The DVS line of supplements from ANS Fitness puts them as #1 supplier of Deer Antler Velvet in the US. That’s what they are claiming at least. As to whether that is a good thing or not, we’ll let you be the judge of that after you have read our review.
DVS RAW is the powdered form of deer antler velvet that comes in a bottle of 60 capsules – enough to provide you with a month’s use (at 2 caps a day).
Deer Antler Velvet, it’s one of the most ‘plugged’ ingredients on the supplement market at the moment. If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around the concept of taking this substance, then stick with us because we will be explaining.
For now, just know that companies are bending over backwards to advertise the fact that they have put this stuff in their product. In fact, some recipes of older supplements are being upgraded to include it; the bottles are subsequently daubed with phrases like: “Now, with Deer Antler Velvet.”
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Deer Antler Velvet
For those of you screaming from the rooftops that they are hunting deer for their antlers, fear not…oh, and stop screaming. Deer antlers regenerate rapidly and actually fall off. The stuff they harvest for use in supplements is quite literally lying around.
The base of these antlers is then crushed and further refined into powder form. And that, more or less, is what you’ll find in these pills.
Why Deer Antler Velvet?
The regeneration speed of deer antler is quite startling. The reason for this is often touted to be due to high hormonal activity in the tissue – particularly that of IGF-1.
IGF-1 stands for Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 and is a very important protein hormone, particularly when we are young. It is considered to be very anabolic (promotes tissue growth esp. muscle) hence the potential for its use or stimulation seen by supplement manufacturers.
The claims of proven studies and so forth are subject to interpretation, like most evidence-based medical/scientific research. Although promising in some areas of tissue growth i.e. injured bones and skin, the testing phase for rapid muscle regeneration and growth is barely in its infancy.
The claims of miracle-like strength and mass gains may have to be taken with a fist-full of salt at the moment.
DVS RAW’s Promoted Benefits
Ah yes, the supplement we were reviewing. Let’s get back to it. Hopefully though, you can see that the Deer Antler preamble will give you a sturdy base to go off when evaluating this supplement.
Given that the company has hedged a lot of capital in the deer antler game, it’s obviously going to shove that down your throat, right?
Actually, we found the website to be pretty low-key and quite underwhelming. The information about the product itself is limited and any clicking around the website to find out more didn’t yield much more.
You actually can’t see the ingredients of DVS RAW unless you zoom in to the bottle label and look through squinty eyes, in a certain light. Even then, good luck.
Reading the small description, it talks more about the 20 amino acids and other vitamins that are in the pills than much else. The deer antler velvet isn’t mentioned except by proxy where it says IGF-1 is in the recipe. It’s a little confusing, put it that way.
The description says DVS RAW is going to be beneficial in the following ways:
- Increased joint support and repair
- Better gains in lean muscle mass
- Faster, stronger recovery post-workout
Note: the amino acid profile in this product might be doing more for it than the deer antler.
Key Ingredients
There’s one key ingredient:
Deer Antler Velvet: 550mg
From that, we take it the amino acid profile and vitamins are derived solely from the one ingredient.
How To Take DVS RAW
Finding a bottle of this stuff isn’t hard, so after receiving one in the mail, we can identify the actual usage instructions.
The company advises that you take 2 caps a day as a dietary supplement. However, for faster gains, you can follow a loading period for 1 or 2 weeks whereby you take 4 pills a day.
ANS Fitness say you can take DVS RAW for as long as you see fit, because it is a natural supplement. It also says you can’t OD on it, though taking more than 4 a day will be a waste and equate to expensive pee.
The company also recommends that you take your daily dosage first thing before breakfast.
Customer Feedback
There’s a lot of customer opinion available because it can be bought from some of the bigger supplement websites.
Reviews are a mixed bag, from one customer saying they couldn’t sleep after using it, to another claiming their eyesight had improved!!! A third opinion might say it did nothing for them but yet more would say they can see muscle gains.
Health Considerations
We’d say take the usual precautions if you have a medical condition or if you are pregnant/breast-feeding before you take this. Otherwise, the literature really does say it’s safe.
Product Pricing
At just under $35, DVS RAW is not the most overpriced thing out there, but it’s not the best at the same time. If you really want to get in to antler velvet, it’s a mid-range product.
Our Thoughts and Recommendations
If you see legendary muscle gains using this, then pat yourself on the back because it’s likely more down to your efforts than deer antler velvet.
That sounds like we are completely one-sided on this, but truth be told, we don’t know where we stand with this ingredient. Some of the scientific studies show promise in some areas of tissue regeneration but the ones concentrating on muscle just aren’t weighty enough for us.
How’s this: maybe it’s best to stick with supplements that don’t entirely focus on antler velvet, but that still contain it.
There are plenty of recommendations we have for supplements that will boost your human growth hormone, just follow the link below.
Perhaps then you can follow the buzz about deer antler velvet until more solid evidence comes out one way or another. You can say ‘I take that’ if it’s good news or ‘it’s only part of my supplement’ if it’s bad news.
