6 OXO – The effects of 6 OXO and how it changed supplements
6 OXO(R) is no longer on the market and sadly the day of steroidal antiestrogens is coming to an end. Fortunately, there is a new generation of plant-based testosterone boosters out there competing with these strong products and giving even 6 OXO a run for its money. Your Money 6 OXO was once the most powerful testosterone booster on the market and was a pioneer in its time. Sadly, like most hormonal items, professional sports were going to be the ultimate downfall for this wonderful supplement.
What is 6OXO?
6 OXO has many names on the market, 6-keto-androstenedione, Androstene3,6,17 trione, 4-Androstene-3,6,17-trione, 4-AT and even 4-ethioallocholen – 3,6, 17- Triangle . These all refer to the same chemical compound that is a steroid testosterone booster/anti-aromatase agent. First identified in the adrenal glands of cows, it was found to be a natural metabolite of androstenedione metabolism in humans and most mammals. This makes 6 OXO a perfectly legal dietary supplement under current DSHEA law, and since it is non-androgenic, it is not an anabolic steroid. What 6 OXO does is reduce an enzyme in the body that converts testosterone to estrogen. By blocking this enzyme, two important things happen: first, it causes you to retain more testosterone, and second, the body detects the lack of estrogen and causes tests to release more testosterone.
6 OXO has been well studied in men and the original manufacturer of 6 OXO, Ergopharm Inc, actually paid for quite a few studies in both men and rats. The most revealing was done by Incledon, who studied 6 OXO at a dose of 300mg in healthy men and then measured the effects. The Incledon study found an increase in testosterone of around 200% with a slight decrease in estradiol, meaning it was very effective at increasing testosterone and lowering estrogen. This was the first really well tested testosterone booster on the market. Baylor University conducted a follow-up study and found very little difference between 300mg 6OXO and 600mg 6OXO supplementation in the effects of testosterone and estrogen, meaning the sweet spot for most men is around 3-400mg. 6 OXO came in 100mg capsules in 60 pill bottles meaning that at 300mg a single bottle would only last 10 days making it a very expensive but effective supplement. 6 OXO has been shown to occur naturally in humans and many animals used for food, but that did not stop the FDA and federal government from attacking this highly effective supplement.
The manufacturer, Proviant/Ergopharm, was constantly harassed by reports of people and athletes testing positive for androstenedione. This makes a lot of sense since 6 OXO is made from andro and is also a metabolite of androstenedione. This means that 6 OXO contains trace amounts of the Schedule III prohormone and is also tested for when a standard blood panel is submitted for steroid drug testing. This misclassification of 6 OXO caused the industry, the anti-doping establishment, and other sports lobby organizations to heavily criticize him as an enemy of the state. This safe and effective supplement became a villain as the cause of many failed drug tests. In 2009, the situation came to a head when Phillies baseball player JC Romero tested positive for steroids and claimed that he used only 6 OXO that he bought at a local GNC outlet. Despite the fact that the bottle contained a very strict warning, Romero still claimed that he had been misled and that he sold the product by mistake. Sadly, this was the final straw in a very ugly government crackdown on the ingredient and the FDA and DEA raided Proviant in 2009, leading to the company’s eventual demise. Major supplement retailers discontinued the product, further hurting Proviant, and Romero’s lawsuit put the nail in the coffin. 6 OXO, possibly one of the safest and most effective products on the market, was no more.
Eventually, the 6 OXO product was found to contain trace amounts of androstenedione, the famous “andro” in the Mark McGwire controversy. These small amounts are technically illegal, but it is highly unlikely that the manufacturer intentionally added this ingredient to the product, as even 100 times the tainted amount did not produce results. What probably happened is that small amounts of material did not react during manufacturing. Charges were threatened against Pat Arnold, the maker of 6 OXO, but to my knowledge no charges were ever filed against him. Pat Arnold was the chemist behind “The Clear” and “The Cream”, which were illegal steroid drugs allegedly administered to professional athletes to help them cheat in sports.
After their own long battle over the main ingredient in 6 OXO, LG Sciences released a new product designed to take the kidneys off the previous product as the king of testosterone boosters. Formadrol Extreme is the product and it has all the glory of the previous 6 OXO product and a few new twists that make it possibly even more effective for boosting testosterone. Formadrol Extreme has two aromatase inhibitors similar to 6 OXO but even stronger to reduce this enzyme that kills testosterone. These two aromatase inhibitors bind to ellagic acid, which in preliminary studies has been shown to be a natural SERM, meaning it can block another form of estrogen effect and increase testosterone. Finally, a powerful ginger extract is included to speed up tests and make them produce more testosterone. This combination has actually produced results in one person that were even higher than the original 6 OXO and in an unfunded trial, one person successfully used Formadrol to recover from an anabolic steroid cycle and double their testosterone levels. These preliminary results meant that Formadrol has all the testosterone-boosting effects of 6 OXO, and yet is steroid-free, which means it won’t fail a drug test. Sadly, 6 OXO is gone, but a new challenger has risen to take its place, and like everything, nature hates a vacuum. LG Sciences not only replaced 6 OXO, but did it better, delivering even stronger results by increasing testosterone levels without being a metabolite of androstenedione. This makes Formadrol the new king of testosterone boosters and the only product on the market that meets all of my criteria for lowering estrogen and increasing testosterone.