Is NO2 The Real Deal?

From time-to-time the bodybuilding world is brought to its knees by a supplement that changes the playing field forever. With the introduction of powdered creatine supplements in 1993, and the introduction of effective pro-hormones in the mid to late 1990's, bodybuilders finally began to make amazing size and strength gains, previously unknown without chemical assistance.

With a new century upon us, and with the supplement market being more profitable than in times previous, many persons and companies have seized the opportunity to make money in the supplement market. Often, these upstarts offer a slew of quick-to-market supplements, eschewing scientific research in favor of quick profit.

Sadly, many of these companies have a forum in the pages of contemporary bodybuilding literature. The reason for this is simple: the magazines are profit driven and an advertisement sold is money in the bank. The result of this relationship is that a company with virtually zero know-how or credentials has access to a massive advertising machine that reaches millions every month.

Often, these less reputable companies will produce a supplement and create a false sense of public enthusiasm and hype, via magazine propaganda. With products seldom undergoing independent testing and review, and with companies buying massive advertising space in magazines, it becomes clear that trying to determine if something really works or is really "revolutionary" is a terribly difficult task for the consumer to bear.

In situations like these it is of tremendous help to have someone with the know-how and the resources to get answers. It helps to have someone in your corner that has the time and motivation to ensure that YOU don't get ripped off or scammed when you go to buy a supplement. I am that person, and accordingly, this is where I step in to do the RIGHT thing for you, the reader and consumer.

In the publication Battle of the Bars! I made it clear that if a product is good I will say as much. I also demonstrated that if a product is poor I will "tell it like it is" and withhold nothing. I am unbiased in my reviews, and unafraid of the manufacturers whose products I test. If these manufacturers make effective products then they have nothing to fear and should, in fact, welcome an independent review. The manufacturers who want me to shut my mouth, by contrast, only want me to be quiet if they have something to hide, or if their product is a scam.

These fly-by-night supplement makers fear independent reviews, because once the word gets out, their days of stealing from consumers is over. I welcome the day when the consumer gets what he or she pays for, and in my view that day can not come to bodybuilding consumers soon enough. The bottom line is that I say what I mean, I mean what I say, and I say it with your best interest in mind. With that said, once and for all, here is a review of an N02 supplement!

Label Information:

Nitric Oxide, a key molecule manufactured by the body, causes vasodilation [an expansion of the internal diameter of blood vessels], which in turn leads to increased blood flow, oxygen transport, delivery of nutrients to skeletal muscle and a reduction in blood pressure. An amino acid compound called arginine alpha-ketoglutarate [A-AKG] and arginine-ketoisocaproate [A-KIC] can boost short term Nitric Oxide levels. Increased strength and markedly improved stamina can also be expected. In fact, the results may be classified into three categories: 1] the promotion of an extended pump; 2] signaling muscle growth and speeding recovery; 3] increasing strength and stamina. Furthermore, Pinnacle utilizes the exclusive A-DS Advanced delivery system in NoX2 which spikes absorption of the active compound to insure uptake and help sustain the powerful vasodilation effects of A-AKG and A-KIC around the clock.

Advanced delivery system [A-DS] optimizes [A-AKG] and [A-KIC] in the body. Through a bioactive process, Beta Cyclodextrin, Cephalins, Xanthum and Inulin are combined with NoX2 to form a unique blended complex, which acts as the "carrier" for the NoX2 "cargo" helping it to be effectively transported throughout the body and delivered directly into the bloodstream. This process also serves as an extended release mechanism, keeping target tissues saturated with more consistent levels of desired nutrients and extending benefits [over a 10 hour period] long after other supplements have been spent or wasted.

Supplement Facts:

Serving Size: 3 Tablets

Servings Per Container: 60

Amount Per Serving: Arginine Alpha-Ketoglutarate (A-AKG)
Arginine-Ketoisocaproate 3000mg

Other Ingredients: Beta Cyclodextrin
Cephaline
Xanthan
Inulin
Sorbitol
Calcium Phosphate
Magnesium Stearate
Stearic Acid.

Recommended Use: Take 3 tablets twice daily - once in the morning on an empty stomach and 1/2 hour prior to lunch. To maximize results, drink at least 64 ounces of water daily while using NoX2.

Warning: Do not use if you are pregnant or nursing, or at risk or are being treated for high blood pressure, liver, thyroid or psychiatric disease, diabetes.

Testable Label Claims:

Vasodilation [an expansion of the internal diameter of blood vessels]
Increased blood flow to skeletal muscle
Increased oxygen transport to skeletal muscle
Increased delivery of nutrients to skeletal muscle
Reduction in blood pressure.
Increased strength and markedly improved stamina
Extended muscular pump
Signaling muscle growth and speeding recovery
Target tissues saturated with more consistent levels of desired nutrients and extending benefits [over a 10 hour period]

Questions:

At the beginning of this product test, several questions were outstanding in my mind. They were:

1. Would this supplement prove effective at eliciting gains in lean body mass?

2. Would this supplement prove effective for bodybuilders from across the bodybuilding spectrum?

3. Would the supplement prove equally effective for all bodybuilders in the test group?

4. If the supplement proved effective to what degree?

5. Would the supplement have negative effects?

6. Would the supplement have positive effects?

7. Would the supplement have side-effects resulting from use?

For this test "effective" will be measured as the supplements ability under real-world conditions to meet the testable label claims above. The degree to which the supplement meets the testable label claims is the degree to which the supplement will be deemed effective.

Test Groups

Group 1:

The first group consisted of three individuals. Careful attention was given to select a beginning bodybuilder, an intermediate bodybuilder and an advanced bodybuilder. This biased selection was necessary in order to test whether this supplement would be appropriate for bodybuilders from across the spectrum and to determine if the supplement would provide each test subject with similar results.

All test group subjects did not take any other supplements during the testing period. Group one subjects were administered the Pinnacle N02x supplement according to label direction for a period of thirty days.

Group 2:

The second group consisted of three individuals. Careful attention was given to select a beginning bodybuilder, an intermediate bodybuilder and an advanced bodybuilder. This biased selection was necessary in order to make the composition of the placebo group similar to that of the test group. All placebo group subjects did not take any other supplements during the testing period. Group two subjects were administered gelatinous caplets containing dextrose powder twice daily for thirty days.

Each subject was given medical clearance from a physician before supplement testing, and no subjects had known pre-existing health complications that would prevent participation in the product test or potentially interfere with the results of the test.

It should be noted, however, that this is NOT in meant to be a strict scientific study, as the term science is meant. This is a real-world experiment, and within the limits of reason [and outside of the laboratory setting] each of the subjects followed a similar workout and dietary regimen. The variables present in a real-world setting are too numerous to control in their totality, and even the best designed and controlled University studies are unable, outside of the laboratory setting, to control all possible variables present in a particular setting or environment. Therefore each subject controlled the variables that were possible to control [diet, exercise regimen, sleep levels, time of day of exercise, water intake, etc].

The rationale for having two groups in the product test [when only one was administered the test substance] is that, when attempting to reach a conclusion regarding one variable [in this case the supplement], the same variable present in two subject groups can not be used to explain differences in the results between them. If all other controllable factors are equalized, it can be reasoned with certainty that the DIFFERENCE between the groups is responsible for the difference in results observed between groups.

The two groups were biased in that they were composed of males only, each between the ages of 21-25.

Test Group # 1

Subject 1 Profile:

Sex: Male
Age: 21
Level: Beginner
Body mass before test: 165 lbs
Body mass after test: 172 lbs
Bodyfat percentage before test: 10 percent
Bodyfat percentage after test: 10 percent
Lean mass before test: 148 lbs
Lean mass after test: 155 lbs
Gain / Loss [+ / -]: 7 lbs

Details:

This subject was sedentary until two months prior to testing. Having began bodybuilding two months prior to testing, his workout regimen was geared toward mass-building and strength gaining.

The positive effects of this supplement on this subject were a noted increase in libido and a feeling of fuller, pumped muscles. The subject did not report experiencing any other positive effects of supplementation.

The subject reported experiencing negative effects in the form of hot flashes, an increase in blood pressure, fatigue, and little to no strength increases.

While on the supplement the subject gained 7 lbs of lean mass. This result is significant.

Despite these gains, the subject stated under questioning that he would not purchase this product due to its cost.

Photographs were not provided by this subject.

Subject 2 Profile:

Sex: Male
Age: 22
Level: Intermediate
Body mass before test: 172 lbs
Body mass after test: 178 lbs
Bodyfat percentage before test: 11 percent
Bodyfat percentage after test: 11 percent
Lean mass before test: 153 lbs
Lean mass after test: 161 lbs
Gain / Loss [+ / -]: 8 lbs

Details:

This subject was physically active on a consistent and continual basis prior to testing. Having began bodybuilding two years prior to testing, his workout regimen was geared toward mass-building and strength gaining.

The positive effects of this supplement on this subject were a noted increase in libido. The subject reported increased erectile strength, increased ejaculatory strength and a marked increase in seminal fluid ejaculate volume. The subject also reported a significant increase in appetite, a reduction of bodyfat levels and feelings of well-being, and he remarked that his muscles felt and appeared to be "fuller" due to the presence of a "good pump."

The subject reported experiencing negative effects in the form of hot flashes, an increase in blood pressure, diarrhea, fatigue, and little to no strength increases.

While on the supplement the subject gained 8 lbs of lean mass. This result is significant.

Despite these gains, the subject stated under questioning that he would not purchase this product due to its cost. The subject did not feel that this supplement would be a worthwhile purchase.

This subject provided before and after photographs. The photographs on the left are before the test, and the photographs on the right are after the test. These photographs are used in this review with permission of this test subject.

Subject 3 Profile:

Sex: Male
Age: 22
Level: Advanced
Body mass before test: 230 lbs
Body mass after test: 230 lbs
Bodyfat percentage before test: 12 percent
Bodyfat percentage after test: 12 percent
Lean mass prior to test: 205 lbs
Lean mass after test: 205 lbs
Gain / Loss [+ / -]: --

Details:

This subject was physically active on a consistent and continual basis prior to testing. Having started bodybuilding five years prior to testing, his workout regimen was geared toward mass-building and strength gaining.

This subject was on the supplement for five days. On the fifth day he experienced severe gastric cramping, flatulence, diarrhea, fatigue and cold sweats. Resulting from these complications the subject discontinued use of the supplement and was withdrawn from the subject testing pool.

The symptoms displayed by this test subject are consistent with arginine overdose. This diagnosis was not medically confirmed or determined, however.

Consequently, a determination on the effectiveness of this supplement at eliciting gains in lean body mass for this subject was not made.

The subject reported no further interest in Nitric Oxide supplements, and indicated that he would not purchase them, due to an apparent inability to physically tolerate them.

Photographs were not provided by this subject.