Caffeine-Rich Multi-Ingredient Sports Supplement Deemed Safe

As FDA continues to express concern over caffeine dosing and availability in consumer products, a multi-ingredient sports supplement containing numerous sources of caffeine has been deemed safe by new research published online ahead of print in Food & Nutrition Research journal.

MusclePharm researchers—some of whom are also affiliated with the Department of Human Performance at Concordia University Chicago and the U. S. Sports Academy, Daphne, Alabama—cited previous thermogenic formulas pulled from the market as reason for this recent study on the safety of the company’s Shred Matrix® supplement. The supplement, designed to benefit energy and metabolism, contains numerous sources of caffeine (e.g. guarana, caffeine, green tea and kola nut) as well as thermogenics such as yerba mate, capsaicin and yohimbe.

In the randomized study, 11 male and 12 female recreationally active adults (average age of 27 years, average BMI of 26) either took the supplement (n=9) or not (n=14) for 28 days. The subjects maintained their regular exercise and dietary regimens throughout the trial period, and researchers measured and analyzed blood panels, blood pressure and heart rate both before and after the supplementation period.

The researchers reported significant differences diastolic blood pressure, creatinine, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and other parameters before and after supplementation in the supplement group, but they assured all variables measured were within accepted physiological ranges and were, thus, not clinically significant. They concluded Shred Matrix is safe for consumption by adults in a 28-day period.

More details of the study are available at both the journal’s site and PubMed which also has the product’s Supplement Facts information.