Making its debut in the mid nineties, EAS’ Betagen is a supplement that has been around for quite a while, and it’s still going strong. Let’s take a closer look at this product to see if it’s still worth using today:

I first tried Betagen in 1998, not that long after it had burst onto the bodybuilding scene, propelled by Bill Phillips’ ground breaking Body for Life spectacle. Body for Life contributed in a big way to the incredible success of Phillips’ company Experimental and Applied Sciences, but EAS had already been breaking new ground for years with their nutritional supplements – even before Bill Phillips purchased the company in 1994. Ever heard of a certain supplement called creatine? We have EAS and its then leading biochemist Anthony Almada to thank for that, and Bill Phillips was the guy who made creatine the household name it remains in bodybuilding and fitness circles.

EAS’ Betagen is a supplement that combines creatine with the ever popular glutamine, as well as HMB (β-Hydroxy β-methylbutyric acid), a compound which had only just begun making waves among bodybuilders, fitness enthusiasts and competitive athletes when I decided it was worth trying out in ’98. Studies had shown that HMB could be a potent suppressor of muscle breakdown in hard training athletes, and back then I was boxing competitively and training twice a day, six days a week, so that sounded like good news to me. I had already used both glutamine and creatine for a while, so my switch to Betagen was pretty much just adding in the HMB along with the smaller quantities of other nutrients that Betagen also contains, like taurine.

In all honesty, that summer I had amazing results from my training. Taking a supplement while training hardly constitutes scientific research, so I don’t know if it was the Betagen that did it, but I have since used these three main nutrients together – HMB, creatine and Glutamine – off and on over more than a decade, and it’s been my experience that this stack does indeed work. I haven’t always relied on Betagen for this stack of nutrients and can’t argue for its effectiveness over just “brewing your own” so to speak by buying the creatine, HMB and Glutamine separately, but my impression is that this is a high quality supplement that has benefitted me a lot – more than most supplements have. So will I use it again? Certainly. I’m also a sucker for good taste, and the taste of Betagen is really, really good. To me, it tastes better than a lot of popular soft drinks.

A serving of Betagen gives you two grams of creatine, two grams of glutamine and one gram of HMB. EAS recommends three servings a day. I can’t see any reason to take additional quantities of any of these nutrients in addition to taking Betagen, except if you’re wanting to load up on creatine – something you really shouldn’t be doing with this product. If you’re doing a creatine loading phase and are aiming for twenty grams per day, just take fourteen grams in addition to the Betagen and you’re good. Don’t take more than three servings of Betagen per day.

A serving of Betagen also gives you the following:

Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride) 500mcg
Riboflavin 425mcg
Folic Acid 100mcg
Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin) 1.5mcg
Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid) 500mg
Niacin (as Niacinamide) 5mg
Pantothenic Acid (as D-Calcium Pantothenate) 2.5mg
Creatine Monohydrate 2g
L-Glutamine 2g
Taurine 500mg
Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate) 200IU
Calcium (as Calcium HMB) 140mg
Calcium HMB (B-Hydroxy B-Methylbutyrate Monohydrate) 1g
Thiamin (as Thiamin Chloride) 380mcg

The product also contains maltodextrin, natural and artificial Flavors, citric acid, sucralose and coloring.

I think Betagen can still be a very, very useful supplement today for all kinds of hard training athletes. You could possibly save a little money by buying creatine, glutamine and HMB separately and mixing them in your own kitchen laboratory, but is the stack going to be quite as effective without the additional nutrients that Betagen has? I honestly don’t know. What I do know is that Betagen is both super convenient and great tasting, and something I really urge you to try if you haven’t already.