If you're into supplementation or are a regular in the gym you've probably heard the term myostatin inhibitor thrown around. Or you may have seen the image of a bull that's exploding with muscle, this popular image online is an example of a bull which doesn't have myostatin to inhibit its muscle growth. The concept is pretty appealing, if myostatin is the protein that limits muscle growth, then reducing its activity in theory could allow you to build more muscle, possibly endless amounts of muscle.
While pharmaceuticals myostatin inhibitors are still largely experimental, one natural ingredient has generated a lot of interest online and in the supplement industry and that ingredient is epicatechin.
Epicatechin is found naturally in cocoa and green tea and has become one of the most popular ingredients in non-hormonal muscle building supplements due to its ability to favorably influence the myostatin to follistatin ratio. But how well does it actually work? In todays post we'll be taking a look at the science.
What is Myostatin?
Myostatin, also known as GDF-8 is a protein naturally found in the body that acts as a regulator of skeletal muscle growth. Think of it like your body's growth break or governor. It's job is to prevent muscles from growing excessively large.
Researchers first became interested in myostatin after discovering animals with naturally occurring myostatin mutations that develop dramatically more muscle than normal. Similar genetic mutations have also been identified in humans producing unusually high levels of muscularity.
Because of this scientists have spent years searching for safe ways to reduce myostatin activity in the body.
Introducing Epicatechin
Epicatechin is a naturally occurring flavanol found primarily in foods like dark chocolate, cacao beans, green tea and some berries. Unlike pharmaceutical myostatin inhibitors, epicatechin doesn't appear to completely block myostatin. Instead, research suggests that it could help to create a more favorable environment for muscle growth by increasing follistatin, lowering myostatin, improving nitric oxide production, supporting mitochondrial function, and potentially enhancing exercise performance and recovery.
How Does Epicatechin Work in the Body?
Instead of acting like anabolic steroids or testosterone boosters, epicatechin is believed to influence several pathways involved in muscle adaptation. Research suggests that epicatechin may...
Increase Follistatin
Follistatin is a naturally occurring protein that binds to myostatin and limits its activity. Higher follistatin relative to myostatin may create a more anabolic environment for muscle growth.
Reduce Myostatin Activity
Animal studies consistently show decreases in myostatin following epicatechin supplementation. Human studies are less consistent, but several have demonstrated improvements in the follistatin to myostatin ratio which is generally considered more important than looking at myostatin alone.
Support Protein Synthesis
Research also indicates epicatechin may help to activate the AKT/mTOR signalling pathway, one of the body's primary regulators of muscle protein synthesis.
Improved Mitochondria Function
Some studies suggest epicatechin may increase mitochondrial biogenesis helping muscles produce more energy.
What Does The Research Say?
This is where things get interesting. One of the earliest human studies evaluated one week of epicatechin supplementation in middle aged adults. The research observed, even after just one week, increased grip strength, improved follistatin to myostatin ratio, and increased markers associated with muscle regeneration. The study was small and short but it did show a demonstrated measurable biological effect in humans.
Another randomized controlled trial looked at older adults with sarcopenia over eight weeks. Compared with placebo, participants taking epicatechin along with resistance training saw greater increases in strength, higher follistatin levels and improved follistatin to myostatin ratios.
And lastly in a 2024 systematic review which evaluated dozens of animal and human studies involving epicatechin, the authors concluded that epicatechin consistently demonstrated increased follistatin, reduced myostatin signaling in many models, improved mitochondrial function, activation of muscle building pathways and better muscle performance.
Training is a Key Component
One interesting point which is often overlooked is the resistance training itself which also reduces myostatin. A 2023 systematic review and meta analysis which covered 26 randomized studies found that resistance training consistently decreased circulating myostatin, increased follistatin and improved muscle mass and strength. In simple terms, no supplement will outperform a well designed lifting program. Epicatechin should be viewed as a potential complement to proper training rather than a replacement or magic pill.
Epicatechin Dosage: How Much Should You Take?
There's currently no established optimal dosage or clinical dosage but most sports nutrition supplements provide between 100mg and 300mg daily. Human studies have commonly used 100-200mg per day. While many commercial bodybuilding products provide 200-300mg to account for ingredient standardization and bioavailability differences.
Should You Cycle Epicatechin?
There's no evidence that cycling is necessary, however with any supplement it's not a bad idea to give your body a break every 8-12 weeks, take a week or two off. Many individuals will also cycle various natural muscle builders ie taking Laxogenin for 2 months, then switching over to Turkesterone for 2 months and then switching over to Epicatechins for 2 months before starting the cycle over again with Laxogenin. This ensures your body doesn't get too used to any single compound.
The Best Epicatechin Supplements
Several companies offer stand alone epicatechin supplements as well as blends built around the ingredient. Here's some of our favorites...
One of the most recognized standalone epicatechin supplements comes from Unbound Supps, a spinoff of one of the highest quality supplement manufactures out there NutraBio. Unbound Epicatechin is a single ingredient supplement and features 300mg of Epicatechin per serving.
This long running epicatechin supplement is designed specifically for athletes looking to support muscle fullness, pumps and recovery through myostatin related pathways. Epicat features 300mg of Epicatechin along with 700mg of Green Tea to support weight loss and lean muscle mass.
Epismash expands beyond epicatechin by combining it with laxogenin. This formula features one of the highest doses of Epicatechin in a supplement out there at 375mg of Epicatechin along with a 100mg of Laxogenin, another great natural muscle builder that supports lean muscle mass and strength gains.
Can Epicatechin Replace Steroids or SARMS?
No. While marketing may sometimes portray epicatechin as a natural myostatin blocker capable of steroid like gains, the reality is the evidence simply doesn't support these claims. Research does show it's effective and provides improvements in strength, recovery, muscle signaling and enhanced training. While those benefits are worthwhile, they're nowhere near the magnitude seen with anabolic steroids or prescription myostatin inhibitors.
What Should You Stack With Epicatechin?
If you're looking to maximize results epicatechin pairs well with proven performance supplements like...
Wrapping Up
Epicatechin is one of the most intriguing natural ingredients in the sports nutrition world because it targets a pathway that relatively few supplements influence, the balance between myostatin and follistatin.
While the science is promising, its important to keep realistic expectations in mind. Human studies have shown epicatechin may support strength, muscle function and recovery, the body of evidence is still relatively small and researchers continue to look for larger longer term clinical trials before making strong conclusions.
If you're already training hard, eating enough protein and have the basics covered, adding a quality epicatechin supplement could be a worthwhile next step. Just don't expect it to be a magic bullet or to replace training and diet.
