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Boostaro is a supplement designed to enhance male intimacy. Now, when it comes to supplements like these, skepticism often creeps in. But let’s put that aside for now and look at the facts. What does research say about Boostaro’s ingredients and its effectiveness?
Boostaro Ingredients
Each capsule of Boostaro contains a specific blend of ingredients. The recommended daily intake is 2 capsules. Let’s take a closer look at the doses of these ingredients, whether they contain active compounds, and if there’s any evidence supporting their effectiveness in addressing male intimacy issues like erectile dysfunction (ED).
Vitamin C
When it comes to using vitamin C for issues like ED or other intimacy concerns, there’s no solid human evidence to back its effectiveness.
I searched for research on vitamin C supplements and their impact on physical activity, especially in older men. Interestingly, a small clinical study discovered something unexpected. Elderly men who took vitamin C along with vitamin E daily for 12 weeks while undergoing strength training didn’t experience increased strength. Surprisingly, it seemed like vitamin C might have even hindered muscle mass gains.
So, when it comes to physical performance, vitamin C supplements don’t seem to offer benefits and might even work against elderly men aiming to boost their physical abilities.
Boostaro claims that vitamin C helps maintain healthy arteries and cell walls. While it’s true that this nutrient plays a role in blood vessel formation, simply increasing its intake doesn’t necessarily translate to improved blood vessels or heart health.
Studies indicate that taking extra vitamin C through supplements doesn’t provide any noticeable advantages in preventing cardiovascular diseases, whether it’s for primary prevention or secondary prevention.
Vitamin K
When it comes to using vitamin K to address issues like ED or other intimacy concerns, there’s also no solid human evidence backing its effectiveness.
Boostaro suggests that vitamin K supports “health (sic) blood flow and heart health.” By the way, nice grammar…
However, several observational cohort studies have indicated that increasing vitamin K intake, whether through supplements or diet, doesn’t reduce the risk for most cardiovascular events. Additionally, having higher levels of vitamin K in your blood doesn’t appear to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease either.
So, despite what Boostaro claims, research indicates that taking vitamin K supplements likely doesn’t significantly improve blood flow or heart health.
L-Citrulline
L-Citrulline, a non-essential amino acid found in watermelon, squash, and pumpkins, may boost nitric oxide levels in the blood, leading to improved blood flow.
In a small study involving adults with mild ED, those who took L-citrulline experienced an improvement from “mild dysfunction” to “normal function” in 50% of participants, compared to only 8% of those who took a placebo.
However, it’s important to note that the dosage used in the study was 1.5 grams per day, which is higher than what Boostaro offers. Additionally, evidence supporting L-Citrulline for ED remains weak, and it appears to be most effective for mild cases of ED, with potential benefits taking over a month to become noticeable.
L-Lysine
L-Lysine, an essential amino acid present in meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and certain plants, hasn’t shown any human evidence supporting its effectiveness in treating ED or other intimacy issues.
Boostaro suggests that L-lysine might aid in maintaining healthy arteries by improving cholesterol levels. However, there’s no evidence supporting this assertion. In fact, a study investigating the impact of L-lysine and vitamin B6 supplementation on blood fat levels found that men who took 1 gram of lysine daily for 12 weeks, with or without vitamin B6, didn’t experience any changes in blood fat levels.
Pine Bark Extract
Pine Bark Extract, derived from the maritime pine, is a common ingredient in various health supplements. Pycnogenol, a specific extract of pine bark from the French maritime pine, is trademarked in the US.
Some limited evidence suggests that Pycnogenol could be beneficial for mild to moderate cases of ED. Combining Pycnogenol with L-arginine might also help in managing ED. However, the overall evidence is not strong, and it may take up to three months of consistent use to see notable improvements.
It’s worth mentioning that these studies specifically use the branded extract Pycnogenol, not generic pine bark extract like the one found in Boostaro. So, while the patented form may show some weak evidence of improving ED, the generic versions may not have the same effects.
Magnesium
Magnesium is lacking human evidence when it comes to addressing ED or other intimacy issues.
Boostaro suggests that magnesium helps maintain flexible arteries and capillaries, implying it might aid in dealing with atherosclerosis, which is the hardening or calcification of arteries.
However, clinical studies paint a different picture. They show that taking magnesium supplements doesn’t improve coronary artery calcification (CAC) scores compared to standard therapy. CAC scores measure the amount of calcium buildup in the coronary arteries, indicating their hardness or inflexibility.
Another extensive clinical study discovered that magnesium intake doesn’t slow down the progression of CAC scores when compared to a placebo.
So, while magnesium offers various health benefits, promoting artery and capillary flexibility doesn’t appear to be one of them.
Nattokinase
Nattokinase, an enzyme extracted from fermented soybeans, lacks human evidence supporting its effectiveness in treating erectile dysfunction (ED) or other intimacy issues.
Other ingredients?
Regarding other ingredients, although many counterfeit versions of Boostaro exist, I’ve primarily analyzed the ingredients from the “original” formulation. However, there’s a discrepancy between the label on the bottle and their website. The website lists two additional ingredients, CoQ10 and L-proline, which aren’t actually present in the bottled supplement. Whether the website is outdated or providing misleading information is uncertain, but it adds to the confusion surrounding Boostaro.
If you were wondering whether CoQ10 and L-proline could potentially help with ED or other intimacy issues, the answer is no. There’s no human research supporting these uses.
Is Boostaro Effective?
In general, Boostaro isn’t likely to have a significant impact on erectile dysfunction (ED), bedroom performance, or other intimacy issues. It’s marketed as beneficial for blood flow and cardiovascular health, implying that improving these areas could also help with ED.
Indeed, research shows a close connection between cardiovascular disease risk and ED. In fact, signs of ED often appear 3 to 5 years before noticeable signs of heart problems emerge. So, if you’re experiencing ED, it’s a good idea to have your doctor check your heart first.
Unfortunately, for Boostaro, studies suggest that most of its ingredients don’t actually support cardiovascular health or improved blood flow. Essentially, Boostaro is mainly a combination vitamin C and K supplement. Neither of these vitamins has been proven useful for male enhancement or cardiovascular health, and the other ingredients in Boostaro either have too low of a dosage to have a significant effect or don’t use the correct extracts.
Overall rating
Rating Boostaro by effectiveness for male enhancement, I’m giving it an F. It’s completely useless, and isn’t much more than a vitamin C and K supplement.
Rating it by cost, I’m giving it an D. You can get vitamin C and K together for no more than $10 a month.
Rating it for safety, I’m giving it a B. The ingredients are unlikely to cause significant side effects, or much effects at all.
Overall rating, I’m giving an F. I would recommend you stay away from it.
Top alternatives to Boostaro
- L-Citrulline (caps) – 2 to 8 caps / day
- L-Citrulline (powder) – 1 to 2 scoops / day
- Pycnogenol – 1 to 3 caps / day
Learn more about
- 6 Things To Look For On Supplements
- 5 Things to Know Before Buying Weight Loss Supplements
- Supplement reviews
Citations
Al-Khudairy L, Flowers N, Wheelhouse R, et al. Vitamin C supplementation for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2017;3(3):CD011114. Published 2017 Mar 16. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD011114.pub2
Aoki H, Nagao J, Ueda T, et al. Clinical assessment of a supplement of Pycnogenol® and L-arginine in Japanese patients with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. Phytother Res. 2012;26(2):204-207. doi:10.1002/ptr.3462
Bjørnsen T, Salvesen S, Berntsen S, et al. Vitamin C and E supplementation blunts increases in total lean body mass in elderly men after strength training. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2016;26(7):755-763. doi:10.1111/sms.12506
Bressendorff I, Hansen D, Schou M, et al. The Effect of Magnesium Supplementation on Vascular Calcification in CKD: A Randomized Clinical Trial (MAGiCAL-CKD). J Am Soc Nephrol. 2023;34(5):886-894. doi:10.1681/ASN.0000000000000092
Chen HG, Sheng LT, Zhang YB, et al. Association of vitamin K with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Nutr. 2019;58(6):2191-2205. doi:10.1007/s00394-019-01998-3
Cormio L, De Siati M, Lorusso F, et al. Oral L-citrulline supplementation improves erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction. Urology. 2011;77(1):119-122. doi:10.1016/j.urology.2010.08.028
Diaconu CC, Manea M, Marcu DR, Socea B, Spinu AD, Bratu OG. The erectile dysfunction as a marker of cardiovascular disease: a review. Acta Cardiol. 2020;75(4):286-292. doi:10.1080/00015385.2019.1590498
Dong JY, Zhang YH, Qin LQ. Erectile dysfunction and risk of cardiovascular disease: meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011;58(13):1378-1385. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2011.06.024
Hlais S, Reslan DR, Sarieddine HK, et al. Effect of lysine, vitamin B(6), and carnitine supplementation on the lipid profile of male patients with hypertriglyceridemia: a 12-week, open-label, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Clin Ther. 2012;34(8):1674-1682. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2012.06.019
Shea MK, Barger K, Booth SL, et al. Vitamin K status, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality: a participant-level meta-analysis of 3 US cohorts. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;111(6):1170-1177. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa082
Stanislavov R, Nikolova V. Treatment of erectile dysfunction with pycnogenol and L-arginine. J Sex Marital Ther. 2003;29(3):207-213. doi:10.1080/00926230390155104
Theodorou AA, Zinelis PT, Malliou VJ, et al. Acute L-Citrulline Supplementation Increases Nitric Oxide Bioavailability but Not Inspiratory Muscle Oxygenation and Respiratory Performance. Nutrients. 2021;13(10):3311. Published 2021 Sep 22. doi:10.3390/nu13103311
Trebaticky B, Muchova J, Ziaran S, Bujdak P, Breza J, Durackova Z. Natural polyphenols improve erectile function and lipid profile in patients suffering from erectile dysfunction. Bratisl Lek Listy. 2019;120(12):941-944. doi:10.4149/BLL_2019_158
Zhan Y, Zhang R, Li G. Effect of magnesium on vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ren Fail. 2023;45(1):2182603. doi:10.1080/0886022X.2023.2182603
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