Don't use a D-Aspartic Acid supplement until you read this article, you could be actually doing more harm than good! D-Aspartic Acid is all the rage right now in sports supplements. it has the potential to boost testosterone via multiple pathways, but there is a hidden danger that ALL people need to know about when using this popular bodybuilding product. That danger is from increased estrogen production via aromatase.
D-Aspartic Acid and it's analogs D-Sodium-Asparate and N-Methyl-D-Aspartic Acid are becoming very popular with bodybuilders looking to boost their testosterone to the very highest levels. However this has a very ugly side effect that could potentially make this innocent supplement the devil in disguise. It works by increasing something called steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) protein, which is a critical enzyme in the production of testosterone. It is found in the testes and is a rate limiting step in the creation of testosterone. Increasing the activity of StAR is one of the main ways that DAA helps the body make more testosterone and it was shown in human studies that D-Aspartic Acid can give roughly a 30% increase in testosterone production! This is amazing for a completely natural product, but that boost in testosterone has one downside that may actually be making your situation worse! The good news is that if reversed, it could actually make the conversion to testosterone even higher and could boost your testosterone levels above 30%!
Aromatase is a nasty enzyme that is responsible for converting testosterone to estrogen in the body. It is what robs the bodybuilder of the robust effects of testosterone and changes the balance of your hormones. As we age, we produce even more aromatase and that is often why you see men getting fat, soft and flabby as they get older. Aromatase and it's end product estrogen are the enemy of any man wanting to keep that rock hard physique and feel his best! Unfortunately it seems that the "holy grail" of supplements D-Aspartic Acid may actually cause the body to produce more aromatase, which is something you definitely don't want! Making all of that extra testosterone isn't going to do you much good if a large part of it converts to estrogen in the body, so you want to stop that from happening! It has been shown in the literature that D-Aspartic Acid can increase testicular aromatase levels, making your testosterone to estrogen ratio sub par (1,2,3) which can certainly be an issue for the bodybuilder. Luckily, you can add in some very potent aromatase inhibitors that will stop the conversion of testosterone to estrogen by binding and locking up aromatase! You will want to use a combination of a competitive inhibitor of aromatase and a suicide inhibitor of aromatase to maximize the benefits of D-Aspartic Acid!
Two aromatase inhibitors are on the market that will do the job quite nicely and they are very potent. The combination of these should give you all the boost you need to really check the aromatase enzyme and keep estrogen levels down! That combined with a pure D-Aspartic Acid product will give you a solid one-two punch that will deliver results! The first ingredient is 2-Phenyl-Di-Benzyl-Benzopyran-4-One, which is a competitive inhibitor of aromatase that is in the same potency range as prescription drugs used by bodybuilders to reduce estrogen, like Arimidex(R). 2-Phenyl-Di-Benzyl-Benzopyran-4-One has a very strong affinity for the aromatase enzyme, giving an almost drug like inhibition! This will work great with D-Aspartic Acid and it's analog N-Methyl-D-Aspartic Acid at reducing that testicular aromatase and increasing testosterone even further. The competitive inhibitor will benefit from a suicide inhibitor, which are getting harder to find these days! The only one really left on the market is 3-Beta-Hydroxy-Urs-12-En-28-Oic Acid, which is a fairly weak suicide inhibitor, but it is very effective in combination with the above mentioned 2-Phenyl-Di-Benzyl-Benzopyran-4-One! The combination of these two is a very good addition to any D-Aspartic Acid cycle and should always be used in my opinion.
One product on the market has both 2-Phenyl-Di-Benzyl-Benzopyran-4-One and 3-Beta-Hydroxy-Urs-12-En-28-Oic Acid in addition to Ginger extract which should also supercharge the effects of D-Aspartic Acid and that is Formadrol Extreme from LG Sciences (also called Forma-D on some web sites). Ginger increases conversion of cholesterol to testosterone as well, making it a natural stack with D-Aspartic Acid. So, Formadrol has it all when it comes to being stacked with D-Aspartic Acid and the only formula that I know of that has both aromatase inhibitors.
So, there you have it! D-Aspartic Acid is an exciting supplement that can certainly increase testosterone, but it should be stacked with aromatase inhibitors for maximal effects!
References:
1) Amino Acids. 2007 Jan;32(1):45-51. Epub 2006 Jun 1. Involvement of D-Asp in P450 aromatase activity and estrogen receptors in boar testis. Lamanna C, Assisi L, Botte V, Di Fiore MM. Department of Life Sciences, Second University of Naples, Caserta, Italy.
2) J Endocrinol Invest. 2006 Feb;29(2):141-6. Endogenous testicular D-aspartic acid regulates gonadal aromatase activity in boar. Lamanna C, Assisi L, Botte V, Di Fiore MM. Department of Zoology, University of Naples 'Federico II', Naples, Italy.
3) Reproduction. 2001 May;121(5):803-8. Enhancement of aromatase activity by D-aspartic acid in the ovary of the lizard Podarcis s. sicula. Assisi L, Botte V, D'Aniello A, Di Fiore MM. Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of Naples, Via Mezzocannone 8, 80134 Naples, Italy.
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