Studies & Clinical Trials
The trials the formula stands on
Every raw material, backed by a published human trial. Expand any study to see how it was run — and one plain line on what it does in your body.
Clinical Trials
Every ingredient, and the trial it stands on
Open the AM or PM formula to see a clinical trial for every raw material inside it — expand any one for its design, participants, result, and citation.
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials
- Participants
- Resistance-trained adults across dozens of trials
- Duration
- 4–12 week protocols
Result
Pooled across trials, 3–5 g/day of creatine monohydrate reliably raised intramuscular phosphocreatine, translating to consistently larger increases in one-rep-max strength, power output, and lean mass than resistance training alone.
Why it matters: The single most validated performance ingredient in sports nutrition — the backbone of the AM formula.
In your body: it saturates your skeletal muscle with phosphocreatine for more force, pulls water into muscle cells for fuller size, and fuels your brain for sharper focus.
Kreider et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18 (ISSN position stand).
- Study design
- Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
- Participants
- 54 overweight men undergoing a weight-loss program
- Duration
- 12 months
Result
Men supplementing ~3,300 IU/day of vitamin D3 saw significant increases in total testosterone, bioactive testosterone, and free testosterone over the year, while the placebo group showed no meaningful change.
Why it matters: Directly relevant to men raising a low vitamin D status — a foundation for hormonal, bone, and immune health.
In your body: it acts on your testes to support testosterone, hardens your bones by driving calcium uptake, and arms your immune cells against infection.
Pilz et al. Horm Metab Res. 2011;43(3):223–225 (RCT).
- Study design
- Controlled human supplementation study
- Participants
- Healthy male volunteers
- Duration
- 1 week
Result
One week of 10 mg/day boron increased free testosterone and the free-estrogen ratio, while lowering inflammatory markers hsCRP and IL-6 and raising vitamin D status.
Why it matters: Helps free up bound testosterone into the usable form — a small mineral with an outsized hormonal role.
In your body: it releases testosterone bound up in your bloodstream into its free, active form and cools inflammation in your blood vessels and joints.
Naghii et al. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2011;25(1):54–58.
- Study design
- Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
- Participants
- 244 healthy postmenopausal women
- Duration
- 3 years
Result
Long-term MK-7 (180 mcg/day) significantly improved arterial elasticity and reduced age-related arterial stiffening versus placebo, demonstrating K2’s role in directing calcium to bone and away from arteries.
Why it matters: The essential partner to D3 — ensuring the calcium D3 absorbs supports bone and cardiovascular health.
In your body: it steers calcium into your bones and teeth and keeps it out of your artery walls, so your skeleton stays dense and your arteries stay flexible.
Knapen et al. Thromb Haemost. 2015;113(5):1135–1144 (RCT).
- Study design
- Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Participants
- 41 resistance-trained men
- Duration
- Single pre-workout dose
Result
A single 8 g dose of citrulline before a chest workout increased the number of repetitions performed to failure and significantly reduced muscle soreness at 24 and 48 hours versus placebo.
Why it matters: Amplifies blood flow and work capacity during the AM session.
In your body: it raises nitric oxide to widen your blood vessels, pushing more oxygen and nutrients into working muscle for a stronger pump and more reps.
Pérez-Guisado & Jakeman. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(5):1215–1222 (RCT).
- Study design
- Peer-reviewed review of human studies
- Participants
- Pooled across clinical and metabolic studies
- Duration
- Multiple protocols
Result
Thiamine is an obligatory cofactor for pyruvate dehydrogenase; the review documents that adequate status is required to convert dietary carbohydrate into usable energy, and that low status measurably impairs energy metabolism.
Why it matters: Keeps daytime energy metabolism running as intended.
In your body: it unlocks the enzyme that converts the carbs you eat into ATP, so fuel becomes usable energy instead of fatigue.
Kerns et al. Adv Nutr. 2015;6(2):147–153 (review).
- Study design
- Peer-reviewed review of human studies
- Participants
- Pooled across clinical studies
- Duration
- Multiple protocols
Result
The review shows riboflavin-derived FAD and FMN are core electron carriers in the mitochondrial electron-transport chain, and that supplementation restores oxidative energy production when intake is marginal.
Why it matters: Supports the cellular energy pathways AM performance depends on.
In your body: it feeds the electron carriers inside your mitochondria that generate cellular energy, and buffers cells against oxidative stress.
Powers. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003;77(6):1352–1360 (review).
- Study design
- Peer-reviewed review of human studies
- Participants
- Pooled across metabolic studies
- Duration
- Multiple protocols
Result
The review establishes niacin as the precursor to NAD+/NADP+, coenzymes required in more than 400 metabolic reactions including ATP generation, and shows measured intake maintains these pools without flush-level dosing.
Why it matters: Underpins normal energy metabolism through the day.
In your body: it builds NAD+, the coenzyme your cells use across hundreds of reactions to produce and manage energy.
Kirkland. J Nutr Biochem. 2012;23(6):547–554 (review).
- Study design
- Peer-reviewed review of human studies
- Participants
- Pooled across clinical studies
- Duration
- Multiple protocols
Result
The review shows P5P is the active cofactor for amino-acid and neurotransmitter synthesis, and that higher B6 status is associated with better mood scores and normal homocysteine handling in adults.
Why it matters: Supports amino-acid metabolism that follows AM training.
In your body: it powers the enzymes that build mood-and-focus neurotransmitters and that turn dietary protein into building blocks for repair.
Field et al. Nutrients. 2020;12(7):1946 (review).
- Study design
- Randomized, controlled bioavailability trial
- Participants
- Adults carrying common MTHFR variants
- Duration
- Controlled crossover protocol
Result
Active L-5-MTHF bypassed the MTHFR conversion step and lowered plasma homocysteine as effectively as folic acid, with greater bioavailability in carriers of common MTHFR variants.
Why it matters: Supports healthy homocysteine metabolism as part of the daily foundation.
In your body: it delivers folate in its pre-activated form, so it works even if your genes can’t efficiently convert folic acid, keeping homocysteine in a heart-healthy range.
Prinz-Langenohl et al. Br J Pharmacol. 2009;158(8):2014–2021 (RCT).
- Study design
- Peer-reviewed review of human studies
- Participants
- Pooled across clinical studies
- Duration
- Multiple protocols
Result
The review documents that methylcobalamin supports red-cell formation and nervous-system function, and that correcting low B12 status reverses the fatigue and neurological symptoms tied to deficiency.
Why it matters: Keeps energy metabolism and the nervous system supported.
In your body: it supports red-blood-cell production and the myelin around your nerves, clearing the fatigue and brain fog of low B12.
Green et al. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2017;3:17040 (review).
- Study design
- Peer-reviewed review of human studies
- Participants
- Pooled across clinical studies
- Duration
- Multiple protocols
Result
The review establishes biotin as the cofactor for carboxylase enzymes central to fatty-acid, glucose, and amino-acid metabolism, with adequate intake maintaining normal macronutrient processing.
Why it matters: Contributes to normal macronutrient metabolism.
In your body: it activates the carboxylase enzymes that process fat, carbs, and protein, and supports the keratin structure of hair, skin, and nails.
Zempleni et al. Nutr Rev. 2009;67(4):188–200 (review).
- Study design
- Peer-reviewed review of human studies
- Participants
- Pooled across metabolic studies
- Duration
- Multiple protocols
Result
The review shows pantothenic acid forms the backbone of coenzyme A, essential for the citric-acid cycle and fatty-acid oxidation that produce cellular energy.
Why it matters: Supports the energy pathways behind daytime output.
In your body: it builds coenzyme A, the molecule your cells need to burn fat and carbohydrate for energy.
Miller & Rucker. In: Present Knowledge in Nutrition. 2012 (review).
- Study design
- Large observational cohort study (Framingham Offspring)
- Participants
- 1,391 adults
- Duration
- Cross-sectional cognitive assessment
Result
In the Framingham Offspring cohort, higher dietary choline intake was associated with better performance on verbal and visual memory tasks, and with reduced white-matter hyperintensity on imaging.
Why it matters: Supports focus and normal lipid/homocysteine metabolism.
In your body: it supplies the raw material for acetylcholine, the memory-and-focus neurotransmitter, and for the phospholipids that build your cell membranes.
Poly et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;94(6):1584–1591.
- Study design
- Controlled dietary restriction–repletion study
- Participants
- Healthy young men
- Duration
- Restriction and repletion protocol
Result
Experimentally restricting dietary zinc reduced serum testosterone in healthy young men, and repletion restored it — demonstrating a tight link between zinc status and male reproductive function.
Why it matters: Foundational for men’s testosterone and immune support.
In your body: it acts as a direct cofactor for testosterone production and arms the immune cells that drive defense and recovery.
Prasad et al. Nutrition. 1996;12(5):344–348.
- Study design
- Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials
- Participants
- 64 stressed adults; separately, 57 men in a training program
- Duration
- 60 days; 8 weeks
Result
KSM-66 (600 mg/day) significantly reduced perceived stress and serum cortisol versus placebo. In a separate men’s resistance-training trial it produced greater muscle strength, faster recovery, and higher testosterone than placebo.
Why it matters: Lowers the stress load that blocks recovery while supporting men’s strength and hormonal rebuild overnight.
In your body: it dials down cortisol from your adrenal glands, calms your nervous system for deeper sleep, and supports testosterone and muscle repair in men.
Chandrasekhar et al. Indian J Psychol Med. 2012;34(3):255–262; Wankhede et al. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015;12:43.
- Study design
- Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
- Participants
- 46 older adults with insomnia
- Duration
- 8 weeks
Result
Magnesium supplementation significantly increased sleep time, sleep efficiency, and serum melatonin while lowering serum cortisol and easing insomnia severity compared with placebo.
Why it matters: A cornerstone of genuine overnight recovery — deeper, more efficient sleep and a calmer nervous system.
In your body: it relaxes your muscles and blood vessels, quiets your nervous system, and lifts melatonin while lowering cortisol so you sleep deeper.
Abbasi et al. J Res Med Sci. 2012;17(12):1161–1169 (RCT).
- Study design
- Controlled crossover trial
- Participants
- Healthy adults under an acute stress task
- Duration
- Acute (single-dose response)
Result
L-theanine (200 mg) reduced the heart-rate and salivary-cortisol response to an acute stressor and increased alpha brain-wave activity linked to a calm, wakeful, relaxed state.
Why it matters: Eases the transition into evening — relaxed and clear, without sedation or grogginess.
In your body: it shifts your brain into calm alpha-wave activity and blunts the heart-rate and cortisol spike of stress, relaxing you without sedation.
Kimura et al. Biol Psychol. 2007;74(1):39–45.
- Study design
- Controlled clinical studies
- Participants
- Adults with elevated cardiovascular risk markers
- Duration
- Multi-week protocols
Result
As a standardized fibrinolytic enzyme, nattokinase helps break down fibrin — the protein behind clots and arterial plaque. Controlled studies have associated it with reductions in plaque burden and support for normal blood-pressure ranges.
Why it matters: A circulatory-support enzyme aiding overnight recovery. Review the safety note if you take blood thinners.
In your body: it breaks down fibrin — the protein that forms clots and arterial plaque — to support cleaner blood flow and healthy blood-pressure ranges.
Kurosawa et al. Sci Rep. 2015;5:11601; Hsia et al. Nutr Res. 2009;29(3):190–196.
Safety note — Nattokinase. Nattokinase may affect blood clotting. If you take blood thinners or other medication, have a bleeding disorder, are pregnant or nursing, or are scheduled for surgery, consult your physician before use.
See it in the formula
Every raw material and its exact dose lives on the product page, each paired with its study.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.