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Just thought I’d draw attention to the fact that Paul has updated his review on a fat loss supp called “Proactol.”
It’s worth reading in full, if for no other reason than to see how low some supp company reps will go to suppress legitimate critiques of their products. Fortunately, Paul isn’t easily intimidated. 
P.S. Speaking of legal threats, this is as good a time as any to link to The Most Hilarious Response To A Legal Threat I’ve ever read. Enjoy!
Every once in a while, I look in on the “Photoshop Phriday” feature over at SomethingAwful.com. While some of the stuff posted can be crass and tasteless, there are often some laugh-out-loud funny items… like this pic, which I swiped from one of the “Magazine Mayhem” threads.
At any rate, I couldn’t resist posting this, in light of this recent kerfluffle involving Italian TV chef Beppe Bigazzi:
Continue Reading »
I just stumbled over this article, “New Weight Loss Can Burn Caloric Equivalent to 20-Minute Walk” – and had to check it out.
The exact mechanism of how spices work to influence metabolism still remains unclear, but studies suggest that they effectively increase body temperature thus making us burn more calories even without exercising. Now if only scientists could find a way to combine the two methods into an easy to swallow pill.
In fact—they have! It’s called the tri-pepper blend and according to Joel T. Cramer, assistant professor of exercise physiology from the University of Oklahoma, the new weight loss supplement has the potential to burn as many calories as a 20-minute walk. Cramer says General Nutrition Centers contracted with the University to test the benefits of the supplement.
Googling the Tri-Pepper blend, I came up with a number of shorter articles, but similar in tone (one example here). All the ones I looked at repeated – without question or analysis - the same “20-minute walk” claim.
But before we pop the champagne corks in celebration, perhaps we should take a closer look at exactly what that means. Just how many calories does a 20 minute walk actually burn?
Two separate, but similar suits have been filed…
A report from entertainment and celebrity justice website TMZ.Com details that the “Biggest Loser” trainer is facing two lawsuits filed on back-to-back days that are nearly identical, according to the report.
Jillian Michaels Sued – Biggest Loser Trainer Served Twice.The first lawsuit makes this claim: “According to documents filed in L.A. County Superior Court, the Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Calorie Control dietary supplement is “worthless.”"
…On the second action, “Stephanie Creer claims in her class action lawsuit she has struggled with weight loss her entire life and was “intrigued” into purchasing the product Calorie Control because Michaels was endorsing it,” the report notes.
See more on her claims against the reality TV starlet and trainer here. TMZ writes: “The suit is almost a verbatim copy” of the first suit mentioned above, but they were filed by two different attorneys.
Looking at the product label, I can’t say I’m particularly impressed by it. It’s loaded to the gills with caffeine, but there’s little else that appears to be of value for appetite suppression. For what it’s worth, Paul reviewed Michaels’ “Exreme Maximum Strength Fat Burner,” and wasn’t too impressed by it, either.
Click here to read the court doc filed in the first case. Naturally, Michaels’ insists she’ll prevail. Perhaps she will, although I doubt the publicity will do much to promote sales of her product line.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition has a new position paper on caffeine and performance. The highlights:
I was perusing the food/ingredient news this morning, and did a double-take on this headline: “Study: athlete protein supplement abuse common.”
Wow. Athletes just can’t catch a break from some people… now they’re “abusing” protein supps??? Sounds major!
I was just over at the GNC web site, browsing through their list of popular new weight loss products when I came across Lipo 6 Black Hers. Since I’ve already completed a Lipo 6 Black review, I thought I’d take a quick look at the “just for women” version to see if it confirmed what I suspected…
… that it’s a “just-as-expensive-but-slightly-watered-down” version of the original formula. In the midst of my investigation, I reviewed the list of ingredients and while doing so, the “warning” label. Preceding the obligatory and standard warnings that accompany any stimulant-based product were these words…
“WARNING: NOT FOR USE BY SISSY GIRLS. NOT TO BE USED BY ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 21 OR THE UNDEDICATED AND/OR WEAK-HEARTED. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO EXPERIENCE EXTREME UNDERGROUND FAT-DESTROYING STIMULANTS, DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT.”
The company actually got off pretty easily: a $500,000 fine vs. $5.6 million in revenue.
Slimaluma May Fight Cellulite
1/11/2010 9:33:00 AM
BANGKOK, Thailand—According to an unpublished single-blind, intra-individual study conducted by Gencor Pacific, Slimaluma produced a significant anti-fat node effect more efficient than the placebo. A total of 20 female volunteers, aged between 20 and 53, with cellulite on their thighs, applied a white lotion (as Slimaluma, from Gencor Pacific) twice daily. After 56 days, the product induced a non-significant decrease in the three studied parameters (the arithmetic mean, the maximum applitude and the average volume), although non-significant, the results demonstrated an anti-fat node effect. After 84 days, the product induced a non-significant decrease in the arithmetic mean and the maximum amplitude, and a significant decrease in the average volume.
If anyone has an explanation for what a “fat node” is, I’d love to hear it.
Cellulite creams are a dime a dozen, and there’s little evidence that they’re effective. Non-significant, unpublished results and (apparently) invented terms leads me to suspect this one’s no different than the rest.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has a new site dedicated to its latest crusade: getting supplements containing “designer steroids” and illegal stimulants off the market. Called “Supplement Safety Now,” the organization (a non-governmental agency responsible for implementing the World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines in the US), is currently lobbying Congress for substantial changes in how the FDA regulates dietary supplements.
Specific Proposals
Pre-Market Enhancements
- All dietary supplement companies should be required to register as “dietary supplement companies” so that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can identify them.
- Dietary supplement companies should provide the FDA with a comprehensive list of all dietary supplements they manufacture with a copy of the master formulas and product labels.
- Dietary supplement companies should provide a 75-day pre-market notice to the FDA not only for New Dietary Ingredients, but for all products containing steroids (including hormones, pro-hormones and hormone analogues) and must establish that the product is safe under its intended use.
- Dietary supplement companies should be required to maintain a substantiation file that is available on request to the FDA.
- Distributors and retailers of dietary supplements should obtain evidence of compliance from the manufacturers and licensors that all pre-market requirements have been complied with or bear responsibility for the products they sell as if they were the manufacturer.
LOL – Muscletech just bit the dust in a patent-infringement case against BSN – thanks to a supplement ad in Flex Magazine – from June, 1996. According to Judith Grubner of Nutrisuplaw.com:
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit just applied this provision to invalidate patent claims for a nutritional supplement method to enhance muscle performance or recovery from muscle fatigue, based on an advertisement for Weider’s VICTORY™ Professional Protein published in the June 1996 issue Flex Magazine.
Iovate Health Sciences, Inc. [the parent company of Muscletech] is the exclusive license holder of U.S. Patent No. 6,100,287 (the “’287 Patent”), owned by the University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc. The patent claimed a method for enhancing muscle performance or recovery from fatigue involving certain kinds of ketoacids and amino acids. Iovate and the Foundation sued Bio-Engineered Supplements & Nutrition, Inc. (“BSN”) for infringing certain claims of the ‘287 patent. BSN countered that the patent claims were invalid because the Flex ad was published before the critical date and was detailed enough to teach a “person skilled in the art” how to practice the method claimed in the patent. The judge agreed, invalidating those patent claims.
As noted before, Chris Woolston’s ”Healthy Skeptic” column in the LA Times is pretty good. Here he is on the subject of diet patches…
Some day, scientists might develop an effective weight-loss patch, says Dr. Howard Eisenson, executive director of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C. But, to his mind, that day is probably still far off. The patches on the market today “are beyond ridiculous,” he says. “The more hyperbolic the claims, the more people can quickly dismiss the product.”
Eisenson says there’s no evidence that bladderwrack, a common ingredient in weight loss patches, can encourage weight loss or suppress appetite. The seaweed hasn’t been thoroughly tested orally, let alone through the skin, he says.
So far, no diet patch has passed muster in a published, peer-reviewed study, says Dr. Michael Steelman, past president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians.
Bodybuilding.com has recalled 65 products containing suspected anabolic steroids as part of a cooperative arrangement with the FDA. According to Functional Ingredients Magazine:
The FDA has informed the Company that it believes that the Recalled Products contain ingredients that are steroids. Specifically, the FDA has advised the Company of its concern that the Recalled Products may contain the following ingredients that are currently classified, or the FDA believes should be classified, as steroids: “Superdrol,” “Madol,” “Tren,” “Androstenedione,” and/or “Turinabol.” While the Company has not had an opportunity to independently confirm the FDA’s concerns, the company is undertaking this voluntary recall in an abundance of caution.
Click here to read the rest of the article (inc. the list of recalled supps).
As most of you already know, UltimateFatBurner.com has a “sister” site, called RealCustomerComments.com. The name explains it all: it’s a place where visitors can discuss their experiences (good or bad) with the supps we review. I’m not directly involved with it at all, although I think it’s a great idea… between the science-based reviews on UFB and the user feedback on RCC, potential purchasers can get a pretty clear picture of the pros and cons of various products. The two sites complement each other beautifully.
Now, most of the comments on RCC concern the fat loss supps that Paul reviews. And – needless to state – user comments on these supps vary… some folks agree with Paul’s conclusions and some don’t. This is to be expected, of course… even the most useless supp in the world will have its defenders (thanks to the placebo effect, if nothing else); likewise, top quality, scientifically-validated supps may not work well for a minority of users. It happens. This is why ALL legit user feedback is welcomed – Paul’s not looking for a cheering section. As we all know, ads can be pretty deceiving: the goal is to provide information viewers can use to make purchasing decisions. It’s all there: the good, the bad and the ugly. That way, they can buy whatever products they choose with eyes wide open.
It’s time for another round of congressional and agency posturing over dietary supplements… particularly those that – in the words of this New York Times article - “illegally contain steroids.”
Now Congress is investigating whether laws, health agency resources and manufacturing guidelines are adequate to protect the public from products that illegally contain steroids but masquerade as dietary supplements.
…Testifying on Tuesday at a Senate hearing on bodybuilding products, Travis T. Tygart, chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, estimated that hundreds of illegal products containing steroids were now available in the United States. As evidence of the problem, Mr. Tygart introduced Jareem Gunter, a former college baseball player who said he suffered acute liver failure after taking a bodybuilding product called Superdrol.
“Jareem had no way of knowing that a regulatory scheme designed over 15 years ago for a few companies selling a limited number of simple vitamins and mineral supplements has been hijacked by unscrupulous profiteers,” Mr. Tygart told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs at the hearing on bodybuilding products.
…Mr. Tygart, of the Anti-Doping Agency, recommended legislative changes that would give the agency greater power over dietary supplements both before and after they go on sale.
There’s really only one word to describe this song and dance: it’s horses**t.
As y’all know, I moderate two private fitness forums: one focused on fat loss, the other on building muscle. Thus, I frequently field questions about supplements: both individual ingredients and branded formulas.
Here’s the deal: every so often, a new member will join one of the forums, and proceed to ask question after question about supps. They almost never ask for feedback on their nutrition or workouts…just supps. And as soon as I give ‘em a reality check on one brand, they’re back with another. And then another… wash, rinse, repeat.
Not too long ago, I received a query on the “Fat Loss Revealed” forum about quercetin.
Article in 9/09 Men’s Journal suggests “Quercetin is the best energy supplement ever–research is now suggesting it works so well, it’s certain to get banned”.
Uh-huh. I was politely skeptical, since - despite certain advertising claims - the existing research on quercetin and exercise just isn’t that stellar… for example, quercetin ingestion by athletes,
On the flip side, there’s some positive animal data, along with a study on untrained individuals, but truth is, the picture isn’t nearly as glowing as the ads (and magazine “advertorials”) would have us believe.
First, Oprah… according to the Chicago Tribune:
Alleging Internet marketers are using her name without permission, Oprah Winfrey–through her corporate vehicle, Harpo Inc.–on Wednesday filed a federal trademark infringement suit against 40 peddlers of dietary supplements.
…Last year, Oz praised the anti-aging properties of the acai berry.
Not long after, Internet marketers began to sell acai products with implications that they had been endorsed by Winfrey or Oz, said Marc Rachman, an attorney for Harpo. But neither has ever sponsored such a product, he said.
The same phenomenon has occurred involving the health benefits of other substances aside from acai berries. “The subject is discussed on the show, then the scams start. It’s brazen,” Rachman said. But acai berries have been a particular magnet for alleged misdeeds.
I’ll be curious to see how this one plays out…
The Food and Drug Administration is being sued. (Not for the first time.) This time, it’s by supplement companies who don’t like the way the agency denies or waters down the “qualified health claims” they can put on their wares.
…You can see why the companies don’t like the way the FDA alters the qualified claims they allow. One claim cited in the lawsuit started out as “Vitamin E may reduce the risk of bladder cancer. The scientific evidence supporting this claim is convincing, but not conclusive.”
It was changed to: “One small study suggests that vitamin E supplements may reduce the risk of bladder cancer. However, two small studies showed no reduction of risk. Based on these studies, the FDA concludes that it is highly unlikely that vitamin E supplements reduce the risk of bladder cancer.”
… For selling “designer steroids”.
The supplements, Tren Xtreme and Mass Xtreme, are manufactured by American Cellular Labs and marketed as a “potent legal alternative to” steroids. But authorities alleged in search warrants executed on Thursday that the supplements contain illegal man-made steroids, also known as designer steroids. One of the substances is Madol, which was first identified six years ago during the investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative.
ACL isn’t the only one, either. I expect more companies and supps will be targeted in the near future.
