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Product Name: Sustain Alpha by Iconic Formulations
Review Date: January 2019
Rating: 5 out of 5
Things We Liked
- Natural testosterone booster
- Ingredients provide a wide variety of health benefits
- Convenient to use
Things We Didn't Like
- Creams do not give precise doses
- Few reviews found online
Summary
Your body has natural triggers that cause it to produce testosterone. You can optimize these triggers through your diet, nutrition, lifestyle, and exercise.
Unfortunately, whether you are using synthetic steroids or not, your body will still produce estrogen due to internal and external factors.
Sustain Alpha provides a natural solution for this by providing resveratrol and benzoflavone that can be quickly absorbed by your body. With it, you can boost your testosterone levels, moderate estrogen levels, and improve overall hormone balance.
Read all about everything you need to know on how it does this and the other health benefits it can provide.
About The Brand
Sustain Alpha cream is manufactured by Iconic Formulations. Their products have a focus on improving hormone balance and testosterone levels for fat loss and/or muscle gain. Other products include Neuro DHEA, Icogenin, Toco-9, and Dermacrine.
Active Ingredients
Resveratrol
Also known as 3,5,4’-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, it is a polyphenol found in high amount in the skin of a grape. The fruit produces it to protect itself from parasites and toxins. Other foods that contain significant amounts of resveratrol include blueberries, cranberries, dark chocolate, Japanese knotweed, peanuts, pistachios, and soy.
Resveratrol activates a compound in your body known as SIRT1 or Sirtuin 1. This compound is an enzyme that plays a variety of functions in the different interactions happening in the brain. One of these interactions includes the HPG (hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal) axis, which is responsible for exhibiting sexual characteristics and reproductive functions in the body.
Without SIRT1, you have lower secretion of Gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRH). This causes a drop in your follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels. If you are familiar with these hormones, you would know that a decrease in these hormones translates to lower testosterone production in your gonads.
Resveratrol also inhibits the aromatase from interacting with the testosterone in your blood. This prevents the conversion of testosterone into estradiol (the estrogen hormone in men). This does not mean that your body cannot produce the necessary amounts of estrogen hormone. The aromatase inhibiting action of resveratrol is just enough to prevent estradiol from causing a hormone imbalance.
Aside from that, resveratrol also promotes muscle growth in two ways. First, it increases your body’s response to exercise by building more muscle-building pathways built during recovery. Second, it prevents muscle protein degradation during catabolic metabolism and when the body experiences excessive inflammation.
It also increases the metabolism of fat and carbohydrates in your body in response to exercise. This causes your body to have a higher metabolic rate during exercise. With increased muscle growth, this increase in metabolic rate extends to while you are at rest.
In terms of general health, various studies have found resveratrol to be beneficial in the following:
- Bone health by causing stem cells to develop bone-building cells and increasing bone mineralization
- Cancer prevention by regulating the cancer enzyme topoisomerase II enzyme and controlling metastasis
- Liver health by improving bile flow and preventing blood poisoning during bouts of serious infections
- Cardiovascular health by increasing nitric oxide levels, increasing the regeneration rate of your blood vessels, and helping the body maintain a healthy blood pressure
- Digestive system by increasing beneficial gut bacteria and preventing harmful bacteria from causing harm
Benzoflavone
Also known as alpha-naphthoflavone or 7,8-benzoflavone, it is a synthetic flavonoid created for a variety of purposes. One of which is the inhibition of aromatase in the body.
As mentioned before, aromatization causes the conversion of serum testosterone into estradiol. Benzoflavone stops this process and has a greater potency compared to aromatase inhibitors such as beta-naphtholflavone, catechin, equol, daidzein, and genistein.
Benzoflavone also blocks and activates the aryl hydrocarbon receptors since it is an agonist and antagonist of said receptors. The said receptors are responsible for the activation of the body’s response to to stress.
With benzoflavone, this response is at a more controlled manner. The muscle responds appropriately through stimuli and prompts muscle growth. But, the response does not get to the point of excessive cortisol levels that lead to muscle wasting.
Effects
Sustain Alpha provides you a way to naturally increase the testosterone levels of your body. This amount can reach up to a 50 percent increase in your testosterone. This makes it a great alternative from synthetic steroids that can cause infertility and high levels of estrogen.
Even if you are already on a testosterone replacement therapy, the use of Alpha Sustain can still be of great benefit. Resveratrol and benzoflavone can prevent the inevitable spike of estrogen when the high testosterone levels prompts aromatization.
This is also the case when one is on their post cycle therapy or quitting the use of anabolic steroids. In this way, they do not have to lose their muscle gains from their steroid cycle.
Sustain Alpha can also be useful for those who have high body fat or type-2 diabetes. These individuals have higher production of estradiol. The resveratrol and benzoflavone can moderate the higher than normal aromatization that causes increased estrogen.
Furthermore, its resveratrol content can help in fat loss and increasing insulin sensitivity by improving your metabolism and boosting muscle gain.
How To Use
Sustain Alpha requires a clean and dry skin on the area of application. Application size will vary depending on your body weight. The area of application should be free of other transdermal products. For best results, avoid bathing or swimming for, at least, five hours after application.
The ideal area of application is anywhere between below the chest and above the knees. You can apply it directly on your genitals four to six hours before sexual intercourse if you are looking to enhance sexual function. For best results, it is advised to use the product for seven consecutive days.
The Verdict
Sustain Alpha provides your body an easily absorbed way to boost testosterone and control estrogen. If you are looking to optimize your muscle gains or fat loss, it can definitely help you achieve your fitness goals faster. The best part is, unlike synthetic steroids, it is all natural and you are not forcing your body to do something unnatural.
Things We Liked
- Natural testosterone booster
- Ingredients provide a wide variety of health benefits
- Convenient to use
Things We Didn't Like
- Creams do not give precise doses
- Few reviews found online