What is known about the ingredients
- L-arginine: can lower blood pressure, adding to the effect of blood pressure medicines, nitrates and other drugs that relax blood vessels; not advised after a recent heart attack; can upset the stomach
- Tongkat ali: may affect hormone levels; some people report restlessness or trouble sleeping
- Maca: usually well tolerated as a food; ask a doctor if you have a hormone-sensitive condition
- Ashwagandha: may raise thyroid hormone levels, lower blood sugar and blood pressure, and add to the effect of sedatives; can cause stomach upset or drowsiness; rare cases of liver problems have been reported
- Horny goat weed: may lower blood pressure and add to the effect of blood thinners; can cause dizziness
- Beet root: can turn urine or stool pink or red, which is harmless; its nitrates can add to blood-pressure-lowering medicines
- Grape seed extract: may add to the effect of blood thinners
Who should talk to a doctor first
- Anyone taking medication for blood pressure, the heart (including nitrates), blood thinning, the thyroid or diabetes, or sedatives
- People with a heart condition, low blood pressure, a thyroid or autoimmune disease, liver disease or a hormone-sensitive condition such as prostate problems
- Anyone with surgery coming up
- People with diabetes or on a low-sugar diet – each gummy has 1.5 g of sugars
- Pregnant or nursing women and anyone under 18 – the label says it is not for them
Spartamax ingredients and the sugar question
Besides the seven active ingredients, each gummy contains cane sugar, glucose syrup, water, pectin, citric acid, sodium citrate, natural flavor, natural coloring and starch. That adds up to 6 calories and 1.5 g of sugars per gummy – small, but worth counting if you track sugar.
Is it FDA approved?
No supplement is FDA approved; the FDA does not review supplements before they are sold. The maker says the ingredients are tested for purity and contaminants, which we could not verify, and the label states that it is made in the USA.
Using it sensibly
Take no more than one gummy a day, avoid combining it with other products that contain the same herbs or L-arginine unless your doctor agrees, and keep it away from children – a gummy looks like candy. Stop and get medical advice if you feel dizzy, notice a racing heartbeat, have an allergic reaction or feel unwell.
