Turkesterone Scam: What the Science Actually Says

The Hype Around Ecdysteroids

• 💡 Ecdysteroids are plant and insect hormones that have gained hype as potential muscle-building supplements, distinct from anabolic steroids.
• 🔬 Mechanistic evidence suggests ecdysteroids might influence muscle growth through various pathways, but not via androgen receptors.

The 2019 Ecdysone Study

• ⚠️ A WADA-funded study in 2019 on trained lifters suggested ecdysone supplementation led to muscle gains, but suffered from significant limitations.
• 📊 These limitations included body composition assessment via BIA (highly sensitive to water changes), lack of dietary control, and a potential underdosing of the supplement (only 6mg instead of 100mg).
• 🚫 Despite the study's flaws, Wada considered banning ecdysteroids, fueling further hype.

Turkesterone Research and Scandals

• 📉 Multiple studies on Turkesterone have shown null findings, with no significant differences between the supplement and placebo groups.
• 🕵️‍♀️ A notable scandal involved commercially available Turkesterone products that were found to not contain actual Turkesterone, leading to the dismissal of early positive findings.
• 📚 One study that appeared to show positive results was later retracted or disappeared from online sources, leaving a significant gap in the evidence.

The Role of Marketing and Placebo

• 💰 The hype around Turkesterone is largely driven by marketing tactics, including money-back guarantees, which can be misleading.
• 🧠 The placebo effect is a powerful factor, as demonstrated in studies where participants believed they were taking steroids and experienced gains, even without the actual substance.
• ⚠️ The difficulty in obtaining refunds and the inherent bias in online reviews contribute to the perception of effectiveness, despite a lack of robust scientific evidence.

Conclusion and Recommendations

• 🚫 Currently, there is very little to no credible scientific evidence to support Turkesterone's effectiveness for muscle growth.
• 💸 The speaker urges consumers to save their money until multiple well-controlled human studies, using direct measures of muscle growth, are available.
• 🥇 Creatine monohydrate is highlighted as a proven, effective over-the-counter supplement for muscle growth.