ActivaTe Xtreme™ represents not simply a progression but a massive evolution from its predecessor, ActivaTe™. Still harnessing the awesome power of Divanil™, ActivaTe Xtreme™ goes significantly further by providing total testosterone enhancement, adaptogenic support and estrogenic control. ActivaTe Xtreme™ is the future of testosterone optimization.
The release of ActivaTe™ two years ago marked a change in the market for testosterone enhancement. Never before had one natural compound proven so effective, giving results across the board. That compound is Divanil™, a lignan found naturally in the root of the stinging nettle. High dose of this particular lignan had never been seen before in the industry.
And so now we earmark another revolution in the industry as we release - ActivaTe Xtreme™. Again, utilizing Divanil™, a compound tried, tested and scientifically supported to enhance free testosterone by binding to sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), ActivaTe Xtreme™ goes those few steps further to improve upon the greatness of the original. Icariin, a flavonol found in epimedium extract is included for its testosterone mimetic properties and for its ability to promote serum testosterone levels. Basella alba marks another first for the industry from Designer Supplements. Closely related to spinach, basella alba has been shown to promote testosterone production in the testes and even help increase bodyweight. The combination of the three compounds should give rise to significant elevations in testosterone, and so the natural occurring phytochemical indole-3-carbinol is included to promote healthy estrogen metabolism and counter any unwanted side effects. Finally, rhodiola rosea, the classic adaptogen is included for its effects on combating fatigue and stress, regenerating ATP reserves, and promoting physical performance and endurance.
ActivaTe Xtreme™ is the future of natural testosterone enhancement and will help lead to improvements in strength, and body composition.
Testosterone & SHBG
Testosterone is one of the most anabolic hormones in the human body, giving rise to the primary sexual characteristics displayed by males (and to some extent in females,) while also functioning in secondary sexual development and day to day functions as well. The body is comprised of millions upon millions of cells, some of which express the androgen receptor to which androgens such as testosterone attach. It is in this binding that the nucleus of the cell (the control center) is instructed to increase the synthesis of proteins and upregulate metabolic processes, amongst other things. While the effects are myriad, the focus from a bodybuilding standpoint is clearly the protein synthesis necessary for creating, repairing, and expanding new tissues, especially muscle.
Actual release of testosterone (and other androgens) is governed by something called luteinizing hormone (LH). LH “tells” cells in the testicles of the male, called Leydig cells, to secrete androgens, including testosterone. Once released, testosterone is controlled by two of the brain’s key mechanisms - the egg protein, albumin, and something called Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin (SHBG). Albumin is actually present in much higher concentrations than SHBG1, and binds to a significantly higher proportion of total testosterone, however it does so at a much lower affinity than SHBG. Because of this, albumin-bound testosterone can be rapidly dissociated (split up) to allow for androgen receptor binding and interaction.
SHBG also binds to estrogens, however the affinity for estradiol is low, whereas its affinity for testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is very high.
Divanil™ vs. the binding of Androgens
Typically, less than 2% of your total testosterone concentration is actually “free” or active; this is also commonly referred to as “Bioavailable Testosterone”. Upwards of 50% and more of your total circulating testosterone is bound to SHBG, and the rest albumin-bound. SHBG-bound steroid cannot bind to the androgen receptor, thus, while many of us have high levels of testosterone, most of it is completely inactive and useless.
This is where the original ActivaTe™ excelled. By utilizing Divanil™, a lignan of the root of the stinging nettle plant, the binding of androgens such as DHT and testosterone by SHBG is significantly reduced because of the high affinity that Divanil™ has for SHBG. The end result is a considerable increase in free testosterone which manifested in a plethora of ways, including increased strength and size and body composition, and even improvements in sleep.
As though these benefits were not enough, the effects of Divanil™ do not end here. Divanil™ may also promote the secondary messenger nitric oxide (NO) by increasing its main enzyme eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase). As NO is postulated to be one of the key triggers for muscle cell proliferation and growth while also promoting “muscular pumps” in the gym, this aspect of ActivaTe Xtreme™ leads to fuller muscles that you can see and feel, thus providing significant mental motivation.
Icariin - The Testosterone Mimetic
Icariin is a flavonol found in epimedium extracts more familiarly known by name horny goat weed. Used for hundreds of years as a tonic in Chinese herbalism, it has only recently been elucidated just how and why Icariin exerts such an effect. A recent study suggested that, in the words of the researchers, icariin has testosterone mimetic properties.
Like Divanil™, icariin also seems to exert an effect of raising levels of nitric oxide. It does this similarly to Divanil™, by increasing expression of the nitric oxide Synthase enzyme. However, where icariin differs is that it also seems to be able to inhibit all three forms of an enzyme called Phosphodiesterase type 5 or ‘PDE-5’.
Nitric oxide promotes blood flow by binding to an enzyme known as guanylyl cyclase which catalyzes the conversion of Guanosine Triphosphate (GTP) to 3’,5’-cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate (cGMP). It is the cGMP that signals the smooth muscle to relax, thereby promoting blood flow. It is PDE-5’s job to breakdown this enzyme, and when it does so, blood flow is restricted.
Basella Alba
Basella alba or ‘Ceylon spinach’ (not to be confused with ‘Red Ceylon spinach’ aka ‘basella rubra’) is a leafy vegetable typically grown in tropical regions. Earlier it was established that a hormone called luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulated the Leydig cells in the testicles to produce testosterone. To further elaborate, this effect is achieved by binding to the luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin (LH/CG) receptor on the cell causing a cascade of events leading to testosterone production. Basella alba is incredibly interesting as it has been shown to increase serum testosterone and also increase bodyweight in the rat model. Further research in vivo has demonstrated that basella alba appears to exert these effects by stimulating the Leydig cells directly to produce testosterone. Research into how it actually stimulates the Leydig cells has not yet been performed, but it would not be too far fetched to theorize that basella alba has an affinity for binding to the LH/CG receptor.
Rhodiola Rosea - The Adaptogen
Adaptogens have the ability to balance the endocrine and immune systems, helping the body maintain homeostasis, while amazingly achieving this effect without negative effect on other biological systems. Classified as an adaptogen by herbalists, rhodiola rosea has become one of the most popular choices of adaptogen in recent years for good reason as it exerts a number of benefits via several different biochemical pathways.
Bodybuilders and athletes can benefit greatly from rhodiola rosea due to its effect on improving endurance performance and assisting with recovery after exercise. The purported mechanism of these great benefits appears to be by increasing ATP production within the mitochondria of muscle cells thus increasing the energy “currency” of the cell that drives recuperative processes such as protein synthesis.
Rhodiola also has neural-cognitive effects, such as reducing mental fatigue and acting somewhat as a nootropic. These neural effects also appear to manifest in other ways and is likely due to rhodiola being an inhibitor of an enzyme called catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). COMT is responsible for the degradation of neuropeptides such as serotonin and dopamine and as such, the inhibition of COMT helps promote the activity of these ‘feel good’ hormones. Research by Russian scientists has also concluded that rhodiola rosea influences the activity of opioid peptides such as beta-endorphins by activating opioids receptors.
Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C)
Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) is a naturally occurring phytochemical found in vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage. While primarily a powerful antioxidant, I3C also supports the liver’s typical processes such as toxin removal. The predominant interest in I3C for ActivaTe Xtreme™, however, is its effect of modulating estrogen metabolism. Estrogen metabolism is quite complex, but in general there are two metabolites that can be classed as “bad”. These metabolites are 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone and 4-hydroxyestrone. On the flip side, however, there are also “good” estrogen metabolites such as 2-hydroxyestrone. Oral consumption of I3C has been shown on several occasions to increase 2-hydroxylation, reduce 4-hydroxylation and increase the ratio of 2-hydroxyestrone to 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone.
After oral intake of I3C, the acidic conditions of the stomach create metabolites such as 3,3’-diindolylmethane (DIM). Both I3C and DIM exert their beneficial effects on estrogen metabolism by not only promoting the ‘phase I’ enzymes controlled by the cytochrome P450 system, but also the enzymes involved in ‘phase II’ such as Glutathione- S-transferase. By enhancing the activity of these enzymes, estrogen metabolism is optimized.
Summary
ActivaTe Xtreme™ is designed to promote testosterone release and enhance free testosterone availability, promote recovery-enhancing pathways such as ATP synthesis, and optimize estrogen metabolism. At the beginning of this article we told you that ActivaTe Xtreme™ is the future of testosterone optimization; Now that the compounds, mechanisms and pathways have been discussed all you need to do is give it a shot…then you can tell us we were right.
