Matrix Nutrition KONG Testosterone Booster Review // Is It King?

Ben BA(Hons), PGCert

Contents show

Matrix Nutrition KONG Testosterone Booster First Look:

This looks a bit mental.

My girlfriend actually calls me a Gorilla so this may be a very apt testosterone booster for me to take.

It does stand out though from the hordes of black or plain white bottles with a modicum of boring typeface and text.

As it has been said before, those products that put some thought, money and time in to a package design can reflect well on a product that is the same.

This is demonstrated with both Instant Knockout and 4Gauge which are both excellent and have a great package.

Something like this gets our attention and stirs the imagination, you can almost imagine storming through the gym like a Gorilla throwing your own faeces around at the baying crowds.

Hopefully you will not get shot like poor Harambe…

Ingredients:

Take a look at our comparison chart to see which testosterone boosters offer the best results

Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) – Studies have shown that treatment with Ashwagandha root extract resulted in a higher level of testosterone and a concomitant increase in serum levels of LH among infertile men having sub-optimal testosterone levels.

It’s difficult to see if the same result would be found with guys who do not have any fertility issues. So the question is, are you infertile?

If you’ve been banging your missus (or even your mistress, we shouldn’t be even talking if you have smashed your sister) unprotected and have miraculously not had a sprog you probably are infertile…sorry to break that to you, bro.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3863556/

Vitamin D3 – Vitamin D is a great Testosterone boosting vitamin that must be taken advantage of to trigger further production of Testosterone in your body.

However, there are two types of Vitamin D. There’s calciferol (vitamin D₂) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D₃) – we are only interested in cholecalciferol which is D3; this is the type our skin synthesizes from the sun and becomes a hormone which results in the increases in our testosterone.

Research by the US Library of Medicine has shown that testosterone productions are increased with Vitamin D3 supplementation.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712348/

Fenugreek Seed (Trigonella Foenum-Graecum) – It is claimed by researchers that fenugreek works to increase testosterone or androgen levels, which decrease as you age.

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/Fenugreek-extract-shows-benefits-for-the-male-menopause-Human-data

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21312304

Velvet Bean (Macuna Pruriens) – This is actually good for treating people with Parkinsons. There’s a mixed bag of results for testosterone but look mainly positive. Results have shown an increase in testosterone levels in infertile men, however, results are very limited for fertile men.

It is effective to reduce cortisol levels – high stress levels can harm testosterone production.

https://examine.com/supplements/mucuna-pruriens/

Tongkat Ali (AKA Longjack or Eurycoma Longifolia) – is a pro-fertility agent and aphrodisiac that appears to have a large body of evidence supporting this role and some evidence suggesting it may be an anti-estrogen and pro-erectile agent.

Although there’s some research to suggest it may increase testosterone levels in animals and humans it is pretty lackluster which doesn’t bode too well.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3433727/

Boron – Boron is great for the older lifter or those doing high weight low rep work as it helps to reduce inflammation, something that is found in PrimeMale, which I am a fan of.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-379-sarsaparilla.aspx?activeingredientid=379&activeingredientname=sarsaparilla

Tribulus – Once again, the old tribulus raises its ugly head. The problem is that because this has been touted about for so long as a bit of a miracle plant extract used by the mysterious Eastern Bloc Olympic Athletes during the Cold War people have started to believe the hype and it is an easily recognizable ingredient the ill informed will have heard about down the gym.

The issue is that it has not been scientifically proven to raise testosterone levels in any shape or form.

In fact, in studies using elite professional Australian rugby players as participants Tribulus did not produce the large gains in strength or lean muscle mass that many manufacturers claim can be experienced.

Avoid like a medieval plague if you are looking for muscular gainz.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17530942

https://examine.com/supplements/Tribulus+terrestris/

3,4-Divanillyltetrahydrofuran (Ursolic Acid) – In studies of mince, ursolic acid increases skeletal muscle, brown fat and energy expenditure. These effects are associated with increased strength and exercise capacity, and reduced obesity.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3379974/

Nettle Root (Urtica Dioica) – Good for reducing inflammation and an enlarged prostate but has no effect on testosterone.

https://examine.com/supplements/stinging-nettle/

Trans-Reservatrol – In tests resveratrol improved inflammatory and atherogenic status in subjects at risk for cardiovascular disease, as well as in patients with established coronary heart disease, however, its bioavailability is relatively low because it is rapidly metabolized and eliminated. Clinical trials in healthy people are limited.

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/resveratrol

Hesperidin – Looks to be possibly effective for blood flow, but there’s limited research available.

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1033-hesperidin.aspx?activeingredientid=1033&activeingredientname=hesperidin

Rhodiola rosea – Can protect against cognitive deficits, neuronal injury and oxidative stress, can also be used as a potential agent in treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. This is found in our favorite Nootropic.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19950527_wp_link_placeholde

Agaricus Bisporus – White button mushrooms to you and me, these are seen to be a aromatase inhibitor, therefore they reduce the production of estrogen which can maintain a higher testosterone level. If a man suffers from too much estrogen they can get bitch tits – puffy nipples.

https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/Vespiary/talk/files/6479-White-button-mushroom-phytochemicals-inhibit-aromatase-activity-and-breast-cancer-cell-proliferation.341a.pdf

Dose:

There’s a 4 pill per day dose with this product which is good, although we are instructed to take them as 2 pills twice per day.

A dose of the 4 pills spread evenly throughout the day is a better way to ensure your body gets all oft he ingredients required and you ‘re not hit with massive peaks and troughs.

You do get a substantial 3010mg per day.

Benefits and Effects:

There are 8 useful ingredients present that will help in one form or another, albeit they are not all direct testosterone stimulating ingredients.

So what do we have..?

Well, for increasing our natural production of testosterone we have:

-D3

-Fenugreek

-Macuna

-Ashwagandha

There’s then Rhodiola which helps protect against cognitive issues.

White button mushroom reduces estrogen production, more estrogen means less testosterone plus it can mean puffy nipples.

Boron and Nettle can reduce inflammation which is associated with the development of chronic disease. Something weight lifting alone can help ward off as read about here.

Ursolic Acid is not often seen, however, it can help develop muscle which is never a bad thing, well it can in tests of mice anyway.

Negatives:

This is a proprietary blend which conceals the exact ingredient breakdown. We just do not know the exact amount of each ingredient, this could mostly consist of a bulking agent.

It is worth avoiding any product that will not stipulate exactly how much of each ingredient is included.

There’s uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of of both Hesperidin and Reservatrol.

Tribulus is proven not to increase testosterone levels and Tongkat Ali does not look too effective when under scrutiny.

Let’s not forget that Ashwaghanda and Macuna Pruriens is only effective on infertile men.

Studies to try and establish how much of the global male population are infertile seem to result in no more than 12%.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4424520/

That means potentially 88% of the male global population would not benefit from a testosterone booster with those ingredients included.

That only leaves 4 ingredients that are directly testosterone stimulating for all men.

Because this is proprietary blend we have no idea how much of each ingredient is available.

Matrix Nutrition KONG Testosterone Booster Review Conclusion:

Probably not the best option out there.

Why?

This is a proprietary blend for a start. Proprietary blends are a potential scam.

There’s a lack of real, directly testosterone stimulating ingredients plus a number of ingredients that are not effective whatsoever or only effective if you are infertile.

Considering that around 88% of the male population are not infertile it would be worth checking to see if you are or not before considering this.