Anafuse by Vital Alchemy is a unique supplement that is far different from your standard testosterone booster but can still help you to gain, and more importantly- keep your muscle gains.
The manufacturer claims that it is a unique “dual acting” bulking stack, which will “ignite your anabolic furnace” and allow you to gain muscle fast and safely.
Even though these claims are quite ambitious by the manufacturer, what made me particularly interested in it is its rare combination of ingredients, which have definite utility in promoting male health.
But does scientific evidence support its claims? Let’s take a deeper look into what Anafuse has to offer.
Who Is Anafuse For?
If you are a male involved in natural bodybuilding, you may be interested in using Anafuse to help promote the accrual of lean body mass. More than that, Anafuse claims to help minimize fat gain that is normal while on a bulking phase of your diet, in addition to helping you recover faster and improving strength generation.
Now while this sounds great, it is hard to take all these claims at face value, when after searching on the Internet and various bodybuilding forums, I discovered that an official website for them does not exist. In addition to this, the brand seemingly underwent a name change to become vital alchemy, which may sound like an attempt to cover up something.
Regardless, the product is still labeled as manufactured by vital labs, and something that peaked my interest so I decided to investigate it myself.
A large part of determining whether or not supplement is effective for boosting testosterone is a thorough analysis of its ingredient profile. There are staples found in many testosterone boosters which are necessary for it to elicit noticeable effects on this hormone. In addition to the actual ingredient list, is the need for clear indications of the amount of each of the ingredients contained in each serving of the supplement. Proprietary blends are not good enough, as the manufacturers are then not obliged to disclose this information to the consumer.
Last, but certainly not least is the overall reputation of Anafuse by persons who have consumed it in the past. Supplements with poor public feedback or ones that display a high level of dissatisfaction should clearly spell out what the product has going on for itself. Make it a practice to always search out customer feedback and reviews before purchasing any supplements.
What Exactly Is Anafuse?
Anafuse claims to be one of the most powerful natural anabolics that you can consume, helping to accelerate muscle hypertrophy. The product claims to do this, all without interfering with our body’s natural hormone production. However, it does claim to optimize your natural testosterone levels, helping you to keep between 80 and 90% of the muscle gains you make in the gym, as long as you follow a smart workout and diet plan.
Among its many claimed benefits are:
- Increasing your endurance
- Helping reduce muscle soreness after a workout session
- Reducing water weight bloat
- Promoting insane muscle pumps
Though it does not claim to help improve any symptoms of low testosterone levels, it is likely to see some improvements if hormonal optimization occurs. Here are some specific things I liked and disliked after digging deeper into Anafuse:
Pros
- It is natural and does not contain ingredients that can adversely affect your natural testosterone production. This is great if you are scared of messing up your endocrine system or if you are new to using bodybuilding supplements.
- It takes a new approach to building muscle.
- It can safely be stacked with a wide range of other bodybuilding supplements for even greater muscle growth potential.
- Existing customer reviews seem to indicate that people are pleased with the product overall.
Cons
- The lack of a manufacturer website does not lend itself to supporting the credibility of the brand or product.
- The product is moderately expensive and can be considered a gamble purchasing from an unknown company
- There are very few competing products that contain a similar ingredient profile, so comparisons to determine its efficacy is difficult.
Anafuse Ingredients And Dosage
The actual ingredient list and the amount of each contained in the supplements is what can make or break the next big thing. When it comes to Anafuse, while the ingredients contained in it or stated, the manufacturer takes a proprietary blend approach to hide the exact amount of each contained in a serving.
Most manufacturers to this claiming it is the only way to protect their product from copying and counterfeits, but not revealing this does not lend credibility to proving the supplement contains enough to make a difference to your goal.
Anafuse’s label indicates that the supplement comprises five different components, while in effect it should really be four. I will explain what I mean by this below in my detailed ingredient analysis.
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D is very important for overall health, especially in men where it lends itself to supporting normal production of testosterone as well. Unknown to many, between 30 to 50% of Americans are deficient in this important vitamin, which inevitably ends up causing negative repercussions.
Under normal circumstances, the skin is able to synthesize this vitamin from exposure to sunlight, but more specifically UVB rays. During the colder seasons is when a deficiency might first manifest itself, and when you should consider vitamin D supplements.
Most experts recommend a daily dosage of between 600 to 2000 IU, an amount which Anafuse comfortably supplies. Each serving of Anafuse supplies 500 IU of vitamin D3 and considering you need to take two servings per day to end up with 1000 IU per day.
Studies have confirmed that vitamin D levels are strongly correlated to levels of testosterone [1] and other male sex hormones, with this vitamin being even more important in overweight men, who are also known to have lower levels of testosterone.
Epicatechin
Epicatechin is arguably one of the most promising discoveries in sports supplementation over the past two decades, even though you could say it has been under our noses all the time. It is a flavonol commonly found in cocoa, which exerts some unique benefits for bodybuilders.
For one, epicatechin is an excellent cortisol modulator [2], helping to prevent excessive levels of the stress hormone from becoming present in the blood. By controlling the stress hormone, you can indirectly positively influence your testosterone levels since the two share a negatively inverse relationship [3]; that is, as one goes up, the other goes down. Cortisol resistance can also occur which leaves you in a state of chronically elevated cortisol levels.
While this by itself is great, another key role epicatechin can play in a bodybuilders arsenal is to help decrease levels of the protein myostatin [4], which is one of the key regulators of muscle growth, responsible for inhibiting hypertrophy. Now, as someone who works out, you can see how this works against you because you do not want something preventing muscle growth in the first place. Of course, I do not advise you try to suppress this regulatory protein completely, but a small degree of suppression might be just enough to trigger a new level of muscle growth.
In addition to this, epicatechin is a strong antioxidant, which can prevent oxidative damage to the testes and help preserve normal testosterone synthesis.
Schisandra Chinensis
Schisandra Chinensis is not often encountered in supplements but shows a reasonable amount of promise in helping preserve your muscle mass. Known primarily as an adaptogen, Schisandra Chinensis can buffer the harmful effects of cortisol on your body, which among its many effects can cause muscle wasting.
One study was able to find that 500 mg of Schisandra Chinensis fruit extract was able to preserve muscle mass [5] roughly equivalently to a 50 mg dose of the steroid oxymetholone. Even though oxymetholone is not one of the most potent steroids for building muscle, it is extremely effective at helping preserve muscle mass and is commonly used in hospital settings to manage people with wasting disease.
5aHydroxy-Laxogenin
At best, this component can be considered a plant-based steroid, which claims to possess an anabolic effect which increases the rate of protein synthesis, coupled with cortisol suppression. However, take these claims with a grain of salt. The only studies conducted on this compound were done in the former Soviet Union, and have not been made public for scrutiny.
A company that has trademarked the compound claims to have conducted studies on it, but have also failed to release their findings, so I cannot support their claims.
Piperine
Piperine should not be considered a primary ingredient of Anafuse, simply because it is just a glorified black pepper extract. However, to be fair it is effective at its job, which is to increase the absorption [6] other ingredients found in the formulation.
It is commonly combined with other ingredients and extracts which have poor absorption on their own but can significantly be enhanced thanks to the addition of Piperine.
Results From Users
It is important to me that when reviewing a product you can easily find customer reviews and feedback on the Internet. In addition to this, the presence of real transformations only helps to support the validity of the supplement in question.
Overall, it appeared to work well for many who used it, as I was able to find multiple sources the favorable feedback about it.
The primary negative feedback? The cost. Many people also claim that it is a bit overpriced, which was by far the most common source of displeasure with the supplement.
Anafuse Side Effects
While I found Anafuse to be well tolerated by the majority of people that consume it, there were a few instances of mild side effects being reported. Most commonly, these include symptoms such as insomnia from consuming too close to bedtime, or acne development since the product tends to enhance your testosterone levels.
Besides this, there are very few side effects worth mentioning. It is considered safe for consumption by men in good health.
Summary – Does Anafuse Really Work?
Based on my findings after dissecting its ingredient profile, and customer reviews from around the web, I can conclude that the supplement delivers at least modest benefits to those that consume it.
While its proprietary blend does not support its quest to be taken seriously, and the lack of a manufacturer website seems shady, Anafuse may offer a unique way to help preserve your hard earned muscle mass. I would not consider it a primary muscle builder, but when combined with a proven testosterone booster it is likely to function synergistically.
To summarize:
- It will not give you insane muscle pumps (simply not enough epicatechin or other nitric oxide boosting compounds).
- It will not promote insane muscle growth on its own (though myostatin inhibition could be a game changer in the near future).
- It is expensive.
- It needs to run a maximum of 12 weeks (not indicated why, but likely due to some sort of hormone suppression on the part of 5a-hydroxy-laxogenin, which would disqualify it claiming to not influence hormone levels).
- It will help to improve your overall testosterone to cortisol ratio.
- It will improve recovery thanks to adaptogenic and anti-oxidant compounds.
And of course, it is important that you follow a sensible diet and training plan. Failure to do so, and you may just end up tossing a lot of money down the drain.
Where To Buy Anafuse
Anafuse, while appearing to have been sold on big platforms such as Amazon and eBay in the past, could only be found for sale at the website strongsupplementshop.com. I am unsure if it is available in stores as well, as a search was able to discern that you cannot buy it at Walmart or GNC locations.