Test Reload

Test Reload

A lesson in doing your research. Which you are doing right now, well done.

tl; dr ... Short and to the Point
Who is this article aimed at?
Anyone over 30 worried about their testosterone, who's seem Mike Chang on You Tube and thinks I want to look like that. We've got the low down Test Reload supplement and whether it's as impressive as the man himself.
I am busy - summarize it for me

This booster is a reminder to always do your homework when shopping for supplements. What looks like a strong line up of ingredients at first, is let down by no amounts on the label and very mixed reviews.

Our Supplement Rating
  • Ingredients :
  • Price :
  • Trust :
  • Testimonials :
  • Company :
  • Overall Score: 3.8/10
  • Positive

    • Some strong ingredient choices
    • All natural
  • Negative

    • Uses proprietary blend
    • Missing some key elements
    • Overpriced
    • Extremely mixed reviews
    • Questions around company

Test Reload Review

Test Reload from Mike Chang is one of many natural testosterone boosters aimed at restoring our body’s T to its prime.  Beyond 30 male hormone starts to drop by 1% a year.  This can noticeably reduce performance, so it’s brilliant we’ve now got options. The question is: Is Test Reload a Good Option?

Test Reload

Mike Chang is a fitness guru famous on you tube for his Six Pack Shortcuts.  With Test Reload he promises to help increase T, increase muscle mass, better sex drive and improved strength.

All of that has us interested, but only a proper look at the formula will have us convinced.

A really detailed look at Test Reload difficult as it uses a proprietary blend.  What that means is we’re not given individual doses, just the names of ingredients and an overall mix volume.

There really is no need for them so it’s disappointing.  However, the total amount is just under 5g so depending on it might still be effective.

How Does It Work?

At a Glance

  • Vitamin D3 & D-Aspartic Acid to boost testosterone
  • Fenugreek supports T by controlling blood sugar
  • White Button Mushroom to limit estrogen
  • Boron further raises T and lowers estrogen

That all sounds great, but the devil’s in the detail. So we’ll take a closer look after the scores

The Scores

The Scores
Ingredients
7/10

Test Reload’s ingredients are mostly clinically solid.  It has a strong amount of D3, contains D-AA, fenugreek and boron, all proven T boosters.  Yet the lukewarm reaction to this product means there must be something missing.  The proprietary blend stops us figuring out exactly what’s gone wrong – and 9 times out of 10 that’s exactly what they’re there to do.

Price
3/10

The price Test Reload goes for is outrageous.  Unusually it’s even worse on Amazon, where you’re charged $74.  That sort of money is not unheard of for boosters, but for this it’s just one it’s just another example of shaky trustworthiness.  Let’s talk about those right now.

Trustworthiness
2/10

Real problems here.  It’s not just the unjustifiably high price or the the fact that we can’t see any doses, there’s also some question over where the product is actually made.  Add to that questions about Chang’s reputation (more of that later) and some pretty dodgy reviews.

Testimonials
3/10

No testimonials on Chang’s website so we have to rely on Amazon reviews and what a pity that is.  It has 3 out of 5 but reviews on both sides are suspect.

One user claims it caused him to “p*ss blood.”  Another who gives 5 stars only has one other review to his name, also a Chang product also 5 stars.  The owner’s presence on You Tube has likely divided opinion as this has the feel a typical social media argument.  Totally unhelpful.

Company
4/10

Mike Chang started Six Pack Shortcuts LLC on strength of his You Tube channel where he gives fitness advice.  It has 4000 plus followers and upwards of 2 million views.  Alongside Test Reload there is also Sixpack Sleep and Leptin Shred a fat burner.

Despite his apparent success several forums on reddit and Bodybuilding.com cast doubt on how legit Chang’s supplements and exercise shortcuts are.  Just too many question marks for us.

How Do I Take It?

Users take 1 serving of 4 capsules a day half an hour before a meal. Also they suggest you cycle on for 12 weeks and off for 4.

This isn’t the best however.  3 capsules separated into as many servings is a good way to keep active ingredients topped up and working all day.

But necking 4 in one sitting means effects of the booster are likely to gradually wear off.

Side Effects?

We don’t expect to see any serious side effects with these ingredients, but because they’re in a proprietary blend we can’t rule them out completely.

Fenugreek may give some a slight stomach upset depending on how strong it, but we doubt its capable of the horror story featured in that Amazon review.

Where Can I Get Test Reload?

Customers will find Test Reload at Amazon.com.  It’s priced at $67 for 120 capsules in the U.S and £50 for the same in the U.K.

Test Reload Ingredients – In Detail

Vitamin D3

This is the only thing given a specific amount.  Vitamin D3 is a mainly drawn from sunlight and a healthy daily intake has shown it can effectively stimulate T. This is why your beard grows so much faster in summer than in winter. Vitally, only doses above 3300IUs can help, so Test Reload’s 4000IU is a good start.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21154195
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20050857


D-Aspartic Acid

An amino acid which is really a must for T boosters.  D-AA works on the brain to release vital building blocks for T.  Including luteinizing hormone, crucial for regulating how much T you make. Follicle stimulating hormone and human growth hormone also rely on enough D-AA.  It’s a pity we don’t know exactly how much is in Test Reload though. It really is a case of the more the merrier.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19860889
http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=24016#.VE6byvldX4o


Fenugreek

Yet another strong pick.  These seeds help in a number of ways.  One is by controlling blood sugars, which helps regulates insulin making sure it doesn’t block T production.  Again though, this suffers from a lack of specific amount as we can’t be sure there’s an active amount.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21116018
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16379570


Munica Pruriens

Sometimes called velvet bean, this ingredient has plenty to offer also.  It’s packed with the amino acid L-Dopa, which both helps testosterone and lowers cortisol.  Cortisol is a stress hormone made when we’re under pressure which blocks T.  Less stress also means better mood as an added bonus.  However it’s the same old story with exact numbers.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7716783
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16932991


Maca Root

Probably the first part of this formula that won’t do much to stimulate actual T.  That said, clinical trials show it helps erectile dysfunction in some men, but only at much higher levels than Test Reload offers. So this is a bit of a waste of space.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18801111


White Button Mushroom

Based on the results of some studies, WBM can limit estrogen.  The female hormone is on the rise as we age, hurting T.  WBM does show promise, but there are not a lot of human studies yet. So there are better options for this much needed task.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11739882


Boron Citrate

Boron can both raise T and lower estrogen, which as we say is important because these two hormones have a seesaw relationship.  It’s tough to get enough from diet, so any is welcome.  We just wish we could be sure how much we’re getting.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21129941


Anything Missing?

Apart from full info on the label, Test Reload could also use some more of T boosting minerals like zinc. Also the anti-estrogen profile could also be helped with more proven choices like vitamin B6.

Overall

Test Reload is a perfect example of why it’s important to do your research when buying a booster. At first glance the choices look good, but problems with dose and the company reputation should make you think twice.

So if you are over 30 and worried about T, what now?  Well, why not have a look the booster we rated number 1 for fighting age related T loss?

Studies Quoted in the Review

  1. Pilz, S et al. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on testosterone levels in men.  Medical University of Graz, Austria (2011)
  2. Wehr, E et al. Association of vitamin D status with serum androgen levels in men  Medical University of Graz, Austria (2010)
  3. Topo E, Soricelli A, D’Aniello A, Ronsini S, D’Aniello G. The role and molecular mechanism of D-aspartic acid in the release and synthesis of LH and testosterone in humans and rats. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy (2009)
  4. D’Aniello et al D-Aspartate, a Key Element for the Improvement of Sperm Quality . Advances in Sexual Medicine, Vol. 2 No. 4, 2012, pp. 45-53
  5. Wilborn C et al Effects Of A Purported Aromatase And 5α-reductase Inhibitor On Hormone Profiles In College-age Men  Dept. of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Belton, TX, USA
  6. Kochhar A, Nagi M. Effect of supplementation of traditional medicinal plants on blood glucose in non-insulin-dependent diabetics: a pilot study  Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India (2005)
  7. Yamada T, Nakamura J, Murakami M, Okuno Y, Hosokawa S, Matsuo M, Yamada H. Effect of chronic L-dopa administration on serum luteinizing hormone levels in male rats. Environmental Health Science Laboratory, Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan (1995)
  8. Müller T, Welnic J, Muhlack S. Acute levodopa administration reduces cortisol release in patients with Parkinson’s disease. Department of Neurology, St. Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.(2007)
  9. Dording CM, Fisher L, Papakostas G, Farabaugh A, Sonawalla S, Fava M, Mischoulon D. A double-blind, randomized, pilot dose-finding study of maca root (L. meyenii) for the management of SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction. Depression Clinical and Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA..(2008)
  10. Grube BJ, Eng ET, Kao YC, Kwon A, Chen S. White button mushroom phytochemicals inhibit aromatase activity and breast cancer cell proliferation. Division of Immunology, Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA. (2001)
  11. Naghii MR, Mofid M, Asgari AR, Hedayati M, Daneshpour MS.Comparative effects of daily and weekly boron supplementation on plasma steroid hormones and proinflammatory cytokines. Sport Physiology Research Center, Baqiyatallah (a.s.) University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran (2011)</li
tl; dr ... Short and to the Point
Who is this article aimed at?
Anyone over 30 worried about their testosterone, who's seem Mike Chang on You Tube and thinks I want to look like that. We've got the low down Test Reload supplement and whether it's as impressive as the man himself.
I am busy - summarize it for me

This booster is a reminder to always do your homework when shopping for supplements. What looks like a strong line up of ingredients at first, is let down by no amounts on the label and very mixed reviews.

Our Supplement Rating
  • Ingredients :
  • Price :
  • Trust :
  • Testimonials :
  • Company :
  • Overall Score: 3.8/10

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