What is Hoodia Gordonii?

The ingredient Hoodia Gordonii commonly found in dietary supplements is a cactus-like plant with medicinal uses, growing naturally in Namibia and South Africa. Originally the plant was used by the indigenous of the area to treat indigestion and infections. However, Hoodia Gordonii has recently been marketed as an appetite suppressant.

Claims Made about Hoodia Gordonii

There has been no published scientific evidence that Hoodia works as an appetite suppressant in humans. There has been animal research done (on rats, what else?). The author of the study said that Hoodia (also known as P57) was easily broken down by the liver, which put into question whether a Hoodia Gordonii supplement could contain enough of the active ingredient to have an impact on appetite suppression.

Authenticity of Hoodia Gordonii

It is illegal to export Hoodia from Africa with a CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) certificate. It is really important that consumers look for evidence that a manufacturer has a CITES certificate. Also, a report from an independenttesting lab verifying the authenticity of the Hoodia allegedly contained in the diet supplement should be provided.

Hoodia Gordonii Conclusion

While the jury is still out on the efficacy of Hoodia Gordonii (anecdotal evidence can be found in abundance on the internet), it may prove to be a beneficial ingredient to dietary supplements. It’s important for the consumer to verify that the manufacturer is exporting Hoodia legally and that the Hoodia is authentic. (If a website claims that it’s authentic, that means nothing. They need to prove that it’s authentic.

Tonalin

What is Tonalin?

Tonalin CLA a weight loss ingredient that claims among other things to help you lose weight while retaining muscle mass. We can’t say we haven’t heard similar claims in the past, so let’s investigate Tonalin CLA.

Tonalin Ingredients

Tonalin CLA if you can imagine consists primarily of Tonalin. Tonalin is a naturally occurring conjugated linoleic acid. Numerous studies have been done on Tonalin that link Tonalin with weight loss.

Although Tonalin CLA can help you lose weight on its own when it is combined with another fat burner such as Super Citrimax or Synephrine, its effectiveness skyrockets.

Backed By Science

Numerous studies have been done over the last 25 years on Tonalin CLA. Tonalin CLA has consistently proven that it helps lose weight as well as increase and retain lean muscle.

Side Effects of Tonalin

To this date there are no side effects associated with Tonalin CLA.

Tonalin Supplements

Be careful not to buy supplements that only consist of Tonalin CLA, it is much more effective when combined with other ingredients.

Tonalin Pros

• Backed by scientific research and data
• When used with other fat burners, results are intensified
• No side effects
• Comes from natural sources

Tonalin Cons

• Is not as effective when not combined with another fat burner

Tonalin Conclusion

There is nothing not to like about Tonalin CLA, it comes from a natural source, has no side effects, and is extremely effective when combined with other powerful fat burners.

SlimQuick

SlimQuick is one of the many weight-loss products now being marketed specifically to women.  The fact is that close to 60% of Americans want to lose weight, most of these being women so it makes perfect sense to market a product to women specifically.  This doesn’t necessarily mean that the product will help women more than men, but is a good way of making it sound unique and “special”. 

I’ve taken a closer look here to help you see if there is really anything special about SlimQuick. It includes a 6-part mix of: 

1. CYCLOVITE Vitamin & Mineral Complex
2. NUTRATHERM Thermogenic Complex (575 mg)
3. ESTROTRIM Hormone Balancing Complex (55 mg)
4. CORTIFEM Stress Reducing Complex (50 mg)
5. AQUAPLEX Water Removal Complex (40 mg)
6. XTEND Absorption and Time Released Complex (15 mg)

This barrage of ingredients and formulas is dominated by the NUTRATHERM complex, which is essentially a proprietary blend of Green Tea, Cocoa Bean, Yerba Mate, Caffeine, and Clary Sage.  This mix includes many antioxidants and combined is likely to include a very heavy dose of caffeine as tea and mate are natural sources combined with extracted caffeine itself.  Clary sage is known to be effective at boosting your metabolic rate and allowing you to rely more on fat as an energy source.  When it comes down to it though, the exact concentration of everything here is unclear.

As for the rest of the ingredients, they are hit and miss with respect to their effectiveness.  They include some chemicals that are known to alleviate certain symptoms of PMS and menopause, explaining the products’ application to women, but these don’t necessarily help with weight loss.  The diuretics included only help with water loss and do not promote permanent fat loss.

Pros

• Includes Green Tea, Clary Sage
• Has specific application to women

Cons

• Includes many ineffective, filler ingredients
• Proprietary blend with a TON of caffeine

Conclusion

This product has gone through the trouble of being very complex, but includes a lot of unnecessary ingredients or effective ingredients in low or ambiguous concentrations.  At $30 it is reasonably priced but I can’t honestly recommend this as your best option for weight-loss. 

 Check below for the highest rated products in terms of quality and overall value…

Xenadrine EFX

Xenadrine EFX has been discontinued and replaced with Xenadrine RFA-X and Xenadrine RFA-1.

What is Xenadrine EFX?

Over the years Xenadrine EFX has amassed more than $150 million dollars in sales. It claims revolutionary results and the ability to help you lose weight fast. While all that sounds great, it is nothing we haven’t heard before. Let’s take a closer look at Xenadrine EFX.

Ingredients in Xenadrine EFX

Xenadrine EFX is comprised of a proprietary blend so it makes it tough to determine the effectiveness of the product since we don’t know the exact dosage of each ingredient. Proprietary blends are an industry norm used to protect any research that has gone into the development of a diet pill.

There is not a whole lot that is new in Xenadrine EFX, just the same ingredients we see in most weight loss supplements. An ingredient we like in Xenadrine EFX is green tea.

Green tea is a powerful anti-oxidant and appetite suppressor. The effectiveness of a particular blend of green tea depends on the amount of EGCG’s (active ingredient in green tea) that a product contains. The more EGCG’s a blend of green tea contains the more effective it is.

Price of Xenadrine EFX

Xenadrine EFX can be found for around $20

Xenadrine EFX Pros

• Contains Green Tea

Xenadrine EFX Cons

• No longer being sold
• Not backed by a money back satisfaction guarantee

Xenadrine EFX Conclusion

Since Xenadrine EFX was discontinued, they have released two new products that look really promising. Look for reviews of those products soon.

Xenadrine Super Hardcore

What is Xenadrine Super HardCore?

Xenadrine Super Hardcore is the latest from the Xenadrine family of products. Xenadrine is still recovering from the ban of Ephedra, which was its star ingredient. Xenadrine Super Hardcore among other things claims to increase the metabolic rate as well as weight loss. Are these claims valid? Let’s take a closer look and see.

Ingredients in Xenadrine Super Hardcore

The ingredients in Xenadrine Super Hardcore are eerily similar to Xenadrine EFX. The only real difference is that Super Hardcore contains more caffeine.

There is nothing revolutionary or new in Xenadrine Super Hardcore. It just contains a lot of the same ingredients that are found in the majority of weight loss supplements.

An ingredient we like in Xenadrine Super Hardcore is green tea. It is a great anti-oxidant and appetite suppressant.

What is missing in Xenadrine Super Hardcore is an effective fat burner.

Fined By The FTC

The FTC recently fined the manufacturers of Xenadrine Super Hardcore for making false and substantiated claims.  They were also found to be paying as much as $20,000 for testimonials.

The fines came out of a result of studies done on Xenadrine EFX where a group taking a placebo pill lost more weight than the group taking Xenadrine EFX. All this makes it hard to trust any Xenadrine products or any of their claims.

Side Effects of Xenadrine Super Hardcore

Users of Xenadrine Super Hardcore have complained of side effects such as anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and headaches.

Xenadrine Super Hardcore Pros

• Contains Green Tea

Xenadrine Super Hardcore Cons

• No effective fat burners
• Potential Side Effects
• Company has a shady past
• Negative Customer Reviews

Xenadrine Super Hardcore Conclusion

Xenadrine Super Hardcore is an average weight loss supplement that is missing proven ingredients. We do not recommend Xenadrine Super Hardcore.

Lipozene

Lipozene is a dietary supplement made by Obesity Research Institute, which is a company that recently settled charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission, paying back $1.5 million to consumers for making false claims about their products and violating federal law.  Just thought I would throw that out there.  Food for thought.  But on to the real question…

Does Lipozene Work?

Lipozene is basically a glucomannan supplement, which is a polysaccharide and source of dietary fiber.  The stuff is known to be a heavy thickener and so the idea is that it will help curb your appetite if you take it.  This is a good idea in theory, but according to the FDA and FTC, there are no clinical studies to prove that taking glucomannan supplements will have any significant impact on appetite or aid in weight loss at all.

Lipozene Cost

You can buy Lipozene for as cheap as $17 online, but the company site charges more and offers a money-back guarantee, which you will probably need.

Lipozene Conclusion

Normally I like to give a brief pro/con list, but with Lipozene I’m just going to be frank and say do NOT buy this product.  Its health claims are bunk and there is no sense in wasting your time and money on trying this product.

To find the most effective weight-loss supplements, check out the following reviews…