The Science behind ALPHABUILD by Olympus Labs

It brings together a multi-mechanism approach: supporting the body's natural follistatin/myostatin balance, mitochondrial biogenesis, exercise performance, insulin sensitivity, and the anabolic and thermogenic signalling molecule cyclic-adenosine monophosphate (cAMP).

In simple terms, ALPHABUILD's formula is designed to work alongside resistance training and a structured diet to support muscle growth, strength, and fat metabolism.

Ingredients in ALPHABUILD have been studied for a role in supporting, in conjunction with a healthy diet and lifestyle:

Olympus Labs has paired the well-studied anchor ingredient (-)-Epicatechin PhytoFUSE™ at 600mg with its lesser-known counterpart (+)-Epicatechin. Research on the (+) isomer shows notably stronger activity on mitochondrial function, the cellular process where energy production occurs, and Olympus Labs has dosed it at a clinically studied level.

The formula also includes alpha-Ionone, which acts on olfactory receptors (ORs) in a pathway linked to increases in cAMP in muscle and fat cells. More recent research has identified alpha-Ionone as an agonist of the TGR-5 bile acid receptor, a pathway studied for its role in glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and energy expenditure. alpha-Ionone is included at a clinically studied dose for its role in supporting skeletal muscle mass and strength alongside anti-catabolic and lipolytic activity.

The second key ingredient is Abscisic Acid, a compound with limited history in the supplement industry but a substantial human research base around glucose disposal, insulin sensitivity, and brown fat thermogenic activity.

The formula is rounded out with a clinically studied dose of Chromium Picolinate, included to support insulin receptor sensitivity alongside the other ingredients.

To support full clinical doses of each ingredient, Olympus Labs uses liquid gel cap (Liquigel) technology, intended to deliver each compound in a well-absorbed form.

Since its discovery in 1997, myostatin, a cytokine secreted predominantly by skeletal muscle cells, has been studied as a negative regulator of muscle growth. Research has repeatedly shown that inhibiting myostatin activity is associated with both the maintenance and production of muscle mass.

Follistatin is a glycoprotein that binds and neutralises members of the TGF-beta superfamily, including myostatin. Research suggests that increasing follistatin levels is associated with a corresponding decrease in myostatin activity.

Alongside this pathway, ALPHABUILD's formula targets the mitochondria, the cellular structures found in every cell that produce the energy needed for bodily processes, including exercise performance and recovery.

The formula also targets cAMP, a signalling molecule involved in a wide range of cellular processes, including the production of anabolic hormones. Finally, several ingredients are studied for their role in supporting insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle, alongside glucose disposal via thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue.

One of the more novel mechanisms explored in the formula is the olfactory receptor (OR) pathway. ORs are best known for their role in smell at the nasal level, but research over recent years has identified their presence in skeletal muscle, the liver, heart, brain, and fat cells, with roles that extend well beyond olfaction.

cAMP itself is a secondary messenger involved in regulating skeletal muscle mass and function, acting through the expression of specific target genes that in turn regulate ion channels, enzymes, and transcription factors. Research has associated cAMP-elevating activity with increases in total protein synthesis and reductions in catabolic signalling in skeletal muscle. Increased cAMP has also been linked in research to lipolysis, fatty acid oxidation, glycogen synthesis, vasodilation, and the synthesis of anabolic hormones such as testosterone via Leydig cell function.

Overall, the formula is designed to work in synergy across these pathways, supporting anabolic signalling while also supporting thermogenesis for fat metabolism, in conjunction with a healthy diet and lifestyle.

(-)-Epicatechin PhytoFUSE™: Epicatechin is a flavanol found in cocoa seeds and green tea that has been studied for a range of effects on the body. Research suggests it may act as a myostatin inhibitor, potentially by increasing follistatin, the protein that binds and inhibits myostatin, by up to 2.5 times in studies.

Beyond its effects on myostatin, supplementation with (-)-epicatechin has been shown in research to have exercise-mimetic properties linked to adaptations in skeletal muscle, including upregulated signalling molecules associated with muscle growth (MyoD and MyoG).

(-)-Epicatechin has also been studied for its role in mitochondrial biogenesis, with research linking it to reduced fatigue, increased resting energy expenditure, and improved exercise capacity, alongside antioxidant and vasodilatory properties studied for cardiovascular, liver, and kidney health support.

A known limitation of (-)-epicatechin is its poor oral bioavailability, which typically requires larger doses to achieve meaningful effect. PhytoFUSE™ is a delivery technology designed to improve the absorption of Epicatechin. Research on this delivery method suggests it can enhance potency, with the technology using specific lipids to complex with (-)-epicatechin at a molecular level for greater solubility and absorption, helping deliver more of the active ingredient to where it can be used.

(+)-Epicatechin: The most abundant naturally occurring compounds in cacao and green tea are (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin, but a less abundant compound, (+)-epicatechin, is also present and differs in its studied biological effects.

Stereoisomers (the "+" and "-" forms of a compound) can differ meaningfully in activity and pharmacokinetics. Like (-)-epicatechin, (+)-epicatechin has been studied for mitochondrial biogenesis, though research suggests a stronger effect, associated with increased fatty acid utilisation, supporting both fat metabolism and glucose availability for muscle cells during exercise, recovery, and growth. Research comparing expression of Electron Transport Chain IV, a factor in mitochondrial ATP production, found (+)-epicatechin approximately 400-fold more active than (-)-epicatechin in that specific measure.

Additional research on (+)-epicatechin in animal models has looked at effects on triglyceride levels and lipid profile, alongside neurogenesis markers linked to memory. Direct human research on (+)-epicatechin's effect on follistatin and myostatin is limited, though research combining both isomers across various pathways has shown additive effects. Olympus Labs has dosed the ingredient at a clinically studied level.

alpha-Ionone: Ionones are aroma compounds found in small quantities in essential oils and fruits such as raspberries, more commonly known for their use in fragrances and food flavouring.

ALPHABUILD uses a clinically studied dose of purified, isolated alpha-ionone for its studied role in myogenesis (new muscle tissue formation) and anti-atrophic activity (reducing the rate of muscle breakdown).

Research suggests alpha-ionone acts on the OR subtype OR51E2, associated with increases in cAMP and its downstream effects. It is orally bioavailable and has been found in skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, and the liver in research models. Studies have looked at its effect on anabolic signalling molecules (including PKA C-alpha, p-CREB, p-FoxO3 and PGC-1-alpha1) alongside catabolic signalling molecules (including MuRF1 and MAFbx) that regulate muscle protein breakdown. In the same research, markers of myostatin signalling (p-SMAD2/3) decreased while markers of IGF-1 signalling (including p-AKT, p-mTORC, p-S6K1, and p-4E-BP1) increased in treated skeletal muscle.

A further studied mechanism is alpha-ionone's activity on the TGR-5 bile acid receptor. Research on this pathway has looked at glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism, energy expenditure, and inflammation markers, along with effects on GLP-1, a hormone studied for its role in glucose regulation and energy expenditure in brown adipose and muscle tissue.

Research into the combined activity of ORs and TGR-5 has also looked at glucose uptake into skeletal muscle, insulin sensitivity, and shifts in metabolic gene expression favouring fatty acid oxidation. cAMP is additionally studied as a signalling messenger in the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis, relevant to anabolic hormone production.

Abscisic Acid: A naturally occurring compound first identified in plants in the 1960s, where it regulates plant growth and stress responses. Human research on abscisic acid has focused on its role in glucose homeostasis. According to the source study, a substantial share of the population may have low intake due to insufficient fruit and vegetable consumption.

Human and animal research has looked at abscisic acid's role in glucose tolerance and insulin levels via an insulin-independent mechanism, along with muscle glucose uptake through AMPK and GLUT-4 expression, and muscle glycogen content.

Further research has looked at its role in brown fat activity (relevant to thermogenesis) and GLP-1 levels.

Chromium Picolinate: An essential mineral studied for its role in insulin regulation via a protein called chromodulin, which supports insulin receptor signalling. It is included in ALPHABUILD to work alongside the formula's other ingredients studied for insulin sensitivity.

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