Alani Nu, short for Alani Nutrition, is a supplement brand with a popular pre-workout that comes in playful flavors like “Cosmic Stardust” and “Galaxy Lemonade.” The brand markets this supplement with three simple words: “Energy, Endurance, Pump.”
But does Alani Nu Pre-Workout contain ingredients proven to enhance power and energy? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our Product Tester's experience trying it for a month? And does Alani Nu cause liver failure?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Alani Nu Pre-Workout to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for improving gym performance, and whether or not it's healthy.
We’ll also feature our Product Tester's honest experience trying Alani Nu Pre-Workout for 30 days, discuss the risk of liver failure, and compare Alani Nu Pre-Workout to other popular pre-workouts to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Contains effectively-dosed active ingredients for energy & power
- Contains inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Alani Nu Pre-Workout
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Alani Nu Pre-Workout are shown below:
The active ingredients, or the ingredients proposed to have a physiologic effect, are above the dark dividing line, while the inactive ingredients like fillers and flavoring agents are below that line.
This supplement does contain some effective active ingredients.
Caffeine is included in most pre-workouts, and for good reason. A medical review published in the Sports Medicine journal reports that caffeine can improve one-rep maximum force, and muscular endurance.
Alani Nu provides 200 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per serving, equivalent to around 2 cups of coffee. The minimum effective dose based on the above-linked review was 2 mg per kilogram (kg) body weight, and since the average man and woman weigh significantly under 100 kg, we consider this ingredient to be effectively dosed.
Beta-alanine is clinically shown to improve power output during exercise, as we referenced in our Total War Pre Workout review article on another supplement containing this ingredient.
L-citrulline malate 2:1 can help increase pumps because of its effect on blood flow according to a 2021 medical review.
This ingredient refers to a combination of citrulline (an amino acid) and malic acid, and citrulline is a nitric oxide precursor. This means it increases nitric oxide levels in the body which widen and dilate blood vessels.
L-theanine and l-tyrosine are both amino acids, and when combined with caffeine they may further improve exercise performance.
A 2019 clinical trial tested the effects of caffeine, l-theanine and l-tyrosine, and found that movement accuracy improved by around 5% in the group taking the supplement.
Alani Nu Pre-Workout clearly has some effectively dosed active ingredients, but we consider some of its inactive ingredients to be questionable from a health perspective.
Sucralose is an artificial sweetener shown to cause negative changes to insulin function in healthy adults in a clinical trial published in the Nutrition Journal.
Acesulfame potassium is another artificial sweetener that was clinically shown to cause negative changes to gut function, as we documented in our review of another pre-workout containing this ingredient called Alpha Lion.
Natural flavors is a broad categorical term that fails to describe the specific flavoring compounds used. A medical review published in the Environmental Health Perspectives journal suggests that safety data is lacking regarding natural flavoring compounds and that some may be toxic.
Based on the available research, we consider Alani Nu Pre-Workout likely to be effective for improving physical power and endurance, and for improving movement accuracy in the gym.
From an efficacy perspective alone, we consider this to be one of the best pre-workouts on the market, as we consider every active ingredient to be effectively dosed.
We don’t currently recommend this supplement due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
Does Alani Nu Cause Liver Failure?
In 2019, an individual named Emily Goss was rushed to the hospital with strange symptoms like weakness and yellowing under the eyes.
After evaluation, doctors found her to be experiencing acute liver failure, and suggested that an Alani Nu supplement called “Balance” may have been the cause, according to NBC5.
This is a different supplement than Alani Nu’s pre-workout, and there’s no definitive way to prove that the Balance supplement caused the liver failure, but we believe this is information worth sharing that prospective Alani Nu consumers should be aware of.
A video published by the popular “The Doctors” YouTube channel interviews Emily Goss about her experience and about whether she’s able to sue Alani Nu:
We Tested Alani Nu Pre-Workout
One of our product testers named Matt Donnelly tested the Blue Slush flavor of Alani Nu Pre-Workout. Here's his experience:
The container seal was a little easier to tear off than other products of this kind.
The container is small, so the directions and ingredients are difficult to read. I needed to use the magnifying app on my phone to read the directions.
This powder tasted like blue raspberry candy, but it was not as sweet as other “blue” products I have tried in the past.
This supplement provided a similar boost of energy to other pre-workout products I’ve tried.
One thing I noticed, and this may not entirely be attributed to the product, but I recently took up pickleball and was having issues with my knees getting sore mid-game. After drinking this, I did not experience the soreness in my knees.
I tried it a couple of times before playing Pickleball to see if it was a one-off experience, but I think it did actually help to reduce the soreness in my knees.
As far as side effects, this product makes your skin tingly for a short period of time, which is common for pre-workouts.
I got a little jittery during a game of pickleball and I think it’s because there is caffeine in the product. I highly recommend not consuming this product on an empty stomach. Make sure you have a snack or meal before using it.
Overall, I'd rate Alani Nu Pre-Workout 8/10, and this is a product I'd consider purchasing again in the future.
Does Alani Nu Pre-Workout Cause Side Effects?
Alani Nu Pre-Workout doesn’t appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, so it’s difficult to say whether or not this product causes side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients and the patient case report outlined in the previous section.
Overall, we do not consider Alani Nu Pre-Workout likely to cause side effects in otherwise healthy adults. Its active ingredients are effectively dosed and non-toxic, and while we consider some of its inactive ingredients unhealthy, we don’t consider any to be acutely dangerous.
However, given the concerning case report from Emily Goss, we would advise consumers who suffer from liver issues to speak with their doctor prior to using this brand.
It may be useful for Alani Nu to publish contaminant testing, at least for the Balance supplement, to show consumers that their supplements are free of toxins like pesticides and lead that may be hard on the liver.
Alani Nu vs. Popular Pre-Workouts
Here's how Alani Nu compares to other popular pre-workout supplements in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Ryse
Contains many unhealthy inactive ingredients, including artificial flavor, which is clinically shown to be toxic to animals.
Alani Nu's pre-workout is free of artificial flavors, so we give it the (slight) edge from a health perspective.
Winner: Alani Nu Pre-Workout
Naked Energy
Naked Nutrition sells a pre-workout supplement that contains research-backed active ingredients and no unhealthy additives.
As we documented in our healthiest pre workout review article, we tried this supplement ourselves and found it highly effective.
Winner: Naked Energy
Bucked Up Pre-Workout
Contains artificial flavors, as well as an active ingredient which is clinically shown to be associated with negative cardiovascular outcomes in older adults.
Winner: Alani Nu Pre-Workout
Our Clean Pre-Workout Picks
Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract is our top pre-workout supplement.
Panax ginseng extract increases muscle recruitment (source) and reduces physical fatigue (source), and our supplement is third-party tested to ensure its purity and potency.
Pique Breakfast Black Tea Sticks is our top whole food energy pick.
Black tea consumption is "associated with rapid increases in alertness and information processing capacity" (source), and Pique's tea is organic and comes in convenient stick packs that can be mixed into water.
Both of the products mentioned in this section are free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Alani Nu Pre-Workout Pros and Cons
Pros:
- All active ingredients have research backing
- All active ingredients appear effectively dosed
- Should improve power
- Should improve endurance
- Healthier than some competitors
Cons:
- Contains two artificial sweeteners
- Contains natural flavors
- Doesn’t appear clinically tested
- Brand alleged to have caused liver damage to consumer of different product
