A Preliminary Investigation of Turkesterone: It’s Not Deca

Introduction: It has been suggested that supplementation with turkesterone, a type of ecdysteroid, may have anabolic properties that promote improvements in body composition. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to determine if four weeks of Turkesterone (500 mg daily dose) supplementation affected body composition in healthy males and females. Methods: Thirty-one active males (n=14) and females (n=17) volunteered for this investigation. Research participants were assessed pre and four weeks post for body composition (i.e., dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry). After pre-testing, they were randomized into a placebo (rice flour) or treatment group (i.e., 500 mg per day of turkesterone [Ajuga Extract]). Subjects were instructed to maintain the same diet and exercise habits during the study. Results: The delta scores of the treatment and placebo groups were compared using an independent samples t-test. There were no between-group differences (p>0.05) at baseline for age, height, or body mass. There were no between-group differences in the delta score between the turkesterone and placebo groups in body mass (p=0.38), lean body mass (p=0.68), fat mass (p=0.06), or percent body fat (p=0.14); (Delta score, mean±SD: body mass kg – treatment -0.4±1.8, placebo 0.1±1.8; lean body mass kg - treatment -0.6±1.4, placebo -0.3±1.7; fat mass kg - treatment 0.1±0.6, placebo 0.5±0.6, % fat treatment 0.3±0.6, placebo 0.7±0.9). Conclusions: Four weeks of supplementation with 500 mg of turkesterone did not affect body composition in active, healthy males and females