Hydroxycut Hardcore claims to be “America’s #1 hardcore fat burner!” (website) They tout clinical findings and claim “Hydroxycut Hardcore will decrease your total fat area by 7.9%” (website)

This Hydroxycut Hardcore review will reveal the truth behind the claims.

*Update: Hydroxycut Recall

On May 1, 2009 the FDA issued a warning to consumers to stop taking Hydroxycut-branded products. Over more than 7 years they have received 23 reports of health related issues with those taking Hydroxycut-branded products. The main health concern appears to be serious liver-related problems. Iovate Health Sciences Inc., the makers of Hydroxcut, have voluntarily recalled all of the products under question in the FDA’s report. In light of this new report, Hydroxycut-branded products are no longer recommended on this site.

Considering the millions of people who have taken Hydroxycut products, 23 accounts of health complications is a relatively low number. Nevertheless, you should never place yourself in any unnecessary risk. Symptoms of liver problems include: jaundice (yellowing of the skin), brown urine, light colored stools, unusual tiredness, stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, weakness, and vomiting. You can see the full FDA report here.

The products that are currently being recalled by Iovate include:

• Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets
• Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets
• Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix)
• Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Liquid Shots
• Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink)
• Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed
• Hydroxycut 24
• Hydroxycut Carb Control
• Hydroxycut Natural

You can also see Hydroxycut’s informational page about the recall for more information.

Also, according to the FDA, “The agency has not yet determined which ingredients, dosages, or other health-related factors may be associated with risks related to these Hydroxycut products. The products contain a variety of ingredients and herbal extracts.” Some believe, however, that the health problems stem from the ingredient Hydroxycitric Acid, also known as HCA. Further study and research is needed to confirm this theory, but until proven otherwise any products that contain HCA are no longer recommended on this website.

Hydroxycut Hardcore’s Ingredients:

• Proxyclene Fat Loss Blend 742mg
  • Green tea extract, (as Camellia sinensis) (leaf) Standardized for 90% polyphenols, [75% catechins (45% epigallocatechin gallate, 10% epicatechin gallate, 8% epigallocatechin, 4% epicatechin, 3% gallocatechin gallate)] Note: a lot of times they’ll include all of this information to look more impressive.  It’s green tea folks!
  • Caffeine anhydrous Supplying 280mg caffeine (this is high caffeine content)
  • White willow extract (as Salix alba) (bark)
  • Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco extract (bark)
• Norepidrol Intensity Focus Blend 171mg
  • Deanol acetamidobenzoate hydrogentartrate
  • Xanthinol nicotinate
  • Evodia rutaecarpa extract (as Tetradium ruticarpum) (fruit)
  • Inula racemosa extract (root)
  • Standardized for 2% alantolactone
  • Codonopsis pilosula extract (root)
• Lasidrate Delivery Blend 55mg
  • Troxerutin (as Sophpra japonica)
  • Inositol hexaphosphate
  • Cnidium monnieri extract (seed)
  • Black pepper extract (as Piper nigruml.) (fruit)
  • Yohimacore Yohimbine Blend 4.5mg
  • Methyl 17 alpha-hydroxy-yohiman-16alpha-carboxylate hydrochloride

Hydroxycut Hardcore Other Ingredients:

Sesame oil, FD&C Red No. 3, FD&C Black Shade, silica, gelatin, shellac, isopropyl alcohol, butyl alcohol, dehydrated alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium hydroxide, povidone, titanium dioxide, FD&C Yellow No. 5.

What’s Our Take on that Exhaustive List of Hydroxycut Hardcore’s Ingredients?

We like green tea as a diet pill ingredient. It has been proven to contribute to weight loss.

Caffeine has been proven to increase metabolic function, which can lead to weight loss.

White willow bark is an anti-inflammatory/pain reliever similar to aspirin. It may enhance the thermogenic effect and increase the body’s ability to utilize fatty acids while preserving lean muscle tissue. Further research is needed to substantiate these claims.

Piper nigruml (black pepper) is a “thermonutrient” because it “enhances the body’s natural thermogenic activity.” I don’t know if the ability to absorb more nutrients will directly translate into lost weight
Yohimbine has been shown to increase fatty acid mobilization.

What does the research say about Hydroxycut Hardcore?

The Hydroxycut website leads you to believe that Hydroxycut Hardcore diet pills have been thoroughly researched. This is very misleading. Like many other diet pills, Hydroxycut Hardcore has not had any research done on it. There has been research done on individual ingredients, but none at all on this combination of ingredients. Clinical studies have found that several ingredients in Hydroxycut Hardcore do contribute to weight loss. However, Hydroxycut Hardcore has “blends” of ingredients rather than disclosing how much of each ingredient is included. This makes it impossible for consumers to compare Hydroxycut Hardcore diet pills with the clinical findings. It is also impossible for this Hydroxycut Hardcore review to determine just how effective this product is.

What are the side effects of Hydroxycut Hardcore?

Side effects of Hydroxycut Hardcore include increased heart rate, jitters, diarrhea, nausea, and changes in stool color.

How much does Hydroxycut Hardcore cost?

One bottle of Hydroxycut Hardcore diet pills contains 120 capsules and costs $59.99. If you take the maximum recommended dose of 6 capsules per day, one bottle will last 20 days. That is $3 per day, which is very expensive, especially since there is no way of knowing how effective this product is.

Hydroxycut Hardcore conclusion

This Hydroxycut Hardcore review has found that Hydroxycut Hardcore is really no different from many other diet pills. They make big claims which they try to back up with clinical findings, but they fail to disclose the ingredient amounts included. Spend your hard earned cash somewhere else. We recommend using a product that can legitimately back up its claims.

***Update: Please see the Hydroxycut review update at the top of the page for recent information about Hydroxycut.