweetener shown in a 2018 clinical trial to cause negative effects on insulin levels in young and healthy adults, even at only 15% of the daily allowable intake.

Natural flavors is a broad categorical descriptor that fails to specify the flavoring agents used, and a medical review documented legitimate toxicity concerns regarding some natural flavoring compounds.

Overall, we consider Nugenix GH Boost likely to be effective for increasing GH levels short-term, but we haven't come across any convincing evidence that these ingredients can cause long-term changes to GH levels. 

We do not currently recommend Nugenix GH-Boost due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.

Does Nugenix Cause Side Effects?

None of Nugenix's supplements appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, which makes it challenging to say for certain whether or not they cause side effects.

However, we can make an educated guess based on the ingredients.

The majority of the ingredients in Nugenix Total-T and Nugenix GH-Boost are safe and well-studied, so we don't believe it's likely that the average consumer will experience side effects from these supps.

However, taking high doses of vitamins and minerals without any deficiency in those vitamins and minerals could lead to toxicity over time.

We'd recommend speaking with a doctor if you plan to take Nugenix for long periods of time uninterrupted.

A 2015 medical review found that changes in GABA levels are associated with psychiatric disorders, so it may be advisable for individuals with a personal or family history of mental illness to avoid Nugenix GH-Boost.

We can't find any information about potential side effects on the Nugenix website.

Nugenix vs. Popular T-Boosters

Here's how Nugenix Total-T compares to other popular T-boosting supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

Ageless Male

Contains a high dose of zinc, which is associated with serum T levels.

However, this mineral is dosed at nearly 300% of the Daily Value (DV), which may pose a health risk long-term due to other supplements and dietary sources of zinc increasing total intake.

We consider Nugenix to be a safer choice for this reason.

Winner: Nugenix

Mars Men

This supplement has the opposite issue as Nugenix Total T; it active ingredients are often dosed too high (to the point of concern).

Taking relatively high mineral doses over long periods of time can be a health risk, as we documented in our Mars Men review article, so we consider Nugenix to be the safer choice.

Winner: Nugenix

Test Boost Max

Contains an ingredient which was described as causing degeneration of testicular tissues in a clinical trial.

Nugenix is the safer and healthier choice in our view.

Winner: Nugenix

Our Testosterone Support Picks

MBG Vitamin D3 Potency+ is our top value testosterone support pick.

Vitamin D3 supplementation has been clinically shown to increase total testosterone levels by over 25%.

Performance Lab Magnesium is our top mineral testosterone support pick.

Magnesium is a mineral that is clinically shown to increase free and total testosterone in athletes and in sedentary individuals.

Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients that we consider unhealthy.

Nugenix Pros and Cons

Pros

• Research-backed active ingredients
• Total-T is free of questionable additives
• Total-T may increase T levels
• GH-Boost may transiently increase GH levels
• Unlikely to cause side effects based on ingredients
• Healthier than competitors

Cons

• GH-Boost contains questionable additives
• Relatively expensive
  
• Doesn't appear to be clinically tested

Conclusion

We consider both Nugenix Total-T and Nugenix GH-Boost somewhat likely to be effective.

Both formulations contain at least one research-backed ingredient at an effective dose.

GH-Boost contains three inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy.

The new formulation for Total-T is significantly worse than the previous formulation in our view, which had fenugreek seed extract at a potent dose.

We don't believe that either Nugenix supplement reviewed in this article is likely to cause side effects in healthy individuals.

We consider Nugenix to be a safer choice than T-boosting supplements Ageless Male, Mars Men and Test Boost Max.