Review: Gaspari Size On Creatine Supplement

Take performance to the highest level with SizeOn™, the “last word” in ultra-enhancing sports supplements and the true innovation in intra-workout drinks. SizeOn helps to increase athletic performance through faster muscle cell recuperation from training, increased and more efficient ATP storage, and maximal elevation of mitochondrial energy creation through the power of creatine. This translates into tangible and highly visible increases in size, strength and endurance via maximal muscle cell recuperation and mitochondrial reengineering. So what’s the bottom line? SizeOn is the final say in decreasing muscle recovery time while increasing muscle energy creation and storage.*

As everyone knows by now, creatine is one of the most effective (legal) bodybuilding supplements on the market. So—no surprise—virtually every bodybuilding supplement company on the face of the earth sells it, in one form or another.

This makes it tough for a company to differentiate its products from the competition. Creatine is about as "old-school" as it gets, so the challenge is to come up with formulas that are (or appear to be) high-tech and cutting edge.

Gaspari Nutrition's "Size On" certainly appears to be one such formula. Size On is a creatine delivery system largely composed of creatine, carbohydrates and insulin sensitizers. This is a time-tested, research-validated combination that maximizes creatine uptake into muscle cells.

But there's still nothing revolutionary about this combo of ingredients. Gaspari knows this, of course, so the company has also included a number of "value-added" nutraceuticals to dial up the intensity.

Have they succeeded? To answer that question, we need to take a closer look at the label:

It's a bit complicated, so we need to separate the basics from the extras. I'll start with the former (i.e., the carbs, creatine and insulin-sensitizers).

Carbohydrates: Outlast, maltodextrin, amylose, Fibersol, guar gum, glucose.

There are two things that are interesting to note about Size On's carb component:

1. There are only 31g of total carbs/serving. This is considerably less than classic, "first generation" creatine delivery products.
2. The glycemic index values of the individual ingredients range from high (glucose, maltodextrin) to moderate (Outlast, amylose), to low (Fibersol, guar gum).

These characteristics make Size On a more attractive choice for carb-conscious users, who dislike the idea of consuming a large bolus of simple, high-GI sugars.

Creatine: Creatine gluconate, creatine monohydrate, creatine alpha-ketoglutarate.

Creatine blends are all the rage these days, thanks to the ever-expanding list of alternatives to creatine monohydrate (CM) being produced.

Unfortunately, there's more hype than substance to the trend.

Very few alternate forms have been tested, and the ones that have yield results that—at best—are no better than CM.

As such, claims of superiority to the original ring pretty hollow. In addition, there's exactly zero proof that consuming multiple forms of creatine provides better results than a single form.

In other words, blends are more about marketing than science, and CM is still the "gold standard" against which all the others are judged.

Fortunately, Size On contains creatine monohydrate, in a dose that's probably large enough to be useful. Thus, the creatine gluconate and creatine alpha-ketoglutarate are "icing on the cake" so to speak. If they work, great... and if they don't (or aren't as good as CM), it really doesn't matter... users are still getting a sufficient dose of the real deal.

Insulin Sensitizers: L-Taurine, 4-hydroxyisoleucine, alpha-lipoic acid, corosolic acid.

There's nothing wrong with this lot... except perhaps the amounts, which are unknown. While every little bit probably helps, this component of the formula is a question mark, due to the relatively small size of the "Electrolytic Delivery Matrix" (206mg) that contains 3 out of 4 of the above ingredients.

Taurine is a non-protein amino acid with antioxidant and potential glucose-lowering properties. Although most of what we know comes from animal experiments, one small human study demonstrated taurine could improve insulin sensitivity in obese/overweight men taking moderate (3g) doses.

4-hydroxyleucine is a unique amino acid isolated from fenugreek seeds. It has shown lipid-lowering and antidiabetic activity in animal feeding experiments. Early experiments on humans also indicated it could boost post-exercise glycogen resynthesis, but the data is conflicting.

Alpha lipoic acid is a potent antioxidant that also enhances insulin sensitivity/glucose disposal and creatine uptake. Likewise, corosolic acid is the active component of banaba, and has been shown to improve glucose control in human and animal studies. It appears to do this by stimulating glucose uptake in muscle cells.

This covers the primary ingredients. Now, what about those "extras"?

It's a mixed bag, consisting of

1. "Standard Issue" vitamins (C, B complex) and minerals (magnesium, zinc, calcium, potassium)
2. Coenzyme Q10. CoQ10 is a vitamin-like antioxidant compound produced in the body that's vital for energy metabolism. More to the point, it's involved in the production of ATP and has hypoglycemic effects.
3. 2-Deoxyribose. This is a physiologically important derivative of ribose, one of the components of the ATP molecule. Nonetheless, supplemental ribose has never been conclusively shown to be a performance-enhancer; and the deoxy derivative appears to have no track record, whatsoever.
4. Peak ATP. Basically this is oral ATP, which—despite the obvious application—has not yet been shown to be a performance-enhancer, either. The best support that TSI Health Sciences, the manufacturer of Peak ATP, can come up with is some athlete testimonials. Despite a long list of impressive-looking abstracts on the company web site, there is little evidence that oral ATP is beneficial for health, let alone strength/athletic performance.
5. Malic Acid. Although malate is an important intermediate in the Krebs Cycle, there's little evidence that—taken as a standalone compound—it offers any ergogenic benefits.
6. L-Citrulline, Arginine and Glycerol Monostearate. All three are commonly used in nitric oxide/pre-workout boosters, but in comparatively large doses. In Size On, they're far down the list of ingredients in the "Celludriver Energy Matrix" and are probably "label decoration."
7. Acetyl-L-Carnitine. ALCAR is a derivative of l-carnitine, an amino acid-derived compound essential for fat metabolism. Acetyl-l-carnitine is marketed as an anti-aging nutrient, as it has neuroprotective effects and—in combination with alpha-lipoic acid—has been shown to reduce oxidative stress and mitochondrial decay associated with aging in animal models.

These compounds are certainly healthful enough, but—based on the information currently available—it's unlikely they offer any additional "edge" above and beyond what the carbs, creatine and insulin-sensitizers provide.

Ironically, Gaspari's own clinical study bears this out. The study, by the Ohio Research Group, compared Size On to the effects of arginine alpha-ketoglutarate and creatine ethyl ester (CEE). Not surprisingly, Size On beat the competition, although the gains in mass and strength reported for the Size On users appear to be quite in line with those from other studies of creatine monohydrate.

Needless to state, the "real" study should compare Size On to other, competing products in the same class. In the absence of such a comparison, it's premature to conclude that Size On truly represents the "'last word' in ultra-enhancing sports supplements."

On the flip side, however, it certainly appears to work well enough. This is evident from both the study and a large number of positive user reviews.

Thus, Size On is a supp that's worth a look, particularly for those who'd like to use a creatine delivery system, but want a "lighter" formula, vs. more carb/calorie/sugar-intensive products like Cell-Tech Hardcore or Phosphagen Elite.

Size On is available at Bodybuilding.com!

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