What's the "S Word"? Sucralose [you monster]. We originally tried using a combo of monk fruit, allulose and stevia and we could not get it flavored to something we were satisfied with--unfortunately, with everything we put in BUFFED it's extremely hard to flavor. For what it is worth, sucralose is the last ingredient in Venom Berry and makes up <1% of the total formula. Pineapple Thrash has Allulose as the main sweetener with some Sucralose.

Most people hate sucralose because they've heard two things: 1. Sucralose destroys or alters DNA 2. Sucralose kills the gut microbiome.

The "dna destroying [or altering]" of sucralose is based on an in vitro study. Glutamate, an amino acid, does the same thing in an in vtiro study. So now let's talk about this specific study: 

1. The study is using a derivative called "sucralose-6-acetate", which is an impurity in sucralose aka if you're using a quality product this shouldn't exist AND if it does exist, it's an extremely low amount of the total sucralose.    

2. DNA was only altered against the control when using the highest amount of sucralose they could aka it was 900x greater than what the body could produce. 900x. It is not a physiological model or a physiological dose.

3. Does this warrant looking further into? Yeah I think so. And it needs to be done in randomized controlled studies. 

Now the gut microbiome. The study is called: "Ten-Week Sucralose Consumption Induces Gut Dysbiosis and Altered Glucose and Insulin Levels in Healthy Young AdultsMendez-Garcia et al. (2022)" 

What did they test? Changes in gut bacteria, post-prandial glucose, and insulin response from ten weeks of sucralose ingestion in humans.

What did they find? Sucralose ingestion for ten weeks resulted in a significant increase in the microbiota species Blautia Coccoids.  There were no significant differences in glycemic responses between water and sucralose ingestion.

What does it mean for you? The benefits of artificial sweeteners outweigh the potentially negative consequences on the gut microbiome that are largely unexplored in humans.

More info: Changes in intestinal bacteria were the primary measure for this study. Interestingly there were some differences, but not the difference that some make it out to be. There was only a change in the Fermicutes type of bacteria, Blautia coccoides, and Lactobacillus acidophilus. Results showed sucralose ingestion significantly decreased Lactobacillus acidophilus.  Additionally, the sucralose group significantly increased their gut bacteria strain Blautia coccoides, and the analysis showed the sucralose group increased (3 – 4 fold increase) Blautia coccoides to a significantly greater degree than the water group. So it decreased some strains of gut bacteria but increased other strains of gut bacteria. There could be an equally strong argument made that sucralose improved gut health based on these results.

*this information was sourced using REPS.

NO and yes; if you have never looked at ingredients on a pre-workout and you think that caffeine and coffee equals a pre workout then yeah, for you uneducated swine, it’s a pre-workout. No. If you know your sh*t, and you want beta-alanine, citrulline, rhodiola, and l-dopa and getting the greatest pump of your life, then just add these to your Buffed and make your own pre workout.

You ask a lot of questions. Simply put: we can’t have our ingredients sitting in liquid for longer than a day, let alone years. If you like the fizzy pleasure that comes from carbonated beverages, then mix buffed with some carbonated water. We’d recommend mixing it with less carbonated water (6-8oz) then you would with the flat stuff.

Lion’s Mane is one of the best mushrooms for brain health. A study published in the International Journal Of Medicinal Mushrooms (1) found that Lion’s mane extract demonstrated neuroprotective properties by promoting the production of nerve growth factors (NGFs). NGFs play a crucial role in the growth, maintenance, and survival of nerve cells in the brain for enhanced cognitive function and memory. In fact, another study found that Lion’s Mane was able to enhance memory (2) - especially as you age. Maitake was also shown to have similar benefits as you age (3)

Cordyceps mushrooms, known for their unique growth on insect larvae, have gained recognition for their potential brain-boosting effects, with one study highlighting their ability to enhance (4) working memory and learning capacity.

Maitake mushrooms, more specifically PGM (a protein-bound polysaccharide bioactive component of Maitake), "could ameliorate the learning and memory function and histopathological abnormalities." (5)

Nootropics, also known as “smart drugs” (1) are a diverse group of medicinal substances whose action improves human thinking, learning, and memory, especially in cases where these functions are impaired. Nootropics improve the brain’s supply of glucose and oxygen, have antihypoxic effects, and protect brain tissue from (2). We use four different nootropics: Bacopa Monnieri (3), L-Tyrosine (4), L-Theanine (5) & Acetyl L-Carnitine HCL (6)