The male and female bodies are unique in a wide variety of ways. While we require a lot of the same nutritional needs, there are a few key differences that separate one from the other. That’s why ensuring your body is receiving the right nutrients at the right time is so vital.
Eating a healthy, balanced, and regular diet will satisfy a wide majority of your nutritional needs — whether you’re a male or a female. With that said, most people can still benefit from certain supplements, like multivitamins. Multivitamins can help expand your nutritional horizons and target key nutrients you’re missing.
Believe it or not, there are multivitamins out there designed specifically for the male body – making sure your body gets the right nutrients at the right time. One such multivitamin is called Xtend-Life Total Balance (also called Xtend-Life Total Balance Men’s Premium). This men’s multivitamin aims to play a major role in your daily nutritional goals. The question is, does it really do all that it claims to?
in this review, we’re going to detail everything you need to know about Xtend-Life Total Balance. We’ll discuss its extensive formula, going over each ingredient to figure out what this formula does for the male body. We’ll also take a look at its benefits, claims, and more so you can decide if this men’s multivitamin is worth the price.
Ready? Let’s dive into this Xtend-life Total Balance review!
What Is Xtend-Life Total Balance?
Xtend-Life Total Balance is a male-specific supplement that’s brought to you by Xtend-Life, a supplement company that’s been trusted by many for over 20 years and has made a variety of other products, such as CX8. They’re dedicated to using science to bring out the best in nature and serve over 350,000 people around the globe.
Over the last 18 years, Xtend-Life has been updating and tweaking the Total Balance formula that they’re known for. The Total Balance Men’s Premium supplement you see today is the 9th generation formula and is the result of two decades of science, research, and innovation.
The formula is designed to help men achieve optimum health and overall wellness where it matters most — right down to the cells that make us who we are. It’s designed to create a prime environment for cell health, cell growth, and cell longevity. It’s what every man needs in their life.
Xtend-Life Total Balance provides energy, slows the aging process, promotes mental clarity, vitality, prostate health, and much more. Additionally, while it may not be a dedicated testosterone booster like Testo Lab Pro or Six Star Testosterone Booster, Xtend-Life Total Balance does still provide support for a healthy sex drive, vitality, and higher testosterone levels. Available in capsule form, it makes being a man easy and highlights everything that makes us unique, distinctive, and eccentric individuals.
What do they mean by a complete nutrient system?
At Xtend-Life, they market their Total Balance Men’s Premium supplements as a complete nutrient system. That’s because the formula contains a total of 98 different nutrients that are designed to feed your cells the right nutrients at the right time for proper health and function.
These 98 nutrients include a combination of vitamins, minerals, herbs, extracts, micronutrients, enzymes, amino acids, antioxidants, and much more. It’s safe and effective for men of all ages, sizes, and health levels. It truly is a complete nutrient system formulated for men and men only.
With the amount of nutrients included in the formula, you would have to purchase dozens of different supplements and take dozens of different pills each day to achieve the same effect. Instead of emptying your pockets and adding all that frustration, why not get it all in one?
Why is cell health so important?
Without optimum cell health, your body wouldn’t function properly. All of your internal processes would start to become sluggish and open the door for illness, poor health, and aging at the wrong moments in your life. Your cells mean everything to you, and they should be treated as such.
That’s why scientists and researchers refer to our cells as ‘the building blocks of all life.’ They control and maintain the thousands of biochemical reactions that take place inside our bodies every single second of the day. Without healthy cells, our body and mind wouldn’t be the same.
In order to achieve optimum cell health, it’s important that we take care of our bodies in any way possible. That includes but isn’t limited to eating right, exercising, calming the nerves, relieving stress, getting enough sleep each night, and much more. It’s possible with the right effort.
What are the five main causes of aging?
We all want to feel young and youthful. We all want to avoid the aging process that haunts us every single year as we grow older. No one wants to fall victim to being 30 years old but feeling 50 years old. Instead, we want to live long, fruitful, healthy, satisfying, and fulfilling lives.
Unfortunately, there is a wide range of things getting in our way of achieving that. Here are five of the most prominent causes of aging:
- An excess of free radicals that start to break down cells in the body
- Glycation, which is an excess of glucose, replaces sulfhydryl protein linkages
- Abnormal methylation, which results in abnormal cell division in the body
- Excessive and prolonged inflammation that impedes your body’s healthy balance
- Cellular degeneration, which corrupts the cell and all of its coding
If you want to live a long and youthful life, it’s essential that you avoid these five causes of aging as much as possible. While the aging process will get to us at some point in our lives, that doesn’t mean we can’t do whatever we can to slow that process down. Trust us, it’s possible.
What’s new in the 9th generation formula?
As we mentioned above, the Xtend-Life Total Balance Men’s Premium formula is nothing new to the supplement market. It’s been around for nearly 20 years, though it has seen its fair share of changes, updates, and tweaks over the years. In fact, that’s exactly what you see today.
The formula today is actually the 9th generation formula for Total Balance Men’s Premium, which brings about some exciting changes that increase its effectiveness. Here’s some of what’s different with this generation formula:
- The addition of Vitamin K2 MK-7 for bone and heart health
- The addition of wild organic Sea Buckthorn, which supports heart health and immunity
- The addition of Cistanche Tubulosa, Tribulus, and Shilajit for male health
- Replaced folic acid (a synthetic version of Vitamin B9) with folate (natural version)
- Available in a 30-day supply to make the ordering process much easier
- Changed to a vegan source of Vitamin D3
- The addition of Pau D’Arco Extract for stem cell stimulation
Of course, those are just some of the changes to this well-known formula. They’re always looking for tried-and-true ways of improving their product over time. They’re never fully satisfied with their end product and are committed to providing the best formula possible for male health.
Xtend-Life Total Balance Ingredients
Now that we understand a little more about the Xtend-Life Total Balance supplement, you’re likely wondering what that formula consists of. After all, that’s the only way you’re going to get a clear idea of what this supplement is capable of and whether its claims are real or not.
Like we mentioned previously, there are a total of 98 ingredients included in the formula, and they range from vitamins to minerals, herbal extracts, enzymes, amino acids, antioxidants, and more. Don’t worry; we’re going to go through each one individually and detail their benefits.
Well, let’s get started!
Vitamins
Xtend-Life Total Balance Men’s Premium makes sure to not only provide the right vitamins needed for optimum male health but the right amount and forms of each vitamin. For example, the Vitamin E they use contains both Tocopherols and Tocotrienols — most formulas today only contain one.
In addition to Vitamin E, Total Balance Men’s Premium also contains Vitamins A, C, D, E, K, Thiamin, Niacin, Riboflavin, B6, B9, B12, Biotin, and Pantothenic Acid. In other words, it has just about every vitamin you can think of to ensure your body gets exactly what it needs every day.
Minerals
It would be weird to have a formula like this without the use of minerals — especially when it has the number of vitamins it has. Luckily, Xtend-Life doesn’t shy away from minerals in their Total Balance Men’s Premium formula and includes 11 of the most prominent ones for daily health.
The formula contains Calcium, Phosphorus, Iodine, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Chromium, Molybdenum, and Potassium. Again, they not only ensure the right amount of each mineral but also ensure each mineral is utilized in its most effective form.
L-Lysine HCl
L-Lysine is an essential amino acid that’s one of the many building blocks of protein. Once it enters the body, it’s used to produce L-Carnitine — a molecule that’s similar to an amino acid and is found in most cells in the body. Lysine also transports fat from one cell to another for energy.
Among the many benefits of this essential amino acid, L-Lysine is known to block stress response receptors, reduce anxiety, improve calcium absorption and retention, help create collagen, reduce blood pressure, enhance wound healing, and improve eye health.
Aloe Vera Leaf Extract
Aloe Vera is a product of the Aloe barbadensis plant and is known for storing water in its leaves. The gel-like substance found inside the leaf is what stores water and is commonly used to treat skin injuries. Of course, that’s not all it can do, especially when concentrated in extract form.
It has both antioxidant and antibacterial properties, improves wound healing, reduces dental plaque, reduces constipation, improves skin health, reduces wrinkles, and lowers blood sugar levels. Not only that, but it contains a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Sea Buckthorn Fruit Extract
Sea Buckthorn Fruit Extract is derived from the Hippophae rhamnoides plant, which is commonly found in the Himalayan area. It was a major player in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, boasting a wide range of nutritional benefits to the human body.
For example, it’s loaded with nutrients, supports heart health, protects the body against diabetes, promotes skin health, boosts the immune system, enhances liver health, helps fight cancer cells, improves digestion, treats dry eyes, reduces inflammation, and improves mood.
L-Glutamine
L-Glutamine is an amino acid that’s naturally produced in the body, but it’s also considered a conditionally essential amino acid since you sometimes need more of it. It’s the most abundant amino acid in the blood and plays an important role in the immune system and intestinal health.
That’s because it’s one of the most important energy sources for immune cells, including white blood cells and intestinal cells — which helps improve overall health and wellness. It also plays a role in maintaining the structure of the intestinal walls and protecting against leaky gut.
L-Tyrosine
L-Tyrosine is an amino acid that’s produced naturally in the body, thanks to another amino acid called phenylalanine. The brain converts L-Tyrosine into L-DOPA, which is a precursor to dopamine — a neurotransmitter that’s responsible for the feelings of reward and motivation.
Once converted into dopamine, any excess is then converted into adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) — both of which are involved in the fight or flight response. In addition to that, L-Tyrosine helps produce thyroid hormones and melanin inside the body.
Reduced Glutathione
Glutathione is a highly important antioxidant that’s produced naturally in the body, thanks to the amino acids glutamine, glycine, and cysteine. It reduces oxidative stress, reduces inflammation, improves skin health, enhances insulin resistance, and even helps form sperm cells in males.
In addition to all that, it helps make DNA, supports the immune system, assists enzymes in carrying out their responsibility, works well with Vitamins C and E, removes mercury from the brain, and assists the body with apoptosis. It’s found in almost every cell in the human body.
Milk Thistle Seed Extract
Milk Thistle Seed Extract is an herb that comes from the Silybum marianum plant, commonly referred to as the milk thistle plant. The plant is known for its purple flower and white veins. A majority of its benefits come from the active ingredients, which are known as silymarin.
One of the largest benefits of Milk Thistle Seed Extract is its ability to protect the liver from damage. It also has antioxidant properties, reduces cognitive decline, protects the bones, helps treat acne, lowers blood sugar levels, and improves overall immune system function.
MSM
MSM, also known as Methylsulfonylmethane, is a compound that contains sulfur and is found naturally in humans, plants, and animals. Some studies reveal that it can increase glutathione (an antioxidant) levels in the body, which is where it gets its anti-inflammatory properties from.
In addition to that, MSM can decrease joint pain, reduces muscle damage and stress after exercise, speeding up recovery after exercise, reducing pain and stiffness with arthritis symptoms, relieves allergy symptoms, improves skin health, and boosts overall immunity.
L-Carnosine
L-Carnosine is a dipeptide that’s made by linking alanine and histidine together, both of which are amino acids. It’s a compound that’s found in large amounts in the brain and muscle tissue. Studies suggest L-Carnosine has antioxidant properties and reduces inflammation in the body.
In addition to that, L-Carnosine helps stimulate the immune system, improves mood, enhances memory, reduces wrinkles in the skin, and preserves eyesight and vision. It can also be used as a natural remedy for Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, cancer, autism, cataracts, and more.
Betaine HCl
Also known as betaine hydrochloride, Betaine HCl is a chemical compound not produced naturally in the body. Some studies suggest it can help increase stomach acid, which can help improve digestion. Unfortunately, more studies and research is needed before that’s solidified.
In addition to its effect on stomach acid, other studies suggest it might promote a healthy stomach pH, enhance the absorption of vitamins and protein, reduce symptoms of GERD, support heart health, fortify joints, protect the liver, and improve the digestion of fats in the body.
Choline Bitartrate
Choline is a very important nutrient that is produced naturally in the liver, but we also must consume it through our daily diet to ensure our body gets enough of it. While it’s not considered a vitamin or mineral, it’s often grouped with B-complex vitamins due to the similarities.
It plays a role in cell structure, cell messaging, the metabolism and transport of fats in the body, DNA synthesis, and the nervous system. It’s a required nutrient for acetylcholine production, which is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in memory, heartbeat, and muscle movement.
Dimethylglycine HCl
Also known as DMG, dimethylglycine is an amino acid that’s derived from glycine through the metabolism of choline. Although it was originally called Vitamin B16, it was later revealed that it doesn’t qualify as a vitamin and is, in fact, an amino acid. It plays a vital role in methylation.
Some of the apparent benefits of dimethylglycine include improved athletic performance, enhanced cognitive function, and reduced stress. It also boosts the immune system, promotes heart health, reduces the aging process, has antioxidant properties, and enhances oxygenation.
L-Arginine HCl
L-Arginine is an amino acid that’s produced naturally in the body, though we also consume it through our diet in small amounts. It’s not only a building block of protein, much like every other amino acid, but it also helps the body release nitric oxide into the bloodstream, which is vital.
Nitric oxide is known for widening and relaxing the blood vessels, as well as improving circulation throughout the body. It reduces blood pressure, helps treat erectile dysfunction, controls blood sugar, improves blood flow, heals wounds, and improves kidney function.
L-Methionine
L-Methionine is an essential amino acid that isn’t produced naturally in the body. It helps the body grow and repair body tissue, but also contains sulfur that promotes and supports nail, skin, and hair health. It’s found in most foods in small amounts, but mostly in fish, eggs, and meat.
Some of the potential health benefits include nourished hair, skin, and nails, protecting the cells from pollutants, aiding the detoxification process, having anti-aging effects, improving nutrient absorption, excreting heavy metals from the body, and limiting the buildup of fat in the liver.
N-Acetyl Glucosamine
N-Acetyl Glucosamine is a sugar that’s derived from a crustacean’s shell. It’s very similar to glucosamine, which is a substance naturally found in cartilage. It has long been viewed as a potential over-the-counter treatment for osteoarthritis, often taken alongside chondroitin.
Glucosamine has several known health benefits, including alleviating joint pain and joint stiffness, protecting the stomach and intestine lining, and skin health by reducing dark spots caused by sunlight exposure and the normal aging process. It also helps with IBD and MS.
RNA
Also known as ribonucleic acid, RNA is a nucleic acid that many people confuse with DNA. The main difference between the two is that DNA is a double-strand molecule while RNA is a single-strand molecule. Either way, they both contain nucleotides that are produced by the body.
Although more research is needed before confirming its effectiveness, RNA (and DNA) used as a supplement could help improve athletic performance, burn healing, large intestinal health, the aging process, memory, mood, skin health, immunity, and stomach health — among more.
N-Acetyl L-Cysteine
Also known as NAC, N-Acetyl L-Cysteine is an amino acid that’s produced in the body thanks to two other amino acids — methionine and serine. It’s semi-essential because not everyone consumes enough methionine and serine to produce an adequate amount of Cysteine daily.
N-Acetyl L-Cysteine is a required nutrient for the production of glutathione, the body’s most prominent antioxidant. It also helps improve the detoxification process, reduces liver and kidney damage, regulates glutamate in the brain, and relieves symptoms of respiratory issues.
Bacopa Leaf Extract
Bacopa Monnieri is one of the most iconic plants utilized in Ayurvedic medicine. Also known as Brahmi, it’s commonly grown in wet, tropical areas and even grows well underwater. Most of the benefits that come with this plant are due to a class of compounds found in it, called bacosides.
Not only does Bacopa Monnieri have powerful antioxidant properties, but it also helps reduce inflammation in the body, boosts cognitive function (memory and spatial learning), reduces ADHD symptoms, prevents anxiety, reduces stress, and lowers blood pressure levels.
Inositol
Inositol is a carbohydrate that’s both found naturally in the body and in the food we eat. It’s structurally similar to glucose and plays an important role in a number of bodily functions. For example, it can help reduce anxiety in those with a disorder and improve fertility in some people.
In addition to that, Inositol has an impact on the brain’s ability to produce neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, controls blood sugar, enhances your mood, improves insulin sensitivity, reduces symptoms of depression, and is relatively safe to consume with minimum side effects.
SAMe
Also known as S-adenosylmethionine, SAMe is the synthetic version of a compound that the body produces naturally — thanks to methionine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Although the body makes it on its own, some people require more due to poor nutrition or disease.
SAMe is generally effective against anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, cholestasis, and PMS. It can also boost cognitive function, enhance liver health, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, slow down the aging process, and assist people that are trying to quit smoking.
Astragalus Root Extract
Also known as huáng qí, Astragalus is an herb that was made popular in traditional Chinese medicine. While there are thousands of different species of this plant, the two that are most commonly used in supplements are Astragalus membranaceus and Astragalus mongholicus.
The root of the Astragalus plant is known to boost your immune system, increase white blood cell production, enhance heart health, widen blood vessels, increase the volume of blood being pumped from the heart, control blood sugar levels, improve kidney function, and reduce fatigue.
Beta Glucan
Beta glucan is a soluble fiber that isn’t digested in the body, but it helps slow down the transit of food in the intestines. This results in the body processing and absorbing carbohydrates slower than normal, which is essential when controlling and maintaining blood sugar levels in the body.
In addition to that, it also helps remove cholesterol from the body through excretion. This is excellent for those with diabetes or high cholesterol levels, but it also helps the body ward off the flu, the cold, and stress. Although it’s considered safe, more research and studies are needed.
Ginger Root Extract
Ginger is one of the most popular, most used, and healthiest spices in the world. It’s a part of the Zingiberaceae family of flowering plants, much like turmeric and cardamom. There are several natural oils that give ginger its many benefits, but the most prominent one is called gingerol.
The underground root of Ginger is known to have antioxidant properties, reduces inflammation, relieves nausea, improves weight loss, helps treat osteoarthritis, lowers blood sugar, reduces the risk of heart disease, treats indigestion, lowers cholesterol levels, and improves brain function.
Ginkgo Leaf Extract
The Ginkgo tree is a tree that was made popular in Chinese traditional medicine thousands of years ago. It’s such an old tree that many people refer to it as a living fossil, but that’s not the only thing that makes this tree so special. It also comes with a wide range of health benefits.
First off, it contains antioxidants, is healthy for the immune system, reduces inflammation, and reduces oxidative stress — thanks to the flavonoids and terpenoids. It also improves heart health, enhances circulation, improves cognitive function, and reduces anxiety and stress.
Grapefruit Extract
The grapefruit is a hybrid fruit that grows on a tree and likely originated in Barbados. It’s a cross between the sweet orange and pomelo, which was originally called the forbidden fruit. While most people eat it whole in the morning, it can also be used as an extract thanks to its seeds.
Although more human research is needed, some studies suggest grapefruit extract has health benefits thanks to the presence of polyphenols — more specifically, limonoids and naringenin. It has antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, which means it’s beneficial to the immune system.
Guggul Gum Extract
Guggul gum is a type of resin that’s derived from a variety of plants that fall in the Burseraceae family — also known as the incense family. The plants are native to India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. It was made popular in ancient Ayurvedic medicine due to its health benefits.
A majority of the benefits are due to the lignans, essential oils, steroids, and flavonoids found in Guggul gum. It’s known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but also helps treat acne, skin diseases, hypothyroidism, weight loss, hyperlipidemia, and osteoarthritis.
L-Ornithine HCl
Ornithine is an amino acid that’s produced naturally in the body. It’s unique for an amino acid because it’s not necessarily a building block for proteins. Instead, it helps with the detoxification process by removing ammonia from the body by way of excretion through the urea cycle.
During the urea cycle, ornithine is converted into phosphate and citrulline. In addition to improving the body’s waste management system, ornithine also helps recovery after exercise, liver health, wound healing, and hangover recovery — among other things that require research.
Nigella Seed Extract
Nigella goes by a variety of names, including Kalonji, black cumin, and Nigella sativa. It’s a member of the buttercup family, a group of flowering plants that includes meadow rue, anemone, clematis, delphinium, and marsh marigold. It’s used as a spice, but also for its health benefits.
It’s packed with antioxidants, reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, lowers cholesterol, may have anti-cancer properties, helps kill off bad bacteria, protects the liver from damage, regulates blood sugar, prevents stomach ulcers, and improves cardiovascular health.
Olive Leaf Extract
As the name suggests, olive leaf extract is extracted from the leaves of an olive tree. It was made popular in traditional medicine in Greece, Morocco, Tunisia, and other Mediterranean countries — along with olive oil and the fruit. The active ingredient in olive leaves is oleuropein.
Olive leaf extract is known to protect the digestive system and central nervous system, has antimicrobial, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory properties, reduces pain stimuli, and reduces oxidative stress in the cells. It also improves heart health and supports weight management.
PABA
PABA, also known as Para-aminobenzoic acid or Vitamin B10, is one of the least-known B-complex vitamins. Oddly enough, it’s technically not considered a vitamin and isn’t labeled an essential nutrient since the body can produce it on its own with the use of bacteria in the gut.
With that said, it does assist the body in the production of Vitamin B9, also known as folate. It also helps protect the skin from harmful UV rays, treat certain skin diseases, and reduce the growth of gray hair. Of course, more research and studies are needed for confirmation.
Pau D’Arco Extract
The Pau D’Arco tree is a member of the Tabebuia species, a type of tree that commonly grows in Central America and South America. It’s sometimes referred to as the taheebo or lapacho tree and is known to have a wide variety of benefits, though more human research is needed.
A majority of the benefits are due to the naphthoquinones found in the inner bark, such as lapachol and beta-lapachone. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties, aids weight loss, reduces inflammation, and helps the body digest dietary fat by inhibiting pancreatic lipase.
Turmeric Root Extract
Many people know Turmeric as a spice that’s been used for thousands of years in Indian cuisine. In fact, it’s what gives curry that iconic yellow hue. Outside of being used for culinary reasons, it’s known to have a variety of benefits and has also been used as a medicinal herb.
This is largely due to the curcuminoids found in the root, such as curcumin — the main active ingredient. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, reduces oxidative stress, boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor, enhances cognitive function, and improves heart health.
L-Cysteine
L-Cysteine is an amino acid that’s naturally produced in the body with the help of methionine and serine. While most people have adequate levels of cysteine in the body, those that have low levels of serine or methionine can benefit from supplementation. It’s found in high-protein foods.
One of the major benefits of L-Cysteine is its ability to assist the making and replenishing of glutathione, the body’s most powerful antioxidant. It reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, detoxifies the liver and kidney, regulates levels of glutamate, and improves cognitive health.
L-Proline
L-Proline is an amino acid that’s biosynthetically derived from another amino acid called glutamate. The body utilizes proline when making proteins, more specifically collagen — which is found in the skin, joints, and bones. It also improves the health and functioning of your cells.
Proline is known to play an important role in metabolism, nutrition, protein synthesis, wound healing, a healthy immune system, and reducing oxidative stress with its antioxidant properties. It can also help repair skin through collagen and supports a healthy cardiovascular system.
Taurine
Many people get the wrong idea when they see the term ‘taurine’ because it’s often found in energy drinks. While that’s true, it’s not what gives energy drinks their bad reputation. In fact, many people refer to taurine as a ‘wonder molecule’ and is also found in a variety of foods.
Taurine is an amino acid that’s found in large amounts in the eyes, heart, muscles, and brain. While it isn’t a building block of protein, it is known to help maintain hydration, regulate electrolyte balance, improve digestion, enhance the immune system, and improve eye health.
Blackcurrant Extract
Blackcurrants were once banned in America to help save the timber industry. This was because they were thought to help spread fungus from one pine tree to the next. With that said, it was largely referred to as a forbidden fruit, and many people were hidden from its many benefits.
Today, we understand that blackcurrants are high in anthocyanins, polyphenols, antioxidants, Vitamin C, and gamma-linolenic acid. They’re known to help improve blood flow, the immune system, eye health, gut health, digestion, kidney health, and reduce oxidative stress in the body.
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is a compound that the body produces naturally and stores in the mitochondria of your cells — where energy is generated. While the body makes an adequate amount of it in your early years, the production of this compound tends to decrease as we grow older.
In addition to generating energy by producing adenosine triphosphate in the cell, Coenzyme Q10 has antioxidant properties, protects cells from oxidative stress, reduces the risk of heart conditions, improves fertility, keeps your skin looking healthy, reduces headaches, and enhances exercise.
Grape Seed Extract
Also known as GSE, grape seed extract is exactly as it sounds — it’s extracted from the seeds of a grape. It’s known for its oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes, phenolic acids, flavonoids, antioxidants, and anthocyanins in large amounts, which is where the benefits come from.
Grape seed extract can help reduce blood pressure, improve blood flow and circulation, protect cells against oxidative stress, increase collagen levels in the bones, reduce cognitive decline, improve kidney function, reduce cancer risk, and has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Mineral Sea Salts
Most of us utilize sea salts on a daily basis when cooking in the kitchen. It’s similar to normal table salt in that it’s mostly composed of sodium chloride. The main difference is that mineral sea salts are minimally processed and contain trace amounts of several types of minerals.
For example, most sea salt contains potassium, calcium, and iron. Although research is limited, sea salt is believed to improve hydration levels, maintain blood pressure levels, enhance fluid balance, improve digestion, reduce dryness in the skin, and decrease skin inflammation.
Piperine
Next to salt, another one of the most popular and most-used spices in the kitchen is black pepper. In fact, many people refer to it as the ‘king of spices’ and has been used in ancient Ayurvedic medicine — largely due to its high content of piperine, the main active ingredient.
Piperine has several health benefits outside of adding flavor to some of your favorite dishes. The main benefit is it enhances nutrient absorption, but it also promotes gut health, reduces oxidative stress and inflammation, lowers cholesterol levels, controls blood sugar, and benefits the brain.
Phosphatidylcholine
Phosphatidylcholine is a phospholipid that contains fatty acids, phosphorus, and glycine attached to a choline molecule. Choline is an essential nutrient for brain health and brain function, largely due to the fact that it helps produce acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter.
Some of the benefits that come with phosphatidylcholine are improved memory, enhanced liver repair (especially when combined with a high-fat diet), and reduced side effects when taking certain medications. It also promotes lipolysis and helps dissolve cholesterol-induced gallstones.
Trans-Resveratrol
Trans-resveratrol is a plant compound that’s commonly found in red wine, and it’s a large reason why so many people speak so highly of red wine. It acts with antioxidant properties and is mostly found in the skins and seeds of grapes and other berries — including peanuts!
Some studies suggest that resveratrol helps to lower blood pressure, reduce oxidative stress, regulate inflammation in the body, decreases bad cholesterol, increases good cholesterol, reduces the aging process, protects the brain, increases insulin sensitivity, and eases joint pain.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Alpha Lipoic Acid is a compound that the body produces naturally in the mitochondria, where energy is produced. Since it’s both water-soluble and fat-soluble, it has the ability to benefit every single cell in the body, which gives it a unique edge over other compounds in the body.
Studies suggest that it aids the weight loss process by reducing the feeling of hunger (caused by the AMP-activated protein kinase). It also lowers blood sugar levels, acts as an antioxidant, reduces skin aging, slows memory loss, promotes nerve function, and reduces inflammation.
R-Lipoic Acid
R-Lipoic Acid is the most active isomer of alpha-lipoic acid, which we detailed above. Alpha-lipoic acid is composed of both R-lipoic acid and S-lipoic acid. When R-lipoic acid is found by itself, it’s a major catalyst for energy production inside the cell, among many other benefits.
It has antioxidant properties, reduces oxidative stress, reduces inflammation, improves liver health, brain health, nerve health, and eye health. While some studies suggest that R-ALA by itself is more effective in the body than ALA as a whole, more research is needed to confirm it.
Tocotrienol Complex
Vitamin E is known for containing eight different compounds in the form of tocotrienols and tocopherols. A healthy body requires a balance of both types of compounds, but most Vitamin E supplements today only contain tocopherols. Luckily, Total Balance Men’s Premium is different.
With their tocotrienol complex, you get a healthy dose of gamma tocotrienols — which boast a variety of benefits. It improves fracture healing, protects the brain, improves cardiovascular and circulatory health, reduces inflammation, and regulates cholesterol and triglycerides levels.
Alfalfa Stem and Leaf Extract
Alfalfa stems and leaves come from the Medicago sativa plant, which originated in Central Asia and Southern Asia. It’s considered both an herb and a member of the legume family. While it comes with a variety of medicinal benefits, it has also been used as food for livestock.
It’s largely known for its nutritional content, which includes Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Copper, Folate, Manganese, Thiamin, Riboflavin — as well as saponins, coumarins, flavonoids, phytosterols, phytoestrogens, and alkaloids. It can lower cholesterol levels and improve metabolism.
Phosphatidylserine
Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid that’s found in the membrane of the cell. Its main responsibility is maintaining fluidity and permeability in brain cells, which ensures nutrients, proteins, enzymes, oxygen, glucose, and more find their way in and out of the cell properly.
Without phosphatidylserine, our cells wouldn’t be able to build mitochondria, which is where energy is produced. It’s also important for nerve health, nerve signals, nerve-growth factor production, memory, neuroplasticity, and the production of several vital neurotransmitters.
Rutin
Rutin is a plant pigment, also known as a bioflavonoid, that’s commonly found in fruits such as apples, citrus fruits, figs, and even tea. It has strong antioxidant properties, which help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the cell. It also helps produce collagen and uses Vitamin C.
In addition to that, Rutin is believed to improve blood circulation, prevent blood clots, reduce the risk of heart conditions, lowers cholesterol levels, and reduces arthritis symptoms. There are several side effects, however, and more studies are needed to confirm the benefits above.
Policosanol
Policosanol is a mixture of long-chain alcohols that are extracted from certain plant waxes, more specifically, Cuban sugar cane wax. A majority of its benefits come from a compound called octacosanol, which makes up about 60% of policosanol. It’s taken as a dietary supplement.
Some of the purported benefits of policosanol include lowering cholesterol levels in the blood by inhibiting cholesterol formation in the liver, lowering blood sugar, lowering triglycerides, and improving overall heart function. More human research is needed, but it’s quite promising.
Bamboo Extract
Also known as bamboo silica, bamboo extract is derived from the bamboo plant — one of the most diverse and sustainable plants utilized today. While it’s used for furniture, household items, clothing, food, biofuel, and more, bamboo extract has been shown to have medicinal benefits.
Studies suggest that bamboo extract taken as a supplement can help improve memory, increase neurotransmitter function, provide an energy boost, strengthen your bones, wound healing (thanks to poultice), improve your hair’s strength and shine, and strengthen fingernails.
ATP
ATP, also known as adenosine triphosphate, is an organic compound that’s responsible for storing and transferring energy throughout the body. It’s produced in the mitochondria of your cells, stored in muscles, and transferred wherever energy is needed at any given time.
In addition to being the primary energy currency of the body, ATP is involved in intracellular signaling, DNA synthesis, RNA synthesis, activating amino acids, protein synthesis, extracellular signaling, neurotransmission, and protein solubility — among other things.
Lutein
Lutein is a plant chemical, also known as a phytonutrient, that’s part of the carotenoid family. It’s what gives plants its vibrant color, but it also provides a wide range of health and medicinal benefits — like most carotenoids do. For the most part, lutein is essential for optimum eye health.
In fact, lutein — along with zeaxanthin — is known as a macular pigment because they’re the only two carotenoids found in the retina of the eye. It’s known to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, enhance vision, reduce glare, protect eye tissue, and improve overall retina function.
Astaxanthin
Speaking of carotenoid pigments, Astaxanthin is another popular one used in supplements today. Where lutein and zeaxanthin largely come from plant sources, astaxanthin is what gives shrimp, trout, salmon, and other fish its pinkish color — as well as yeast and microalgae.
Astaxanthin is known for its antioxidant properties, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, decreasing the risk of cancer, promoting healthy skin, increasing endurance and athletic performance, improving heart health, reducing joint pain, and improving male fertility.
Boron
Boron is a mineral that’s commonly found in nuts, non-citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, prunes, raisins, and grains. It’s largely known for increasing the body’s natural production of testosterone and estrogen, though more research is needed to confirm how this happens.
In addition to that, boron is known to impact the way the body utilizes minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. It helps improve cognitive function, hand-eye coordination, memory, and the effectiveness of Vitamin D in the body, which strengthens bones.
Zeaxanthin
Zeaxanthin — along with lutein — is a carotenoid pigment found in plants, more specifically green leafy vegetables. Like lutein, it’s a macular pigment that’s found in high concentrations in the retina of the eye, the part of the eye that processes light and sends those signals to the brain.
With that said, a majority of the benefits with zeaxanthin are related to eye health. It can help reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, uveitis, and diabetic retinopathy. It also protects the eyes from UV rays, improves vision, and strengthens the tissue in the eyes.
Enzyme Blend
The enzyme blend in Total Balance Premium Men contains bromelain, protease, amylase, and lipase. These four enzymes are some of the most popular and effective in supplements today. They increase the bioavailability of the other ingredients and help them find their way to the cells.
There are differences between the four. Protease helps the body break down protein, amylase helps break down carbohydrates, and lipase helps break down fats in the body. Bromelain is also a protein-digesting enzyme that’s derived from the pineapple plant. They all help digestion.
Male Health Support Blend
As for the male health support blend found in Xtend-Life Total Balance, it contains Lycopene, Zinc Acetate, Beta-Sitosterol, cistanche tubulosa stem extract, Tribulus Fruit Extract, Tribulus Stem and Leaf Extract, Chrysin, Stinging Nettle Root Extract, Shilajit Extract, and Saw Palmetto Fruit Extract.
Xtend-Life Total Balance Dosage, Packaging, and Pricing
Total Balance Premium for Men is available in capsule form. It comes in your typical over-the-counter pill container. It’s white with a white cap and has a wide range of text located throughout the bottle. It’s marketed as a ‘dietary supplement comprehensive nutrient system.’
Each bottle comes with 210 tablets. That might sound like it’ll last you forever, but don’t be fooled. Each bottle is filled with a one-month supply since consumers are directed to take seven capsules per day — which is a little excessive, but understandable due to the 98 ingredients.
A one-month supply (one bottle) will cost you $102, which is a lot of money to cough up each month. There aren’t any deals or discounts for purchasing multiple bottles, which is unfortunate for something this expensive — especially since discounts are common with supplements today.
Xtend-Life Total Balance Pros vs. Cons
Not all supplements are created equal. Since every formula is unique in its own way and everyone’s body responds to ingredients differently, you have to be careful when searching for a new daily supplement — especially one that contains nearly 100 ingredients like this one.
With that said, we’re going to try and make your decision a little bit easier with a pros vs. cons list that details everything we like and don’t like about Total Balance Men’s Premium supplement. Before making a final decision, make sure it’s the right supplement for you!
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons!
Pros
- Has nearly 100 ingredients that improve male health in a variety of ways
- Contains a combination of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs, and antioxidants
- Trusted brand for over 20 years
- Formula has been adjusted and improved nine times over past 20 years
- Manufactured in an FDA-registered facility
- GMP-certified, no artificial flavors, and pure ingredients
- Ingredients are generally regarded as safe
- Free shipping over $60, 365-day guarantee
- Feeds your cells the right nutrients at the right time of the day
- Uses the right forms of each vitamin and mineral
- A wide range of antioxidants to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation
- Amino acids that help build protein and boost metabolism
- Enzymes to help improve the digestion system and nutrient absorption
- Support for eye health, testosterone levels, and prostate health
Cons
- Have to take 7 capsules per day
- Very expensive at $100+ per month
- 98 ingredients is a little excessive
- Most ingredients are low-dose and might not have an effect on the body
- Most men won’t need all the ingredients since they get a majority of them through diet or natural production
- Better off going after a more targeted supplement
Claims vs. Reality
The Total Balance Men’s Premium supplement contains an extremely intense formula with 98 ingredients. Designed to help men achieve optimum daily health and wellness, there are certainly a wide range of different ingredients and nutrients that follow through with that claim.
At the same time, it’s a little excessive for what most men need. While the ingredients are generally regarded as safe to consume, that doesn’t mean every man’s body needs each ingredient. Not only that, but some of the ingredients come in rather low dosages.
A lot of the ingredients won’t do much in most men because they already receive enough of that ingredient through their diet or their body’s natural production. That’s why you’re better off finding a supplement that’s less vague and more targeted towards your specific needs.
All in all, this supplement will supply your body with a wide range of unique ingredients that your body needs to function. Whether or not your specific body needs them is a hit or miss, which is why it’s best to speak with a doctor before investing $100 per month in this supplement.
Xtend-Life Total Balance Alternatives
One of the biggest issues with Xtend-Life Total Balance is how vague the formula is. While it contains a lot of the ingredients that are needed on a daily basis for optimum male health, that doesn’t mean men are deficient in that nutrient, to begin with. It could be a waste for the wrong person.
With that said, we’re going to detail some competitors and alternatives for you to consider if the Xtend-Life Total Balance Premium Men’s supplement wasn’t what you were looking for. Hopefully, we can lead you in the right direction when finding the right supplement designed exclusively for you.
Ancestral Supplements
Ancestral Supplements is a unique supplement company that has a wide range of different supplements to choose from. Instead of packing everything into one supplement, this allows you to find a more targeted supplement that helps improve whatever part of the body you need it to improve.
It’s a company that utilizes a variety of different animal organs and presents them in capsule form for easy consumption. It’s designed to feed our body the same way our ancestors used to eat, by consuming the whole animal. It’s a unique, yet effective way to supplement.
The supplement we’re going to recommend is called Male Optimization Formula with Organs (MOFO). It utilizes grass-fed bovine testicles, prostate, heart, liver, and bone marrow. By eating the animal organ, you’re essentially giving your own organs the nutrients they need to function.
Testo Lab Pro
Testo Lab Pro is a testosterone-boosting supplement brought to you by Opti-Nutra Ltd. They’re one of the most popular and recommended supplement companies on the market today. With Testo Lab Pro, they bring together a mixture of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and extracts.
It not only helps increase testosterone in men, but it improves muscle development, exercise recovery, weight management, virility, and sex drive. It contains Vitamin D, Vitamin K, Zinc, Boron, Magnesium, Ashwagandha, Mucuna Pruriens, D-AA-CC, and Luteolin.
If you’re worried about testosterone levels decreasing as you age, this supplement is one of the best boosters out there. It’s a robust formula that improves testosterone production and usage in a variety of ways. It’s clean and effective, though it is around $70 per one-month supply.
Viome
If you’re unsure of your current health status and want to ensure you’re being cared for in the right way, Viome is certainly the way to go. They not only provide tests to figure out what nutrients your body needs, but they then personalize a supplement exclusively for you.
They have two different tests — a gut intelligence test and a health intelligence test. The gut intelligence test is an at-home stool test that looks at the health of your gut microbiome. Based on the results, it recommends different prebiotics and probiotics that will help balance it out.
The health intelligence test is a little more robust. It’s both an at-home stool test and an at-home blood test (completely safe). In addition to gut microbiome health, it also measures the health of your mitochondria, cells, biological age, stress response, immune system, and much more. It then recommends a wide range of nutrients in a personalized formula just for you.
Final Verdict: Xtend-Life Total Balance
The Xtend-Life Total Balance Men’s Premium formula certainly has a robust and well-thought-out list of ingredients. With that said, most men aren’t looking for something that intense. To be honest, most men don’t need that much in their formula, and it could be a waste.
If you’re looking for something more targeted, there is a wide range of options. Ancestral Supplements has dozens of supplements that target a wide range of different functions in the body. Viome gives you a personalized formula, and Testo Lab Pro targets testosterone levels.
No matter which supplement you’re interested in investing in, you should definitely speak with your doctor before making a purchase. They’ll be able to tell you which is right or wrong for you — and whether or not you need it in the first place.