Nugenix Review: Do Natural Test Boosters Work?

Nugenix Review: Do Natural Test Boosters Work?


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

But do Nugenix supplements actually contain research-backed ingredients for improving testosterone and libido? Can dietary supplements even affect testosterone levels? Do these supplements contain any potentially dangerous ingredients? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Nugenix supplements?

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: Nugenix Total-T (used to improve testosterone levels) and Nugenix GH-Boost (used to improve growth hormone levels). We'll give our take on whether the supplements are likely to be effective.

We'll also share real, unsponsored Nugenix user reviews.

Can Nugenix Increase T Levels?

Nugenix Total-T ingredients

The ingredients above are from Nugenix Total-T, which is the brand's testosterone-boosting supplement.

Four of the active ingredients (vitamin B6, vitamin B12, zinc, boron) are vitamins and minerals.

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.

We haven't come across much convincing medical research that vitamin and mineral supplementation is effective for increasing testosterone outside of a nutrient deficiency, but boron has some interesting clinical backing.

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 on another supplement containing this ingredient, the minimum effective dose appears to be 200 milligrams (mg) per day.

Fenugreek extract is included at a dose of 600 mg which appears effective. A meta-review of fenugreek extract found a “significant effect” on serum testosterone levels, and most of the studies included used a dose slightly less than the dose in Total-T.

Overall we consider Nugenix Total-T to be potentially effective for improving T levels, given that it contains several research-backed ingredients. It's also a good sign that the inactive ingredients are safe and non-toxic.

A YouTube creator named "Live Like a Viking" actually ran bloodwork to test whether or not this supplement would raise testosterone levels on three different people after 30 days of use. He shared the results in this video:

Can Nugenix Increase Growth Hormone Levels?

Nugenix GH-Boost ingredients

Nugenix claims that ingredients in their GH-Boost supplement can increase growth hormone (GH) levels by over 100%.

GABA is a neurotransmitter that's typically supplemented for stress support, but it's clinically shown to increase GH by up to 400% for a short period of time when taken at the same dosage as in this supplement.

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

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

Clearly there are a number of effective ingredients in this formulation, but there are also several questionable additives that health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid.

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 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 recommend this supplement and consider it to be a worse formulation than Total-T due to the questionable additive ingredients.

A YouTube creator named "Ohio Gainz" reviewed Nugenix GH-Boost in a video with over 17,000 views:

Real, Unsponsored Nugenix Customer Reviews

Amazon is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion. Nugenix Total-T has been reviewed over 15,000 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars.

The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "John" who claims it improves bedroom performance:

"I’ve literally only been using this for a week. HUGE difference in my performance (in bedroom and in gym)...You’ll feel like a raging animal ready to bite off your own hand but holy crap if you add preworkout better stand back for blast radius."

The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Keith" who claims it caused negative side effects:

"After the first day I felt ill, but I did not think it was the Total T. On the second day I thought I was going to have a stroke. I had a headache in the front of my head. My entire head felt like it was going to pop. It seemed like my blood pressure was going through the roof. I was able to function, but I thought it could be over for me at moment. I realize the Total T pills were the only new change I made, so I took more aspirin to stop my headache and stopped the Total T pills."

Nugenix has highly negative reviews on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website. The brand currently has an average review rating of 1.04 out of 5 stars there. Several users complain of the brand being a scam due to recurring billing that the user claims to not have agreed to. A user named "William G" states the following:

"Same as other reviews. It is a scam. Repeatedly bilked out of monthly sum. had to change billing criteria (cancel my card) to halt being billed $81.87 each month for product I used the one time."

To the credit of Nugenix, the brand responds to every customer complaint in an effort to rectify the situation, which is a good sign.

Does Nugenix Cause Side Effects?

None of Nugenix's supplements appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, so it's impossible 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.

Where to Buy Nugenix for the Best Price

Nugenix is sold at a wide variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown for the two products reviewed in this article at the time of updating this article:

Nugenix Total-T

Brand website: $69.99 (link)

GNC: $64.99 (link)

Walmart: $59.97 (free shipping, third-party seller, link)

Amazon: $59.97 (free shipping, third-party seller, link to Amazon listing)

Nugenix GH-Boost (30 pack)

Brand website: $79.99 (link)

GNC: $79.99 (link)

Amazon: $69.99 (link to Amazon listing)

Walmart: $52.97 (third-party seller with mediocre reviews, link)

Nugenix supplements are currently around 10% cheaper on Amazon and Walmart than on the brand's website.

Our Testosterone Support Picks

Bulletproof Magnesium is our top testosterone support pick, because magnesium is a mineral that is clinically shown to increase free and total testosterone in athletes and in sedentary individuals.

Bulletproof Magnesium costs under $17 at the time of updating this article.

Momentous Tongkat Ali is our top herbal testosterone support pick, and costs under $20 at the time of updating this article.

Tongkat ali's effects on testosterone were reviewed in a 2022 meta-study, and the researchers concluded that "A significant improvement in total testosterone levels after [tongkat ali] treatment was mostly reported in both healthy volunteers and hypogonadal men."

Panax ginseng extract is an herbal libido enhancer, and was shown in a medical review published in the Spermatogenesis journal to increase sex drive in men when taken daily.

Illuminate Labs sells a Panax Ginseng Extract supplement which is third-party tested, and costs only $15 on a subscription basis.

All of the products recommended in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider unhealthy.

Pros and Cons of Nugenix

Here's our take on the pros and cons of Nugenix as a brand:

Pros

  • Both supplements contain effective ingredients
  • Total-T is free of questionable additives
  • May increase T levels
  • May increase GH levels transiently

Cons

  • GH-Boost contains questionable additives
  • Real patients didn't respond to Total-T
  • Relatively expensive
Stay up-to-date on our research reviews

Conclusion

We consider both Nugenix Total-T and Nugenix GH-Boost to be somewhat likely to be effective. Both formulations contain research-backed ingredients at effective doses, and both products are better-formulated than the average men's hormone supplement.

We don't currently recommend either supplement. Total-T was shown to be ineffective at raising T levels in three real patients, and GH-Boost contains questionable additive ingredients. Both supplements are also relatively expensive.

We don't believe that either Nugenix supplement is likely to cause side effects.

For consumers intent on purchasing Nugenix products, Amazon appears to be the most cost-effective way to do so.




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