Benefits
Muscle strength with resistance training
In 40 recreationally active men taking 650 mg/day for 8 weeks, bench press 1RM rose 27.6 kg vs 5.0 kg on placebo and leg press 29.5 kg vs 5.7 kg, unusually large gains for any supplement. In 99 previously untrained men, 850 mg/day added 13.8 kg on bench press over placebo with the same training. Both trials were small, single-site and industry-funded.
Strength compared with doubled training volume
In the 99-man trial, both doses lifted more than a placebo group doing two training sets on leg extension and total strength, and 850 mg/day did so on bench press (9.9 kg). However, the double-set placebo group never lifted significantly more than the single-set placebo group, so this comparison shows less than it seems.
Free and total testosterone levels in young men
In 99 young men with normal testosterone, 8 weeks of 850 mg/day raised total testosterone from 626 to 737 ng/dL and free testosterone by 38%, more than placebo with the same training but not more than placebo with double training. In the 40-man trial free testosterone rose 17% while placebo fell slightly. No libido or other symptom outcome was measured.
Endurance and time to exhaustion
In the 40-man trial, treadmill time to exhaustion rose 24.9% vs 10.3% on placebo, but the groups started unevenly (19.4 vs 22.4 minutes) and finished at about the same time (24.2 vs 24.8 minutes). In the 99-man trial, repetitions to failure on leg extension improved at both doses vs single-set placebo, but not vs the double-training placebo group.
Mechanism of action
Proposed mechanism: mTOR signalling (cell and rat data only)
Neither human trial measured muscle protein synthesis, mTOR, nitric oxide or oxidative stress. A cell and rat study of the same blend from the maker's laboratory reported PI3K/AKT/mTOR activation, more endothelial nitrite and less muscle loss in rats given dexamethasone. Cortisol fell 21% in the 40-man trial but did not change from baseline in any group in the 99-man trial. How the blend might affect testosterone has not been studied.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 56-day trial of LI12542F6 (650 mg/day) with a fixed resistance training program, registered CTRI/2016/05/006950 and funded by Laila Nutraceuticals. Outcomes: 1RM bench and leg press, handgrip, cable pull-down reps, treadmill time to exhaustion, DEXA body composition, free testosterone, DHT and cortisol. (Rokkam et al. 2023, Food Nutr Res)
40 recreationally active men aged 18 to 40 (20 per group), single site in Vijayawada, India.
At day 56: bench press 1RM +27.6 kg vs +5.0 kg on placebo, leg press +29.5 kg vs +5.7 kg, handgrip +13.6 kg vs +10.6 kg, cable pull-down reps +5.1 vs +2.6, treadmill time +4.8 vs +2.3 minutes (groups unequal at baseline), lean mass +1.44 kg vs +0.02 kg, fat mass -0.97 vs -0.20 kg, free testosterone +17% vs a slight fall, cortisol -21%. DHT did not differ between groups. No adverse events; safety labs stayed in normal ranges. Limits: small, single site, sponsor-funded, diet not controlled, total testosterone not measured.
56-day, four-arm, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial of a water-dispersible version of the blend at 425 or 850 mg/day with one training set, against placebo with one set or two sets; registered CTRI/2018/12/016641, funded by General Nutrition Centre Inc., first author employed by PLT Health Solutions. (Salter et al. 2024, Front Nutr)
120 previously untrained men aged 19 to 29 randomized, 99 completed (analysed n = 26, 25, 25, 23), single site in Bengaluru, India.
Versus single-set placebo at day 56, the 425 and 850 mg arms bench pressed 10.6 and 13.8 kg more, with leg extension and total strength also higher. Versus double-set placebo, both doses led on leg extension and total strength, but only 850 mg led on bench press (9.9 kg, p = 0.010; 425 mg: 6.8 kg, p = 0.166). Total and free testosterone beat single-set placebo but not double-set placebo. The two placebo groups never differed significantly. Eight minor adverse events, evenly split, none serious.