If you're committed to building lean muscle mass, you'll know it takes much effort—hours at the gym and a protein-rich diet are usually the recipe. But for those who have already dialed in their workout routines and nutrition and are looking for an extra edge, understanding how myostatin inhibitors work might help you reach the next step in attaining those fitness goals.
This article looks at popular myostatin inhibitor supplements on the market, how they work, and realistic expectations for these products.
What Is a Myostatin Inhibitor?
Myostatin is a protein in the body that's in charge of regulating muscle growth. If you want to get really technical, it's part of the TGF-β family and works by blocking certain pathways that trigger muscle growth, such as the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway [1].
While some drugs and supplements claim to affect myostatin levels, their actual impact alone on muscle growth should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Research, including randomized clinical trials with both clinical and sports populations, as well as those with muscle-wasting conditions like sarcopenia, provides mixed results on myostatin inhibitors. These studies examine how diet supplements, nutraceuticals, and exercise affect muscle tissues and blood myostatin. The findings show varied results—some show decreases in myostatin levels, others show increases, and some find no effect [1].
So, why do people want to lower myostatin levels?
Simply put, lowering myostatin levels can potentially enhance skeletal muscle growth and strength. However, we shouldn't rely on dietary supplements alone to achieve these results.
How Do Myostatin Inhibitors Work?
Myostatin inhibitors function by blocking the activity of myostatin itself, which, in theory, should promote muscle growth.
There are several ways to do this. The mechanisms involved in myostatin expression are complex, so this is an oversimplification.
- Direct Inhibition: Some inhibitors bind directly to myostatin, preventing it from attaching to its receptor on muscle cells. This stops the usual signal that tells the muscle to stop growing.
- Receptor Interference: Others may block the receptors on muscle cells that myostatin binds to, again preventing the muscle growth inhibition signal from being received.
- Promotion of Antagonists: Certain inhibitors work by increasing the production or activity of other proteins that naturally counteract myostatin, such as follistatin.
Despite the promising mechanics behind myostatin inhibitors, real-world results can be inconsistent.
This variability points to an intricate interaction between myostatin and other regulatory systems in the body, influenced by individual genetics, the type of inhibitor used, and lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise.
We just want to underscore that most dietary supplements, like epicatechin supplements, aren't the only solution to increasing muscle growth. They're not magic pills but could be part of a holistic strategy for fitness goals.
Is It Dangerous To Inhibit Myostatin?
Like any intervention in the body’s natural processes, you should cautiously approach these things. While natural myostatin inhibitors are generally considered safe when used appropriately, consulting with a healthcare provider is always a good practice, especially when altering something as fundamental as muscle growth regulation.
Natural Ways To Lower Myostatin Levels
Aside from natural supplements, lifestyle changes and nutrition are key to managing myostatin levels.
Resistance training and regular moderate-intensity aerobic exercise are proven effective natural methods for potentially decreasing myostatin levels and supporting muscle growth.
Epicatechin, a flavonoid found abundantly in cocoa and green tea, has been studied for its potential role in myostatin inhibition [2].
Due to their natural epicatechin content, regularly consuming these foods might support muscle health. However, the concentration of epicatechin can vary widely between different cocoa or green tea products, making it difficult to ensure a consistent intake from diet alone. This is where epicatechin supplements can come in handy to overcome the variability in dietary sources — but we're getting ahead of ourselves here.
Best Myostatin Inhibitor Supplements
In this section, we'll highlight some of the top-searched myostatin inhibitor supplements available on the market.
Please keep in mind that the FDA hasn't approved these supplements to prevent age-related muscle wasting or are guaranteed to result in muscle growth. Still, we wanted to take a closer look at these compounds to see how they might work to support myostatin inhibition.
Epicatechin Supplements
Epicatechin is a plant-derived flavonoid, a class of compounds best associated with their potential antioxidant properties. What makes epicatechin unique is its potential for myostatin inhibition and supporting nitric oxide production, which helps to boost nutrients through the blood supply to the muscles during exercise [3, 4].
It’s challenging to consume effective amounts purely from diet, which is where supplements come in.
Neurogan Health Epicatechin Capsules contain 500 mg of pure epicatechin in vegan-friendly capsules. This is one of the most potent variations of this product available on the market at a price point of only $40 for a one-to-two-month supply, depending on the frequency of use.
Unbound Epicatechin comes from a brand that's popular in the epicatechin community. Rather than pure epicatechin, Unbound uses 300 mg of cocoa bean extract, standardized to contain 90% epicatechin.
For individuals focused on obtaining the most direct source of epicatechin with minimal interference from other compounds, Neurogan Health's pure epicatechin capsules could be the better choice, but this all falls on personal health goals and dietary preferences.
Unlike steroids, the benefits of epicatechin on muscle growth are much more subtle and work with the body's natural systems that support blood flow and natural muscle building. These supplements are also much better tolerated on the body and are unlikely to produce side effects in healthy adults.
Quercetin Supplements
Quercetin is another flavonoid that shows potential for myostatin inhibition — at least when it comes to cultured meat, as it hasn't been well-studied in people.
A recent study on alternative meat production used quercetin supplementation to support muscle mass growth. Cultured meat involves growing muscle mass from livestock stem cells through myogenesis, which manages the inhibitory protein myostatin [5].
While there's not as much research on quercetin for muscle health in humans, quercetin could be a good addition to most people's wellness regimens and overall physical performance. Known primarily for its powerful antioxidant properties, it may help to support healthy inflammation and protect cells from oxidative stress, which are crucial for muscle recovery and endurance [6].
Neurogan’s Quercetin Supplement provides a good source of this flavonoid, which might support muscle health indirectly, with 500 mg of pure quercetin in every capsule.
YK11
YK11 is a synthetic steroid based on the chemical structure of 5-α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a naturally occurring hormone that plays a role in developing secondary sexual characteristics such as increased muscle and bone mass.
Initial studies suggest that YK11 can potentially increase muscle mass by inducing the muscles to produce more follistatin, a natural inhibitor of myostatin. In theory, by inhibiting myostatin, YK11 could significantly boost muscle growth [7].
Given its status as a synthetic compound and the lack of comprehensive human studies, several risks are associated with using YK11, which include potential liver toxicity, changes in cholesterol levels, hormonal imbalances, and other side effects typically associated with anabolic steroids.
Are Pills The Best Way To Block Myostatin?
No single method, including pills, can be considered the best way to inhibit myostatin universally.
Consistent exercise remains the most effective and safest strategy. Supplements like epicatechin and quercetin may complement your efforts but are not miraculous solutions.
The Takeaway: The Best Ways To Inhibit Myostatin
Unlike more experimental substances such as YK11, epicatechin has been studied for its potential to enhance athletic performance and muscle health safely.
If you're considering adding epicatechin or quercetin to your routine, maintain realistic expectations.
None of the supplements discussed in this article, including epicatechin, are FDA-approved for increasing muscle size, maximizing strength gains, or preventing muscle atrophy. Dietary supplements should be considered adjunct tools and part of a more holistic approach to wellness alongside diet, exercise, and stress reduction.
Although epicatechin and quercetin are considered safe supplements, don't go all in without doing your own research. If you're on medications or have a health condition, this means speaking with your healthcare professional to ensure it's appropriate for your fitness objectives. By doing this, you can make more informed decisions, maximizing your efforts while safeguarding your health.
Resources:
- Santos, H. O., Cerqueira, H. S., & Tinsley, G. M. (2022). The effects of dietary supplements, nutraceutical agents, and physical exercise on myostatin levels: Hope or hype?. Metabolites, 12(11), 1146.
- Mafi, F., Biglari, S., Afousi, A. G., & Gaeini, A. A. (2019). Improvement in skeletal muscle strength and plasma levels of follistatin and myostatin induced by an 8-week resistance training and epicatechin supplementation in sarcopenic older adults. Journal of aging and physical activity, 27(3), 384-391.
- Gutierrez-Salmean, G., Ciaraldi, T. P., Nogueira, L., Barboza, J., Taub, P. R., Hogan, M. C., ... & Ramirez-Sanchez, I. (2014). Effects of (−)-epicatechin on molecular modulators of skeletal muscle growth and differentiation. The Journal of nutritional biochemistry, 25(1), 91-94.
- Brossette, T., Hundsdörfer, C., Kröncke, K. D., Sies, H., & Stahl, W. (2011). Direct evidence that (−)-epicatechin increases nitric oxide levels in human endothelial cells. European journal of nutrition, 50, 595-599.
- Ahmad, S. S., Lim, J. H., Ahmad, K., Chun, H. J., Hur, S. J., Lee, E. J., & Choi, I. (2024). Targeting myostatin using quercetin as a media supplement to improve myogenesis for cultured meat production: An in silico and in vitro study. Current Research in Food Science, 8, 100678.
- Xu, D., Hu, M. J., Wang, Y. Q., & Cui, Y. L. (2019). Antioxidant activities of quercetin and its complexes for medicinal application. Molecules, 24(6), 1123.
- Kota, J., Handy, C. R., Haidet, A. M., Montgomery, C. L., Eagle, A., Rodino-Klapac, L. R., ... & Kaspar, B. K. (2009). Follistatin gene delivery enhances muscle growth and strength in nonhuman primates. Science translational medicine, 1(6), 6ra15-6ra15.
