Apollon Black Tulip

It's no secret that Apollon Nutrition has solidified themselves as one of the premiere supplement companies in the industry. Between absolutely maxed-out pre-workout powders, delicious protein, and seemingly never ending innovation, Apollon has made it clear they spare no expense in providing some of the highest-quality products in the space. 

A few months back, Apollon announced the launch of a sister company, Body By K, with the intention of formulating products catered towards beauty and women's health. These products include:

1. Protein Powder featuring collagen protein, hyaluronic acid, and digestive enzymes
2. Radiant capsules for skin health featuring Astrion and Verbasnol
3. Black Tulip Thermogenic Powder

While all three of these products certainly achieve equal premium status as the rest of the products in Apollon's lineup... let's just say this: Black Tulip is about as loaded as a thermogenic product gets and will surely have you dripping head to toe. 

Let's dive head first into this absolute doozy of a formula, shall we?

Supplement Facts

Carnitine Sources

It would be quite challenging to formulate a thermogenic formula without the inclusion of a carnitine source. Fear not! In Black Tulip's case, this formula features two: L-Carnitine-L-Tartrate and Acetyl-L-Carnitine. To keep it simple, carnitine acts as a fatty acid transporter by delivering fatty acids into the mitochondria of the cell where it is eventually converted into usable energy. Due to this unique energy-producing mechanism, carnitine sources are amongst the most popular ingredients utilized within weight loss formulas. While all carnitine sources are great, at Goated, we tend to prefer Acetyl-L-Carnitine due to the fact that is is the most bioavailable form of carnitine and is more effective at crossing the blood brain barrier than other sources of carnitine. 

Aside from its role in weight loss, other carnitine benefits include:

• Reduced liver enzymes in individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease 
• Reduced blood pressure
• Reduced triglyceride levels
• Reduced total cholesterol 
• Increased HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)
• Reduced LDL (bad cholesterol) 
• Reduced markers of oxidative stress
• Reduced inflammation

So yeah... as you can see, carnitine truly is the jack-of-all-trades when it comes to the promotion of fat loss and overall health! As if that's not enough, Black Tulip also features a solid dose of ProGBB at 60mg. ProGBB, or Gamma-butryobetaine ethyl ester, is often coined "Super Carnitine" as it proves to be especially efficient at increasing plasma carnitine levels - better than most other "true" carnitine ingredients! In recent years, ProGBB has built quite the hype, and deservedly so. One study reported that supplementation with ProGBB nearly doubled plasma carnitine levels! 60mg is certainly a hefty dose, so it may be best to assess tolerance before full scooping.

BAT Activation

Another important aspect of fat loss that Black Tulip taps into pertains to brown adipose tissue activation. It's important to understand that stored body fat falls in one of two categories: brown adipose tissue (BAT) or white adipose tissue (WAT). Because BAT has significantly more mitochondria- which are responsible for all energy production within cells, BAT proves to be much more thermogenic compared to WAT.

Think of it like this: WAT is to energy conservation, as BAT is to energy expenditure. This means that the more BAT that's present, the more calories burned throughout the day. Now let's talk ingredients!

The first BAT activator within Black Tulip is MitoBurn. MitoBurn is quite literally L-BAIBA; an amino acid and metabolite of L-Valine that is produced from muscles during intense bouts of exercise. As previously described, it increases thermogenesis by "browning" white adipose tissue. This increase in body temperature increases daily caloric expenditure and helps to create a calorie deficit, which is the key component driving weight loss.

In addition, Black Tulip also features 180mg Grains of Paradise; another highly popular fat loss ingredient that plays a role in BAT activation. A study composed of several healthy men showed that 40mg of generic Grains of Paradise supplementation increased basal metabolic rate by over 300 calories per day when measured 30 minutes after consumption. To note: the individuals rate of calories burned increased 300mg per day, which averaged out to be approximately 25 calories from just the one time 40mg dose.

Lastly, Black Tulip features a clinical dose of Capsimax. Capsimax is a concentrated extract derived from red chili peppers that's touted to aid in weight loss through several mechanisms. The benefits of Capsimax are attributed to its rich capsaicinoid content; capsaicinoids are responsible for the "heat sensation" experienced after the consumption of spicy food. It is well understood that capsaicin poses the unique ability to activate brown adipose tissue, similar to MitoBurn and Grains of Paradise.

Furthermore, in a clinical trial composed of 77 young men, results showed that overweight individuals who took either 2mg or 4mg Capsimax over the course of 12 weeks self-reported a decrease in energy intake by 257kcal/day and resulted in a more favorable waist to hip ratio at the conclusion of the study. This finding suggests Capsimax may play a role in suppressing appetite, which could lead to weight loss.

Energy

It's no secret that when it comes to fat loss products, stimulants are typically the ingredient of choice - and for good reason. Stimulants suppress appetite and aid in thermogenesis; two important mechanisms for weight loss. However, it's not uncommon to see some of the most popular fat loss products in the industry overloaded with stimulants, some of which may even be dangerous (we're talking about you DMHA, DMBA, DMAA). Perhaps what is most admirable in regard to Black Tulip's formula is the fact that it is by no means outlandishly loaded with stimulants. Let's take a look!

To kick off this energy complex, Black Tulip comes in with a solid dose of Caffeine Anhydrous at 300mg. Caffeine Anhydrous is a popular psychoactive ingredient that many of us are much too familiar with. In fact, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reports that 89% of Americans consume caffeine on a daily basis! Caffeine oftentimes finds itself included in fat burners as it increases thermogenesis, the process of heat production within the body. An increase in thermogenesis helps to create a caloric deficit, and as mentioned several times within this article: a calorie deficit is the one and only way to induce weight loss.

Additionally, Black Tulip includes 200mg Cocoabuterol; an ingredient that displays a variety of benefits when it comes to fat loss and overall health. Reported benefits include improvements in:

• Insulin sensitivity
• Thermogenesis
• Appetite suppression
• Blood flow
• Muscle building

To round out this stimulant complex, Black Tulip features 100mg Synephrine Hcl; a thermogenic ingredient typically used in fat burning products to enhance the oxidation of fat.

Miscellaneous

Black Tulip also features a clinical dose of InnoSlim; a highly popular fat loss ingredient developed by NuLiv Science. The mechanism of action behind InnoSlim is certainly unique, as InnoSlim increases levels of a protein known as adiponectin. Adiponectin plays a role in cellular energy and activates the AMPK signaling pathway, which promotes the breakdown of fatty acids. In addition, AMPK also enhances the regulation of a glucose transporter known as GLUT4. This mechanism leads to increased glucose uptake into skeletal muscle where it is burned as energy as opposed to being stored as fat. Nifty!

In addition, Black Tulip features a clinical dose of AstraGin® at 50mg. AstraGin® is a patented, plant-based ingredient - also developed by NuLiv Science, that promotes nutrient absorption and a healthy gut environment. The benefits of AstraGin® are plentiful, and it has been touted to provide "full gut support" through a variety of mechanisms:

1. enhanced nutrient absorption
2. enhanced microbiota viability
3. improved immune cell viability
4. promotion of healthy intestinal wall environment

AstraGin's mechanism of action is quite simple; it increases the number of transporter proteins present within the gut. These transporter proteins are specifically responsible for carrying nutrients to the wall of the intestine, which are then absorbed by the body. Essentially, AstraGin® enhances the absorption of many different nutrients and makes the ingredients within Black Tulip more efficient.

Furthermore, Black Tulip boasts an impressive dose of Dandelion Root Extract at 500mg. Dandelion Root aids in weight loss through several mechanisms. To start, Dandelion Root is a natural diuretic; ingredients/drugs that rid the body of water. This promotes a leaner, more vascular look. To stack on, both in vivo and in vitro studies report supplementation with Dandelion Root modestly improve lipid metabolism and blood sugar levels.

Details

Apollon Nutrition Black Tulip is available for $59.95 for 20 full servings. Black Tulip is available in two flavors:

1. Strawberry Acai
2. Orange Cream

Athlete codes are available for 15% off (linked here)

Summary

What do you know, Apollon delivers once again with a fully-loaded, research-backed product that's surely guaranteed to deliver across the board. With efficacious doses of ingredients proven to enhance several important aspects for weight loss, Black Tulip should certainly be on your radar if you're looking for a solid product for weight management. I've been taking this the last week, and I have nothing but great feedback. My only suggestion, definitely start with half a dose or less... unless you want to be sweating for hours!

Also, wishing our good friend Rob (Apollon Owner, certified Badas* a Happy Birthday! 

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