Velositol

Quick Summary Points

• Velositol is a patented ingredient developed by Nutrition 21 that combines chromium with the carbohydrate amylopectin 
• It is designed to increase muscle protein synthesis that is crucial for muscle growth and recovery 
• Found mostly in protein powder supplements 
• Generally regarded as safe and no reported adverse side effects (at the time of writing)

We all know that ingredients play a crucial role in many products including supplements. For some products, the ingredients can become a game-changing ingredient that works to help improve training performance and it may be able to breakthrough any plateaus. The next break through ingredient includes a revolutionary ingredient known as Velositol. This ingredient is said to help boost muscle protein synthesis. So, without further ado, let’s look closer at this ingredient and see what it has to offer.

What is Velositol?

Velositol is a revolutionary patented ingredient developed by company, Nutrition21. Velositol is an amylopectin chromium complex that is designed to increase protein capacity. It is a unique ingredient that is made up of a combination of chromium and carbohydrate amylopectin. Chromium is a trace mineral that helps to support the function of insulin and amylopectin is a source of sugar. When combined with protein, Velositol can help enhance muscle growth and fasten muscle recovery time. The addition of Velositol doubles the power of your protein on muscle protein synthesis over protein alone in a single dose, so you get the most out of each workout and the most bang for your buck.

How Does Velositol Work?

As mentioned above, Velositol uses two specific ingredients – chromium and amylopectin. Velositol works by increasing the hormone (insulin) enabling our muscle cells to be more responsive to insulin. As a result, Velositol activates the insulin response and cellular protein that can assist you improving muscle damage and speed up recovery.

Velositol Ingredients & Dosage

The standard recommended dosage of Velositol is exactly 2 grams. Velositol is clinically proven to work in a single dose. Research has indicated that by adding a 2 gram dose of Velositol to a 6 gram dose of whey protein lead to a 48% increase in muscle protein synthesis from baseline, compared to a 24% increase seen with 6 grams of whey protein alone, according to findings of a study with 10 healthy men and women aged between 22 and 34.¹ This has been determined in protein powders, protein drinks, energy bars as well as protein bars. Timing is essential and consuming protein before or after a workout has been shown to markedly improve the rate at which muscle synthesis occurs.³

Velositol Benefits

Velositol offers a wide range of advantages. It has the ability to enhance generic protein supplements thanks to several unique qualities including its mechanism of action. Velositol is said to boost muscle capacity and difficult to replicate which makes it a unique ingredient in the supplement industry. It helps to support greater amino acid uptake in the muscle which in turn increases muscle intake. More importantly, because of its boost in muscle protein synthesis, Velositol can help improve the body’s ability to repair damaged muscle tissue and in turn fasten recovery. On top of this Velositol has also been shown to work with other proteins and aminos which makes it a versatile ingredient. Moreover, one of its unique characteristics about this ingredient is that Velositol works effectively just in a single dose. This means that you don’t have to take this ingredient for weeks to experience the benefits. 

Velositol Side Effects & Is it Safe? 

As mentioned previously, Velositol’s recommended dosage is 2g per day with protein and Velositol is generally deemed safe and does not have any reported adverse effects at the time of writing.

Velositol Supplements

As Velositol has the ability to increase protein potential, you would expect that this patented novel ingredient will be found in a variety of protein sports nutrition supplements including protein powders, protein bars and protein drinks. Having said that, Velositol can be easily stacked alongside other products including amino acids, BCAAs, or creatine supplements. Not many supplements use this ingredient as of yet, but it is found in Muscle Nation’s latest whey isolate – Muscle Nation Protein.

Velositol Verdict

Overall, through various randomized studies Velositol has proven to be a promising ingredient in the sports nutrition industry. Velositol is an ingredient that is commonly used in protein powder supplements that works with a single dose to enhance muscle protein synthesis.  While studies haven’t been conducted to Velositol’s effect of lean muscle mass yet, it has been shown that increased protein consumption and exercise can amplify and accelerate the effect of muscle protein synthesis.

¹Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition 2017, 14:6 doi: 10.1186/s12970-017-0163-1 “Effects of an amylopectin and chromium complex on the anabolic response to a suboptimal dose of whey protein” T.N. Ziegenfuss et al.

²Velositol Preclinical Study. The effect of whey, pea and BCAA proteins alone and combined with an amylopectin/chromium complex and exercise on muscle protein synthesis and translation initiation in the skeletal muscle of male rats. 2017. (N21 Data on file).

³Ziegenfuss TN, Lopez HL, Kedia A, Habowski SM, Sandrock JE, Raub B, Kerksick CM, Ferrando AA. Effects of an amylopectin and chromium complex on the anabolic response to a suboptimal dose of whey protein. JISSN. 2017;14:6.