Lipofuze Ingredients

ThermoDiamine (Evodiamine) has been shown to cause weight loss.
Razberi-K (raspberry ketone) is believed to be a fat burner and has been shown to cause weight loss in some studies.
FucoPure (fucoxanthin) is an antioxidant found in seaweed; it is supposed to protect cells from damage.
Forslean is a diet pill ingredient proven to burn fat while retaining muscle mass.
Guggul EZ 100 (gugglesterones) is supposed to increase thyroid function, leading to weight loss. More researched is needed.
BioPerine enhances the body’s ability to absorb nutrients; this is always a welcome thing in supplementation.
Green tea is a great diet pill ingredient as it has been proven to contribute to weight loss when used in doses of at least 300 mg per day.
Capsaicin helps with digestion and circulation. More research is needed to determine the effect of capsaicin on weight loss.
Synephrine HCl is an effective, proven weight loss ingredient.
7-OHO Dhea has been shown to contribute to weight loss.
Cinnamon
Phenylethylamine is a “feel good” ingredient; it does not contribute to weight loss.
Ginger
20 Hydroxyecdysone

So you are probably asking “What does all this mean?” Basically, Lipofuze diet pills contain some very effective diet pill ingredients. The ingredients in Lipofuze certainly suggest that it will be an effective weight loss supplement.

Lipofuze Price

According to the Lipofuze website, you can get Lipofuze diet pills for “only” $49.95 for a one month supply. This is an average price for a diet pill. Given the high quality ingredients, I’d say that’s a pretty good value for your money.

Lipofuze Guarantee

The Lipofuze website says you can get a full refund if you return the empty bottle (they want you to use the entire bottle). Themoney back guarantee is for life. This refund policy actually looks legitimate and about the best that I’ve seen.

Lipofuze Conclusion

This Lipofuze review finds Lipofuze contains several great diet pill ingredients. They’ve used ingredients that are backed by a large amount scientific studies. The price is reasonable and you don’t get a better guarantee than theirs (lifetime). I’d say give Lipofuze a try and let us know how it goes.

Thermophoric Diet Caps Ingredients

Thermophoric Co-Transmitters

Vitamin B6 (25 mg) is healthy, but it does not contribute to weight loss.

Magnesium (50 mg) does not cause weight loss.

Zinc (5 mg) is part of a healthy diet, but it does nothing for weight loss.

Euphoric Andrectic Stimulus #IP714 900 mg

I-Fas-50³ contains green tea, tuber fleeceflower, and parasitic loranthus. Only green tea has been proven to cause weight loss. Since Thermophoric Diet Caps fail to disclose how much green tea is contained, this Thermophoric Diet Caps review cannot determine if there is enough green tea to cause weight loss.

L-Phenylalanine is a feel-good ingredient. It does not cause weight loss.

L-Tyrosine has been proven to contribute to weight loss when used in doses of 500 to 1500 mg per day. It is unlikely that Thermophoric Diet Caps contain enough L-Tyrosine to cause weight loss.

PEA HCL is another mood enhancer; it does not cause weight loss.

DL-Phenylalanine

Hordenine supposedly prolongs the effects of PEA; it does not contribute to weight loss.

Caloric Uncoupling Modifiers PPAR-455 323 mg

Caffeine (From Anhydrous) has been shown to contribute to weight loss. Once again, Thermophoric Diet Caps fail to mention how much caffeine is contained.

Razberi-K%u2122 has been shown to cause weight loss in rodents, but more human research is needed.

Synephrine HCL is a clinically proven diet pill ingredient. When looking at Synephrine, the most important thing is the concentration–the higher the better. Thermophoric Diet Caps do not say the concentration of the Synephrine contained (surprise), so it is impossible to know if it will be effective.

Yohimbine HCL does cause weight loss, but since it is contained in a proprietary blend, there is no way of knowing exactly how much Yohimbine is contained in Thermophoric Diet Caps diet pills.

Thermophoric Diet Caps Cost

Thermophoric Diet Caps diet pills cost $29.99 for 120 capsules. If you take the recommended dose of 4 capsules per day, one bottle will last about a month. This is an average price for a diet pill. However, the only proven ingredients included in Thermophoric Diet Caps are included in undisclosed amounts, making it impossible to determine how effective this product will be at causing weight loss. Thus, any amount is too much to pay for Thermophoric Diet Caps.

Thermophoric Diet Caps Guarantee

The Spectra Force Research website (manufacturer of Thermophoric Diet Caps) is not currently working. There is no way of contacting the company. We were unable to find any information on a company guarantee for Thermophoric Diet Caps. Other companies selling Thermophoric Diet Caps might have their own guarantee. You will need the guarantee if you buy Thermophoric Diet Caps so don’t buy them.

Thermophoric Diet Caps Conclusion

This Thermophoric Diet Caps review finds Thermophoric Diet Caps is not worth your money. There is no known guarantee through the manufacturer. Thermophoric Diet Caps contain a few proven ingredients, but they are included in undisclosed amounts. Look for a diet pill containing proven ingredients in the necessary amounts.

Tetrazene Extreme Ingredients

ThermoZene Proprietary Blend 1332 mg
Slimaluma extract (Caralluma fibriata)
Green tea
Caffeine
Mucuna Pruriens
Razberi-K
Oolong tea
Green coffee
Vinpocetine
Huperzine A

Slimaluma is an alleged appetite suppressant. Studies have failed to prove that it contributes to weight loss.

Green tea is a clinically proven diet pill ingredient. However, Tetrazene Extreme fails to disclose how much green tea it contains, making it impossible for this Tetrazene Extreme review to determine if there is enough green tea in Tetrazene Extreme to make it effective.

Caffeine is another ingredient which has been clinically proven to contribute to weight loss. Caffeine is included in a proprietary blend, so the actual amount of caffeine in Tetrazene Extreme remains unknown to consumers.

Mucuna pruriens is supposed to be a “feel-good” ingredient; it does not contribute to weight loss.

Raspberry ketones have been proven to contribute to weight loss in mice, but more human research is needed.

Oolong tea has been shown to increase metabolism, leading to weight loss. Again, the amount of oolong tea in Tetrazene Extreme is not revealed.

Green coffee has proven to inhibit weight gain in mice, but no research has been done on humans.

Vinpocetine is used to help with age-related memory problems; there is no evidence that vinpocetine contributes to weight loss.

Huperzine A is used to treat Alzheimer’s and epilepsy. It does not contribute to weight loss.

Tetrazene Extreme diet pills do contain some clinically proven ingredients. Unfortunately, Tetrazene Extreme hides how much of each ingredient is included. This is very common among diet pill companies and usually happens because they don’t want you to know how little of the proven ingredients are actually included.

Tetrazene Extreme Cost

Tetrazene Extreme diet pills cost $25.95 for 120 capsules. If you take the recommended 4 capsules per day, one bottle will last about a month. This is quite inexpensive for a diet pill, but since there is no evidence that Tetrazene Extreme actually works, this is $25.95 too much.

Tetrazene Extreme Guarantee

Tetrazene Extreme does have a guarantee. In order to get your money back, you have to contact BioQuest (Tetrazene Extreme manufacturer) to get a “Return Authorization number”. Then you have to return the product within 14 business days. They have a lot of hoops to jump through to get a refund.

Tetrazene Extreme Conclusion

This Tetrazene Extreme review finds that Tetrazene Extreme is like dozens of other diet pills out there. They contain proven ingredients but do not say how much of each ingredient is included, making it impossible to know how effective the product will be. Don’t bother with Tetrazene Extreme. Instead, look for a diet pill that includes proven ingredients in proven amounts.

Another strong contender in the diet pill industry, Apidexin contains many solid ingredients that actually have been proven to aid in weight loss.  This Apidexin review will explore the individual ingredients contained in Apidexin diet pills and show you what you might expect from this product.

Apidexin Ingredients

Fucoxanthin is found in several types of seaweed. Fucoxanthin is an antioxidant which protects cells from damage. The only studies on Fucoxanthin that have been published have been done on rats and mice.

Razberi-K has been shown in clinical studies to contribute to weight loss.

GuggulEZ 100–Gugglesterones are supposed to increase thyroid function, leading to weight loss.

Thermodiamine 98% Evodiamine has been shown to induce weight loss by increasing lypolytic activity in many clinical studies.

Forslean 95% Forskohliin has been shown to effectively contribute to weight loss.  Studies show that it promotes lean body mass, helping you to retain muscle as you lose the body fat.

Lipolide-SC has been shown to increase fat burning (lipolysis). The studies so far are very supportive in regards to it’s fat burning capabilities.

Infinergy DiCaffeine Malate contains caffeine, which has been shown to increase metabolic function, leading to weight loss.  Caffeine is one of the few diet pill ingredients that is actually fully backed by loads of research.  We like that Apidexin included this proven ingredient.

Bioperine has been proven to aid in the absorption of nutrients.

While we wish that Apidexin would disclose exactly how much of each ingredient is included, we really like their ingredient profile.  In fact, if Apidexin did display the amounts of each ingredient, we would most likely rank it as one of our top diet pills.  Nonetheless, the ingredients are solid and sure to have an effect.

Apidexin marketing strategies

We really like that Apidexin does not use autoship (which automatically sends you more product each month and charges your credit card for it). Instead, they allow you to order more product when you want it.

Apidexin has a “100% unconditional Lifetime Money Back Guarantee!” Unlike many other diet pill companies, Apidexin allows you to return your empty bottle for a refund (in fact, they ask you to send back the opened bottles empty); many other companies will only give refunds for unopened bottles. Unopened bottles can also be returned.  This is handsdown the best money back guarantee out there.

Apidexin Cost

Apidexin diet pills cost $49.95 per bottle (or cheaper if bought in bulk). Each bottle lasts 1 month (at 2 capsules per day). This is a pretty good price for a diet pill touting this kind of ingredient profile.  We actually expected to see a little higher price tag.

Apidexin Conclusion

This Apidexin review finds that Apidexin diet pills do contain many clinically proven weight loss ingredients. Their ingredient profile is quite strong.  At 500 mg per dose, Apidexin is likely to contain a good amount of each ingredient.  The price is very reasonable for the ingredients that you’re getting and their guarantee is the best in the industry.  With a simple disclosure on amounts, they would have been one of our top picks.  We say give Apidexin a try.  A big thumbs up for Apidexin.

Curvelle is distributed and marketed by a company called iSatori. From the looks of their website, they appear to be marketing toward the bodybuilding community. With an intro image like this, you’re left with little doubt about that. Curvelle appears to be a break away from most of their products in how it is marketed.

Curvelle Ingredients Under Review

I am impressed with iSatori’s website. It’s professionally done, and the product information is easy to find. I easily found where they list the ingredients found in Curvelle:

Cinnulin PF is an extract of cinnamon (yes, the same cinnamon you sprinkle on toast). iSatori states:

[cinnamon] has been shown in recent studies to have positive effects on blood sugar, fats, and cholesterol.

But they fail to mention the “recent studies” in any type of citation. I did a bit of digging (which admittedly, they could have done) and found the study I think they were mentioning. The abstract states that the study was:

to determine whether cinnamon improves blood glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes. ((Diabetes Care. 2003 Dec;26(12):3215-8.))

You can read the entire study here. Cassia, not true cinnamon, was used in the study. Cassia is used in traditional Chinese medicine, considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. Also, the dosage amounts in the study were 1, 3 and 6 grams per day (along with a control group receiving 1, 3, and 6 grams of a placebo — wheat flour). I called iSatori to ask them how much cinnamon is included in Curvelle, but unfortunately all I got was a message machine (listen to the audio of my call to iSatori about Curvelle). They said (each time I called) that they were experiencing higher than normal call volumes. I left my name and number with them but haven’t yet heard back. While it may be a moot point about the Cinnulin PF (because the research points to a “cousin” of cinnamon, not true cinnamon), seeing a lower-than-effective dosage would have been a nail in the coffin in regards to Cinnulin’s inclusion in Curvelle.

It becomes a bit clearer as to iSatori’s not wanting to actually cite the study they use to support the inclusion of Cinnulin PF in Curvelle — Cinnulin PF wasn’t used. And while I mentioned earlier I was glad that their website made finding the ingredients so easy, I’m mad that they make finding the amounts of those ingredients so unbelievably hard.

Green Tea

Green Tea can be found in virtually every diet pill available on the market today. The fact that it’s found in Curvelle doesn’t surprise me one bit. You can read my review of Green Tea if you’d like. The gist of it is that green tea has been shown in research to promote an increase in our resting metabolic rate, among other things.

Razberi K™

Curvelle contains a ketone unique to raspberries. From the research I’ve done, it appears that the manufacturer of Razberi K is FHG (FHG stands for “For His Glory” and “is representative of our desire to operate a business that would honor God while serving others ((http://www.integritynut.com/about-us/history))) Corporation, DBA Integrity. They were established in 1999.

It appears that iSatori’s ingredients text about Razberi was mainly taken (plagarized? words were changed sometimes) from Integrity’s own information on Razberi-K. I found it mildly ironic (and slightly sad) that a site with the domain integritynut.com was plagiarized.

At any rate, back to Razberi-K. A study is repeatedly cited here (and citations are a good thing!):

In a recent study by Morimoto et al (2005), raspberry ketone was fed at various dosages to growing mice for 10 weeks. Mice fed a high-fat diet (to induce obesity) plus one or two percent raspberry ketone (~ 10,000 mg per kg bodyweight) gained less bodyfat than control animals. Raspberry ketone also decreased the weights of the liver and visceral adipose tissues (epididymal, retroperitoneal, mesenteric)—i.e., fat around the organs.

The emphases are mine. Reading from the actual study (vs. from the Curvelle information, which is where I got the quote above), we learn a bit more (read the entire study):

1. This study was done to determine the anti-obesity effects of raspberry ketones. Being a few pounds overweight and being obese are very different, so consider that in your own evaluation.
2. The amount of raspberry ketones was 1 percent of total food intake. This means that a 2,000 calorie diet would have to include 20 calories of raspberry ketones. How much Razberi-K is included in Curvelle? We don’t know because they don’t tell us.

Also, let’s not forget that this study was done on mice–not humans. There has not been any research regarding the anti-obesity effects of raspberty ketones on humans. It sounds like a great ingredient to include in a diet pill geared toward women. Raspberries conjure up some healthy and quaint images. Unfortunately, this is probably nothing more than eye candy.

So far, the only ingredient that will have anything to do with your losing weight while supplementing with Curvelle is the Green Tea — which can be found in, oh, about a bazillion other diet pills as well.

Natural Caffeine

Curvelle also contains natural caffeine. In other words, another stimulant. You can read my review of caffeine’s weight loss efficacy if you’d like. It is effective, though it may give you jitters.

Elderberry Extract

You have to love their second sentence when describing elderberry:

It’s been honored for centuries in folk tradition because of its numerous health benefits. Renowned for its overall influence on wellbeing, it has been used in teas, gargles, ointments, lotions, and homeopathic remedies.

I love when companies try and leverage history as some sort of guide for the efficacy of an ingredient. Doctors also used to think that a great way to get rid of a fever was to “bleed” a patient. Smart men and women believed the earth was flat and that a ship could sail off its edge…and since when has inclusion in “folk tradition” meant an ingredient could do anything for weight loss?

Curvelle’s ingredients page cite another study supporting Elderberry (specifically an anthocyanin known as cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G))…but they don’t actually give a reference to the study. I’m starting to think we might have another Cinnulin moment again…

I’m not positive that this is the study ((Biochem Pharmacol. 2007 Dec 3;74(11):1619-27. Epub 2007 Aug 10.)), but it sounds familiar to what Curvelle mentioned. It looks like the mice that were subjects in the study were type 2 diabetic mice — a relevant detail. It’s also important to note that the study’s focus was to demonstrate that C3G “ameliorates hyperglycemia and insulin sensitivity…” We’re talking here much more about preventing type 2 diabetes and hyperglycemia than we are about losing weight.

For the moment though, I can’t take issue with Elderberry. I don’t know for certain that the study I found is the same one Curvelle’s markters also used to persuade would-be buyers. I don know that we still don’t know how much Elderberry is in there so, if we were to find some solid research supporting Curvelle’s claims, we’d be hard pressed still to know if we had something worth considering.

Curvelle’s Testimonials

The very first testimonial is listed as being from Jen Hendershott, Fitness International and 2005 Fitness Olympia Champion (her own site says she won in 2006–my favorite shot of Jen at the 2006 Olympia). Apparently Jen and iSatori have this whole book thing going on together. You can buy the book for twenty bucks from iSatori. I don’t know about you, but this kind of financial relationship kills the whole testimonial idea. Jen can’t be making money and give an unbiased testimonial simultaneously (and I stand corrected about Curvelle maybe not being geared toward bodybuilders, as Jen certainly is one).

The next testimonial is from Heather Bear. iSatori provided her email address on the Curvelle Testimonials section, so I emailed her:

Hi Heather,
I’m doing some research into the efficacy of iSatori’s Curvelle and noticed that you were cited on their website:

“I LOVE CURVELLE. I have not had low blood sugar when using it, no headaches, and I’ve had lots of energy. I have been dieting for just one week and have lost seven pounds because I’m not ‘cheating’ because I don’t want to.”

—Heather Bear, Age 29
bearclaw(at)seidata(dot)com
www.Heather-Bear.com”

I find it amazing that you were able to lose seven pounds in just one week. Was this due to the diet you were on, or to Curvelle, or both? From what you said above, am I understanding correctly that Curvelle helped you not to “cheat”?

Thanks for any insight you can give. Love the website by the way!

Cal

I haven’t heard back from her yet. Maybe she’s doing one of her weight loss camps and has limited access to email. At any rate it should be noted that she has been training with Ms. Hendershott from above for four years. So her credibility as an unbiased testimonial is immediately placed into question (despite providing her email address). I’ll update if she ever responds.

UPDATE: Heather responded to my email today with the following response:

Hello,

I believe the 7 pounds was a combination of not cheating on my diet and cardio. Curvelle does help w/ my sweet tooth craving I have. Let me know if I can answer anything else.

Thanks,

Heather

Phat Camp Coordinator

For MORE info about Phat Camp http://www.getphatwithjen.com/2007/faq.htm

www.Heather-Bear.com

Heather[nospam]getphatwithjen.com

Check out www.getphatonline.com for your new YOU!!!!

I stand by my original statement though. If she’s heavily affiliated with Hendershott then her testimonial doesn’t fly. Oh, and if you have the discipline to stick to a bodybuilding diet and intense cardio routine then you probably don’t need Curvelle.

The other two testimonials are from Shannon Erklenz and KNH (via email…). There isn’t any contact information for these two, so the legitimacy of their testimonials is in question. This is the reason I don’t like testimonials at all. I would much rather see a company put out the research that justifies their product’s ingredients and let consumers educate themselves about the product’s efficacy. It’s far too easy to simply throw some testimonials together and make them look legitimate.

Curvelle Overall Conclusion

I have to say that I’m certainly less than impressed. The study they cited to support Cinnulin didn’t actually use Cinnulin. They use two stimulants: green tea and “natural” caffeine. Cheaper alternatives are available if you’re just looking for a stimulant to boost your metabolism. And if you don’t mind the jitters. The fact that it looks like they plagiarized the Razberi-K manufacturer’s website is disturbing. Support for Razberi-K suggests that you would have to supplement with an inordinate amount of raspberry ketones to see the same effects that were seen in the mice. Curvelle’s first two testimonials are obviously displaying conflicts of interest, and the next two aren’t verifiable at all. I don’t like how I’ve called Curvelle multiple times and am always told that “due to high call volumes” they can’t take my call. Does that mean they also won’t be able to process a refund if there’s a problem with an order? Finally, even if all of these studies supported the inclusion of these ingredients into a diet pill, iSatori won’t tell us how much of each ingredient is in Curvelle. This allows me to make only one conclusion: there isn’t enough.

As it stands now, Curvelle doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. I would begin looking elsewhere.