Upgraded Self (also known as Bulletproof) has become famous for making high-quality, well-sourced products to boost human performance. Though they’re probably best known for Bulletproof Coffee (a mix of coffee, medium chain triglyceride oil, and grass-fed butter, which in conjunction can serve as their own nootropic), Upgraded Self has come out with several supplements that fall into the category of nootropics.
These include Choline Force, Glutathione Force, and CILTEP® (which is actually a Natural Stacks product). Their best-known nootropic, however, is Unfair Advantage, a blend of two powerful brain and energy-promoting compounds. Today, we’re reviewing Unfair Advantage. Read below for our full Unfair Advantage review.
Get the best price on Unfair Advantage by buying directly from Upgraded Self (Bulletproof).
Unfair Advantage By Upgraded Self
The Ingredients
Unfair Advantage comes in 4 mL single-use ampules. There are 30 ampules/servings per container.
Pyrroloquinoline quinone (ActivePQQ™) – 10 mg
PQQ is a vitamin-like (or pseudo-vitamin) compound that is thought to have several benefits in the human body. Research suggests it can reduce oxidative stress, thereby acting as a potentially powerful antioxidant and protecting the body’s cells from damage. There’s also evidence (largely in animal trials, though with some limited success in human-based research) that PQQ boosts mitochondrial activity and reduces factors thought to inhibit mitochondrial function. Mitochondria are the sites within cells that produce energy, and by increasing their efficiency, PQQ is thought to have benefits for overall energy production and metabolic systems.
The PQQ in Unfair Advantage is a proprietary form called ActivePQQ™, which is comprised of small particles of the ingredient suspended in solution. The manufacturer claims this increases bioavailability of the product (your body’s ability to use and absorb it) while decreasing the likelihood of the PQQ breaking down in your digestive tract before absorption. While no other company is using this particular form of PQQ, the dosage (10 mg per serving) is in line with what you’ll see in PQQ supplements throughout the industry.
CoQ10 (as ubiquinol) – 20 mg
CoQ10 (also known as ubiquinol, technically a reduced form of CoQ10) is another compound that’s tied to mitochondrial production. It’s also been shown to increase blood flow in humans while potentially fighting the buildup and damage caused by low-density lipoproteins (LDL, or LDL cholesterol). The form of CoQ10 in Unfair Advantage isn’t proprietary, but Upgraded Self uses very small particles in order to increase bioavailability and absorption. When paired, ActivePQQ™and CoQ10 make for a potent combo of mitochondrial and blood flow-boosting compounds.
The amount of CoQ10 in each serving of Unfair Advantage is actually a bit low by industry standards (some supplements offer up to 100mg), but the company claims you don’t need as much when it’s so highly bioavailable. There are also a few other supplements that offer the combo of PQQ and CoQ10, but Unfair Advantage is definitely one of the most popular and the most well-known version suspended in a bioavailable solution. We’ll be reporting on some of those other brands and supplements in the coming weeks.
Other Ingredients: Purified water, xylitol, glycerin, vitamin E (D-alpha-tocopherol acid succinate), natural flavor, gum acacia and stevia.
Usage Guidelines
From the packaging: For mental performance: Take 1-2 ampules per day For sports performance: Take 2-4 ampules per day We had several BrainWiz testers take between 1 and 5 ampules per day. The ampules are easier to take as quick “shots” and have a strongly sweet (there’s a lot of stevia, it seems) taste.
What Our Testers Say
“Unfair Advantage gave me a clean ”˜wave’ of energy. That’s how I’d describe it, a wave. It’s not really a rush, because it sort of flows through you, it doesn’t hit you hard or make you feel like you have to get used to it. It’s very different than the feeling of caffeine, which often gives me jitters even in low dosage. There wasn’t a crash, though the more days in a row I took it, the less pronounced the wave was.”
“I liked this supplement. I actually felt it more physically and had a really great series of workouts. It didn’t hurt mental performance or make me feel cloudy, but what I really liked was how it made me feel heading into workouts. I really liked taking it an hour before I left for the gym. I took three servings before each workout.”
“Some people don’t like the taste of Unfair Advantage, but I didn’t mind it at all. I’ve been taking this first thing when I wake up, and I like that I can take it with another supplement that has caffeine or with coffee. It gave me a slight edge in mental clarity before lunch during the workday.”
“Felt great the first few times I took it, then I stopped feeling the effects. Stayed off it for a few days and tried again, and the boost returned.”
BrainWiz Tips
After comparing experiences and effectiveness, here are our best tips for getting the most out of Unfair Advantage:
- Unfair Advantage contains no caffeine, so it pairs well when you’re already taking in caffeine, like with your morning coffee. The quick energy “wave” our testers felt was also most desirable in the morning.
- Our testers experienced no negative side effects from this supplement. But as with any supplement or nutritional regimen, you should talk to your doctor or medical professional before use.
- Take just before eating to take advantage of an active digestive system and promote absorption.
- Our testers felt diminishing effects after roughly a week of taking Unfair Advantage. After a few days off from the supplement, taking one or more ampules of Unfair Advantage once again produced a good rush of energy. We recommend trying it in a “1 week on, 3 days off” pattern in order to keep feeling the quick, clean energy boost.
- If you’re using the supplement for a physical performance boost, start with one or two ampules per day and work your way up to four.
Unfair Advantage Summary
Unfair Advantage is a great caffeine-free nootropic stack featuring two powerful, popular ingredients in a unique delivery system. In addition to a mental boost, some users feel increased physical energy and stamina during our Unfair Advantage trial.
Though its perceived effects seem to diminish over time, taking a break from the supplement for a few days seems to be enough time for its effectiveness to return.
The reviews for Unfair Advantage are almost identical to the reviews for Choline Force…are they doing the exact same thing neurologically?
Great question! They’re actually impacting different things neurologically, but our testers did feel some similarities as far as effects, and some of our testers liked cycling both. Choline Force is a pretty broad-spectrum stack with an emphasis on optimizing the production of acetylcholine ”” in addition to some other common-but-potent nootropic ingredients. If you’re not choline deficient, you may not feel as much clarity from this supplement as others; one of our testers has described adding choline to their supplement regime and diet as “clearing out the brain fog.” Many of the most popular nootropics contain choline-boosting ingredients, and it’s often not useful to stack these, as a lot of excess choline won’t do much to improve cognition and may actually reverse the effects (and may, in some relatively extreme cases, cause side effects like headaches).
Unfair Advantage, on the other hand, does not contain choline, and is actually a combination of forms of PQQ and CoQ10, compounds tied to antioxidant effects and mitochondrial production. Our testers have had a lot of success stacking it with other popular nootropic supplements, as there’s rarely ingredient overlap with Unfair Advantage. This is one supplement where we’ve seen some significant variability in effects from person to person, especially when it comes to speed and duration of effects, so user experience may vary.
Thanks for your helpful review. I just started taking it and I do feel an increase in energy overall. I am going to follow the rhythm of 6 days on and 1 off as per my Naturopath has indicated with other supplements. I have congestive Heart Failure and so does Charlie, my little Shih-Tzu. We’ll see how effective it is in the long run. Sometimes it is hard to tell because I take other supplements as well. Someone else is taking same but is taking an additional 100 mg Ubiquinol, I feel inclined to do that as well. Because it is expensive for me, i am only taking 1 ampule a day and of that I share 1.0 ml with Charlie
Got samples of Unfair Advantage. Defintitly worked as advertised. Tried similar another brand with a similar formulation. Not even close. Apparently the liposomal delivery system makes quite a difference. Good stuff
Good to hear!
I have not found any information on how to take Unfair Advantage. Do I dilute it with water or take the capsul as it is. ?
Have been using it for a week. Gives an energie boost taking in the morning before going to the gym.
Just wished it would come in a different application.Cannot get all of the product out .
To expensive to waste.
Ellen