Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice. All statements are merely the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to weight loss.
Roman is a popular men’s health brand that sells a variety of products tailored to sexual performance. We previously reviewed Roman Swipes, and the brand sells a dietary supplement called Roman Testosterone Support that we’ll be reviewing in this article.
We will analyze every ingredient based on published medical research to provide our determination on whether this supplement is likely to improve testosterone levels or whether it’s a waste of money. We’ll highlight ingredients we find to be questionable, and share reviews from real users of the supplement.
Ingredient Review
At the time of writing this article, Roman does not appear to publish a Supplement Facts label on the product page of their website which is unacceptable. This information is important for consumer safety and we urge the brand to publish it on their website. The above label is from the product’s Amazon listing.
The majority of the active ingredients in Roman Testosterone Support are a blend of vitamins and minerals.
Vitamin D3 is the most absorbable form of Vitamin D, but we cannot identify any medical studies finding it to be effective for improving testosterone levels in men with normal levels of Vitamin D to begin with.
A clinical trial published in 2017 examined whether Vitamin D3 supplementation could increase testosterone levels in healthy middle-aged men. Trial participants either received 10,000 International Units (IU) of Vitamin D3 per week or placebo for 12 weeks. The researchers concluded the following: “Vitamin D treatment had no effect on [testosterone] levels.”
Magnesium was found to increase testosterone when supplemented in a clinical trial, but the dosage used in the trial was equivalent to more than double the dose in Roman’s supplement.
The zinc in Roman Testosterone Support may be similarly underdosed. An extensive medical review published in the Aging Male journal analyzed data from many individual trials on zinc and testosterone, and concluded that 220 milligrams (mg) of zinc sulfate was a “safe recommendation” for improving testosterone levels. Roman’s supplement only provides 30 mg of zinc sulfate, or barely over 10% of what appears to be a therapeutic dose.
We cannot identify any medical studies suggesting that supplemental copper is effective for improving testosterone levels.
We do not recommend supplementing with random blends of vitamins and minerals in any case, as we have not come across any convincing medical research that patients with healthy blood levels of a vitamin or mineral benefit from its supplementation, so the practice seems illogical.
An individual with low blood levels of Vitamin D is likely to benefit from Vitamin D supplementation, but taking supplemental Vitamin D without being deficient in the nutrient is a waste of money and potentially harmful.
A wellness brand recently had to recall several products from the market due to over-fortification with vitamins causing toxicity in some customers, which illustrates why we consider it to be illogical to supplement with vitamins and minerals without first knowing blood levels of those vitamins and minerals.
There are two active herbal ingredients in Roman Testosterone Support: organic ashwagandha root extract and maca root powder.
Ashwagandha root extract is one of the most promising herbal compounds for testosterone support, and appears to be effectively dosed in Roman’s supplement. A clinical trial published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that ashwagandha root extract at the exact same dose as in Roman Testosterone Support increased testosterone levels by 15.3% in young, healthy men. This result is even more impressive given that younger men have higher testosterone levels at baseline.
Maca root powder is typically used for libido (sex drive) enhancement. We cannot locate any medical studies suggesting it improves testosterone levels. We do not recommend consuming raw maca root powder, as this is an indigestible plant, much like potato, that can cause digestive discomfort (note that potato is never consumed raw). We would only recommend gelatinized maca root powder.
Overall we do believe this supplement is likely to improve testosterone levels due to the effective dose of ashwagandha root extract. However, we cannot recommend this supplement overall because it contains a blend of vitamins and minerals, and we don’t recommend supplementing with blends of vitamins and minerals without a documented deficiency.
Since ashwagandha is the only ingredient we can identify as effective in this formulation, it would be simpler (and likely cheaper) to supplement with that alone at the same 600 mg daily dosage.
Questionable Amazon Reviews
Roman Testosterone Support is available on Amazon, but the supplement receives an “F” grade from FakeSpot, which is a software tool that detects potentially fraudulent Amazon reviews. FakeSpot typically publishes an “Adjusted Rating” after removing said reviews, but in this case the company states that there are “insufficient reliable reviews” to even issue an adjusted rating.
The top positive review is published by a user named “Darryl Scott” who claims the supplement improved his sexual performance:
“Good help for erectile disfunction and seems to make my memory better.”
The top negative review comes from a user named “Jeff” who received a damaged product:
“Received my package today with the contents dumped in the bag..the top was off of the bottle and the safety seal was torn open. Can’t believe this was on accident!”
Huge Price Discrepancy
At the time of writing this article, Roman Testosterone Support is nearly 50% cheaper on Amazon than on the brand’s website.
This supplement is currently retailing for $18.80 on Amazon, and $35 for a monthly supply on Roman’s website. One bottle provides 30 servings, so the $18.80 purchase on Amazon should last a month.
Although we don’t recommend this supplement, we would certainly recommend that consumers set on purchasing it do so on Amazon.
Roman Testosterone Support Pros and Cons
Here are the good and bad aspects of this product in our opinion:
Pros:
- Likely effective
- No harmful inactive ingredients
- Relatively cheap
Cons:
- Vitamin and mineral blend
- Maca may upset digestive system
- No Supplement Facts label on brand website
