What are Decanoate Esters?

There have been new products making there way into the market place containing decanoate esters. I have done my own investigation and although the intentions of bonding such ingredients such as creatine and other amino acids with decanoate ester sound quite interesting – is it more effective in terms of delivery and is it safe?

I asked a friend of mine – Androgenic - Shawn D. Wells, MPH, RD and Chief Scientific Officer of MAN Sports Inc. to look into this…

***Androgenic Reviews - The Deca Esters***

Chris/Gym God PM'd discussing the validity/efficacy of the decanoate esters. So I decided to turn it into full-blown review as the ******* products are becoming more visible and even had a booth at the Arnold Classic. Let's start of by using the term "deca ester" sure sounds good to the newbie...much like using Test-, -bol, -drol, -strol, or even the classics like "extreme", "X-treme", "hardcore", "ultra", etc.

Back to decanoate. It is an ester that Test or Deca (hence its name...from the nandralone) can be bound to. With test, I talked to Bill Llewelyn last weekend and he stated Cypionate or Enanthate are the best forms for efficacy.

Most steroids are bound to propionate, enanthate, decanoate, cypionate, etc. These slow down the quick release steroids like test. susp. or winstrol that require more frequent injections. Some other IM injection drugs use these esters such as Haldol (psychoactive) or Prolixin (psychoactive).

Decanoic acid is a carboxylic acid (carboxyl group, polar, forms hydrogen bonds with each other, reacts with bases)...when a salt or ester (organic compound in which an organic group replaces the hydrogen in a hydroxyl group) is made it is then called decanoate. Esters are similar to salts except with a general salt it is a cation (+) and anion (-) union. Esters are present all through nature and most of the smells you know from fruits, plants, etc. are the ester molecules.

Now, the question of Creatine bonded to "deca" or other amino acids has been asked. Since more than half of the molecular weight is in fact the decanoate ester and not the creatine...you'd have to hope that this form is more than 2x as effective (and that doesn't factor in cost at all...CM can just be dosed higher for pennies). So, is it more effective? Well, the ester makes it lipophilic (use van de Walls forces and basically its means "likes fat"). Therefore, this specific ester has a longer half-life endogenously due to it being attracted to the fatty tissue/adipose.

OK, now you may be thinking it’s a long acting form of arginine, creatine, or tyrosine. Although, this is a point worth discussing - is that even what you desire? The longer acting it is, the more (dramatically more) would be needed to be dosed to ellicit an acute response such as NO type effects. Besides that issue, if long-acting is what you desire...here's the kicker...

Decanoate, is meant to be injected. All the data I have presented is as such. It is fully illogical to extrapolate those chemical properties of IM medications and steroids to creatine and amino acids take orally. Further, creatine and amino acids have great absorption rates (depending on the scenario endogenously). Its value is poor, its science is worse. You will have to use more than twice as much to get the same effect as creatine monohydrate or Arginine HCL or Tyrosine HCL alone.

Stupid. You betcha. Wait, it gets better. Besides overpaying for oil cans with half as potent pills there's safety issues.

http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-Decanoic_Acid-9923668Here's the MSDS on decanoic acid a.k.a capric acid (not bonded, but then it does become unbonded internally, breaking apart from the creatine, arginine or tyrosine)...so I am unsure as to how much of an issue this is. Further, the MSDS is talking about the acid as a liquid. Nonetheless, it lists it as hazardous to skin, eye, inhalation and ingestion. It says it has proven carcinogenic effects? Hmm.

The LD50 (lethal dose for 50% of the tested animal) is 3-4g/kg or 300-400g. That's extrapolated and not converted for metabolic differences. So, huh, again. This would equate to less than 1kg of creatine decanoate.

I've had trouble finding any of the IM esters toxicity/safety data to extrapolate the consumption of the bound salt. Nevertheless, here we stand.

Why would you use this product at all?

It’s rhetorical and deeply sarcastic. Bottom line is don't use this garbage and be offended that these companies continue to try and scam you.

Shawn D. Wells, MPH, RD Chief Scientific Officer - MAN Sports, Inc.