Super T Performix review: Ineffective because…

Performix Super T is a testosterone booster for athletes with only natural ingredients.

Super T is created to help boost testosterone, which will help with:

• Sex drive
• Low energy levels
• Sexual health and sexual performance
• Building lean muscle mass
• Gain more physical strength
• Weight loss
• Improving exercise performance
• Feeling more confidence
• Having faster reaction times
• Mental health
• etc

The customer reviews on Amazon are pretty good at 4.3 out of 5 with 183 total ratings. However, I couldn’t find anyone who did a testosterone blood test before and after using this product.

Based on the label, it does have decent ingredients. But there is 1 flaw.

Let’s dive in and I’ll show you.

Ingredients

Vitamin D and testosterone

Since low vitamin D has been associated with low testosterone, people automatically think that vitamin D is responsible for increasing testosterone.

According to many studies, vitamin D levels correlate positively with total and free testosterone and lower levels of SHBG (R, R, R).

Only 1 study found that vitamin D supplementation for 1 whole year led to a small increase in testosterone. They supplemented 3 332 IU of vitamin D for 1 year and saw a 2.7nmol/L (78ng/dl) increase in testosterone (R). If someone had a testosterone of 400ng/dl, it would increase to 478ng/dl after 1 year.

Not that impressive. Plus, since it was a whole year, there are likely many other things that can also happen during that time. Confounding variables.

But besides that study, most other studies show that vitamin D supplementation doesn’t increase testosterone.

• 20,000IU per week for 12 weeks: “We found no significant treatment effect on serum TT” (R).
• 600 to 1200IU daily for 16 weeks: “did not affect mean testosterone concentrations at the end of the study” (R).
• 800IE daily for 12 weeks: “Testosterone levels did not change significantly” (R).

But I’m not trying to say that vitamin D is without use. It has many benefits.

A few benefits include:

• Inhibiting the deactivation of androgens from the androgen receptors by inhibiting the glucuronidation (a mechanism that inactivates and eliminates substances) of DHT, resulting in an accumulation of DHT to exert a more powerful effect. (R)
• Increasing androgen receptors as well as the androgen affinity to their receptors. (R, R)
• Increasing IGF-1 (R). IGF-1 stimulates 5-alpha reductase leading to more DHT.

But alas, as this 2020 study writes it quite elegantly: “Mechanistically, vitamin D exhibits essential roles in the testis and prostate; otherwise, there is no apparent evidence to support the use of vitamin D supplementation to increase testosterone levels and to improve clinical outcomes related to the male reproductive system.“

I would not include vitamin D in my testosterone booster, even if someone didn’t get a lot of sunlight. On the other hand, sunlight exposure has been shown to increase testosterone and vitamin D. Instead of supplementing vitamin D, just get your ass outside into the sun. If you can’t due to weather reasons, then supplementation is good, but not for the reason of testosterone.

☀️Why every male should get sunlight daily☀️

Vitamin B6 and testosterone

Vitamin B6 hasn’t been shown to increase testosterone, so I’m not sure why most testosterone boosters put it in.

However, vitamin B6 can have a positive effect on testosterone. Vitamin B6 (R):

• Deficiency significantly lowers testosterone production.
• Reduce testosterone clearance from the body.
• Increases the recycling of the androgen receptor from the nucleus back into the cytosol after initial translocation. This strengthens androgen signaling.
• Increases dopamine synthesis and lowers prolactin (prolactin lowers testosterone)

I prefer to get vitamin B6 for my diet as diet is always superior to supplements.

Zinc and testosterone

Zinc is one of the most important minerals used for testosterone optimization. This is because it can have a powerful effect on boosting testosterone. However, it will only increase testosterone if you’re deficient in zinc.

Low zinc in the body leads to:

• Low testosterone
• High estrogen
• Very low testosterone-to-estrogen ratio
• Low DHT
• High 3alpha-diol (weak DHT metabolite) and
• An awful DHT to 3 alpha-diol ratio.

A low meat (low zinc) diet can tank your testosterone.

An interesting study was done where they put 22 men on a zinc-deficient diet for 24 weeks to see what would happen to their testosterone (R).

Their diet before the experimental diet was roughly 12.5mg, which is just above the recommended daily allowance (RDA). The zinc content of the experimental zinc-deficient diet was 4.2-5.6mg. 2-3 times less of what they usually consumed.

The low-zinc foods were from a semipurified diet based on texturized soy products with added vitamins and minerals, except zinc. I can’t believe anyone ate that for 20 weeks!

As a result, their testosterone dropped from 1150ng/dl to 305nd/dl after 20 weeks! That’s roughly an x4 drop.

As a side note, it’s quite remarkable that their baseline testosterone was 1150ng/dl since they worked in a hospital, which is demanding, can be stressful and has a severe lack of sunlight.

Supplementing zinc can double your testosterone

The same researchers did another study where that supplemented men between the ages of 50 and 80 with 30mg zinc gluconate daily for 6 months (R).

Before the supplemental protocol, their average daily dietary zinc intake was a measly 69% of the RDA. Since the RDA for zinc is 11mg, that would mean they were consuming only 7.6mg of zinc daily.

Over the 6 months, their testosterone doubled from 240ng/dl to 460ng/dl, putting them in the normal range (R).

Other hormonal benefits of zinc include:

• Increasing the androgen receptors. Zn-finger proteins are involved in the genetic expression of various growth factors and steroid receptors (R).
• Lowering estrogen receptors. Zinc-deficient rats have significantly increased estrogen sensitivity due to more estrogen receptors (R).
• Lowering excess aromatase. Zinc-deficient rats have significantly more estrogen and lower testosterone (R)
• Being a cofactor for the enzyme, 17 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD), which converts androstenedione to testosterone (R).
• Increasing DHT. Low zinc leads to increased DHT breakdown into 3α-diol. Zinc supplementation (120mg twice daily) significantly increased DHT (19%), and also slightly increased testosterone (8%) in eugonadal men (490 to 750ng/dl), showing upregulation of 5 alpha-reductase even at a very high dose of zinc (R).
• Helping with muscle growth

Fenugreek and testostesrone

Fenugreek has been used for a long time to regain physical and sexual strength. In India, ground fenugreek seeds mixed with jaggery (unrefined sugar) are recommended for females after childbirth for their anabolic effects to develop and strengthen muscles (R).

Fenugreek has been shown to increase testosterone, improve muscle strength and size, help with fat loss and protect the liver against toxins, such as alcohol (R).

Let’s look at a few of the clinical studies that looked at the effects of Fenugreek on testosterone.

According to this 2021 systemic review, in 4 of the 6 studies, Fenugreek was shown to increase testosterone levels, while 2 studies showed no effect. Additionally, 3 out of 4 studies also showed Fenugreek had a positive effect on (calculated) free testosterone (R).

• 500mg Fenugreek (standardized for Grecunin) increased testosterone by 97ng/dl after 8 weeks of a training cycle, whereas it decreased 21ng/dl in the placebo group (R). Fenugreek also increased free testosterone by 12.3%, whereas the placebo group had a 14.3% decrease.
• 600 mg daily of a specialized fenugreek seed extract, Testofen®, increase testosterone by 12.2% and free testosterone by 9.5% in 120 overweight older men that were obese, aged between 43 and 70 years. Whereas the placebo group had a 6.1% and 9.1% decrease in total and free testosterone respectively after 12 weeks (R).
• Furosap (Fenugreek extract) increased free testosterone levels by 46%, while increasing total testosterone by only 30ng/dl (R).
• 1 dose of 600mg Fenugreek extract (IND9) increased total and free testosterone by 28% and 37.5% respectively after 10 hours (R).

Here are the 2 studies showing that Fenugreek didn’t increase T

• This 2016 study showed that 600mg Fenugreek glycoside supplementation was unable to increase testosterone compared to placebo (R)
• Additionally, 500mg of Fenugreek (Torabolic^tm Trigonella Foenum-Graecum) (standardized for 70% TRIGIMANNOSE)(Indus Biotech, India) didn’t increase testosterone (R).

At least 4 out of 6 studies found a benefit, so the odds are still big that you’ll get a boost in T from Fenugreek.

Fenugreek on exercise performance

Four randomized controlled studies observed that fenugreek supplementation had significantly improved muscle strength, repetitions to failure (muscle endurance), submaximal performance index, lean body mass, and reduced body fat (R).

Fenugreek with creatine supplementation improved creatine uptake without the necessity of high carbohydrate intake. Hence, fenugreek extracts can be a helpful natural supplement and ergogenic aid for athletes (R).

Beneficial compounds in Fenugreek

Fenugreek is rich in steroidal (anabolic and androgenic) saponins as well as many other compounds.

Diosgenin and yamogenin are the most steroidal sapogenins of fenugreek seed extract. Diosgenin is shown as an important precursor for synthesizing steroidal hormones such as testosterone (R). Feeding animals diosgenin can significantly increase muscle DHT levels.

Giving sprint athletes just 2g of Dioscorea esculenta (a yam rich in diosgenin; 2g contains roughly 20mg diosgenin) was able to significantly increase serum DHEA, free testosterone and DHT.

Protodioscin is a steroidal saponin phytochemical found in some plant species, including Fenugreek and Tribulus Terrestris. Protodioscin protodioscin-like components also have anabolic and androgenic effects (R).

This study using protodioscin-rich Tribulus Terrestris found a significant increase in DHEA and DHT and a reduction in prolactin over 12 weeks (R).

Most studies use 500-600mg of Fenugreek extract, which has been shown to increase total and free testosterone. The best extract will be those high in diosgenin and protodioscin.

Super T contains a Fenugreek extract at 45% Furostanolic saponin and 20% protodioscin, making it a good extract.

However, since the blend is only 641mg per serving, it will not be able to fit 500mg fenugreek in there, thus it’s very likely to be underdosed.

If you’re concerned if Fenugreek will lower DHT or increase prolactin, check out this vid.

Shilajit on testosterone

Shilajit is a paste harvested from the Himalayan mountains. It’s very rich in minerals and other beneficial compounds such as fulvic acid.

According to these 2 studies, 200 to 500mg of shilajit daily has been shown to increase testosterone by 100-125ng/dl and free testosterone (19.14%) on average (R, R). It also increased DHEA by 31.35% after 90 days at 500mg daily, which shows that it’s a good adaptogen.

> Shilajit on testosterone, dopamine and sexual function

Since Super T is made for athletes, I can’t skip over the exercise benefits of Shilajit.

Shilajit helps to prevent fatigue by:

• Calming the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (lowered cortisol and prevented adrenal shrinkage) and,
• Preservation of mitochondrial function and integrity (prevent mitochondrial dysfunction by stabilizing the complex mitochondrial enzymes) (R).

In this human study, 500mg/day of PrimaVie® Shilajit supplementation prevented fatigue and loss of strength over an 8-week overtraining phase.

“The results of the present study demonstrated that 8 weeks of PrimaVie® Shilajit supplementation at 500 mg·d^− 1 promoted the retention of maximal muscular strength following the fatiguing protocol and decreased baseline HYP. Thus, PrimaVie® Shilajit supplementation at 500 mg·d^− 1 elicited favorable muscle and connective tissue adaptations.” (R)

👇Shilajit for fertility (and pus in sperm) and testosterone👇

Maca on testosterone

Maca is a plant found throughout Peru. It grows only between 4000 and 4500m altitude at the central Peruvian Andes. For centuries, it’s been used for its properties to improve sexuality and fertility.

There are 3 kinds of maca; red maca, yellow maca, and black maca. When it comes to sexuality, it doesn’t matter which one you use. The reason people tend to like black maca more is because it has more macamides than red maca. But, most of the studies on libido used red maca.

The effective dose of maca

In the case of red maca, there are quite a few human studies. Maca doesn’t appear to affect LH, testosterone or estradiol (R). It does increase dopamine and noradrenaline, which is likely how it boosts libido (R).

Dosage: anything over 1.5g will do the trick.

This study found that in normal men, there wasn’t a difference between 1.5 and 3g (R).

A caveat to this is PSSD (Post-SSRI induced sexual dysfunction). If someone has PSSD, then higher doses will work better.

According to this study, maca improved SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction. 1.5g was not effective, but 3g was. There appears to be a dose-dependent effect, so you can take higher doses for better effects (R). If you don’t feel much from 3g, try 5g or higher.

Maca on sexual frequency

This study found that using 3g of maca daily significantly increased biweekly sexual attempts from 3.1 ± 2.4 to 4.6 ± 3.7. Sexual enjoyment also considerably improved (R). From 3 sessions per 2 weeks to 4.6 sessions per 2 weeks. It’s more like a “normalization” of sexual function.

Black musli extract on testosterone

Black musli, aka Kali Musli (the botanical name is Curculigo orchioides) is considered an aphrodisiac and rejuvenator.

50mg/kg of Blamus^TM, standardized to 30% curculigosides, was able to significantly increase free testosterone without affecting testosterone (R).

In this animal study, the water extract of Black musli had anabolic effects on the muscle and reproductive organs (a marker of androgenicity (R).

An interesting benefit of Black musli is that it improves testicular function and health, especially if it’s been damaged (R).

This supplement will not increase total testosterone, but it can increase free testosterone and boost libido and sexual function.

Boron for free testosterone

Most testosterone boosters contain boron to boost free testosterone since it can help to lower SHBG.

Studies have shown that the recommended dosage is 10-11mg daily, whereas 3mg is ineffective.

In this supplement, they use 5mg. 5mg is closer to 3mg than 10mg, which makes it underdosed.

Plus, DIM increases SHBG, so the SHBG-lowering effect of boron is likely canceled out with DIM.

Don’t use boron on its own || Supercharge boron for higher DHT

Epimedium (horny goat weed) (HGW)

The origin story goes like this. Goats who ate the leaves of Epimedium became horny. However, I have a different theory. This weed is horny (contains thorns) and goats ate them. End of story. 🙂

The bioactive ingredient in HGW is icariin. When taken orally, 91.2% of icariin converts to icariside II (ICA II) by intestinal bacteria.

In traditional Chinese medicine, epimedium has long been used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) in Chinese men.

Mechanism of action of horny goat weed

Icariin acts as a PDE5 inhibitor (like Viagra for example) and testosterone-mimetic. Icariin can enhance the growth of penis muscle cells (smooth muscle proliferation) and regenerate the nerves and veins in the penis (R).

Icariin also helps to prevent the negative effects of diabetes on the nerves and veins and even helps to regenerate them. This promotes better erections and more sensation in the penis (R, R, R, R).

No study has ever shown that HGW increases testosterone. Thus the main benefit is likely just better blood flow and erections.

Human studies on horny goat weed

There are zero human studies on horny goat weed to show its effectiveness. Still, it has, and is, being used in ancient Chinese medicine to enhance sexual activity. So it definitely works.

Most natural sexual enhancement supplements contain it because it works.

Eurycoma Longifolia (Tongkat Ali)

Eurycoma longfolia, aka Tongkat Ali, is a well-studied herb and is referred to as Malaysia’s “home-grown Viagra”. Common Tongkat Ali product are LJ100 or Physta®.

Tongkat Ali’s effective dose

Tongkat Ali can increase testosterone and dopamine and lower cortisol (R).

According to this study, 200mg of Tongkat Ali increased testosterone by 40ng/dl (R). They also saw improvements in sexual function.

This 2021 study looked at the effects of 600mg Physta® containing 8.7 mg of eurycomanone (one of the key active ingredients). They found that it increased testosterone on average from 800 to 924ng/dl in 2 weeks (R). A 124ng/dl increase. That’s 3 times better than the 200mg dose.

Both 200 and 600mg are effective at improving sexual function, but the higher dose will be superior.

Since eurycomanone is the active ingredient, it’s important to use a product that specifies how much it contains.

DIM (diindolylmethane)

DIM is mainly used as an aromatase inhibitor to lower excess estrogen. DIM is created from indole-3-carbinol (I3C) during cooking. I3C is a phytochemical found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collard greens, wasabi, etc.

It works mainly to help with estrogen detoxification via the liver by increasing P450 activity in the liver.

Excess estrogen contributes to mood swings, fat storage around the thighs, glutes and pecs, erectile dysfunction, etc.

In this human study, 150mg DIM x2 daily for 18 months led to:

• An increase in estradiol, but a decrease in estrone (R).
• Higher 2-hydroxyestrones, which itself has anti-estrogenic effects (R).

DIM is not good at lowering estradiol, even though it enhances estrogen breakdown. It would be better to use a different more powerful natural aromatase inhibitor instead.

Other side effects /downsides of DIM

• It inhibits the androgen receptor (R, R).
• Directly activates the estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) (R).
• Increases SHBG, thus lowering free testosterone (R).

Summary

Super T contains a lot of powerful and effective ingredients. However, the only downside is that the blend is underdosed. For the best effects you need at least:

• 500mg Fenugreek
• 500mg Shilajit
• 1.5g Maca
• 500mg Black musli
• 10mg Boron
• 100mg Horny goat weed (for 10mg icariin)
• 600mg Tongkat Ali (at 2% eurycomanone)
• 300mg DIM (but I prefer an alternative)

This puts us at a total of 4010mg of powder. Super T contains only 641mg in their proprietary blend. This means that you’re not getting anywhere close to the right dose that you need. For better results, I’d use the most effective ingredients by themselves in higher doses or use other good testosterone supplements. It’s also quite expensive at a price point of $84.99.

Other good natural testosterone boosters include AlphaViril, Aggressive Strength, Sigma, Prime Male, etc.

Last but not least, nothing beats a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle for testosterone optimization.