There are hundreds, if not, thousands of weight loss products on the market today. Companies pay millions of dollars in television ads, celebrity endorsements, and multi-page magazine ads in attempts to get you to purchase their products over their competition. But, do they work? Can you lose hundreds of pounds from these weight loss magic pills?
There is no magic pill for losing weight. If a company is claiming to be some sort of magician then you should stay clear from their product. You’re just wasting your hard-earned money. Save that money and invest it in a gym membership, healthy fresh food, and a personal trainer.
The most effective way to lose weight and to keep it off is through lifestyle changes, like a diet filled with nutritious fruits and vegetables and daily exercise.
Weight loss pills, at best, are tools that may help you lose some weight. Most products you can purchase over-the-counter are dietary supplements. Dietary supplements do not undergo the FDA’s rigorous requirements of multiple clinical trials and empirical data that prescription drugs must provide before being released to the market.
Dietary supplement companies are only responsible for ensuring the safety of their product and to not make any crazy claims about their product. If the FDA can demonstrate that the product is unsafe then it will ask the manufacturer to withdraw it voluntarily. For example, the FDA banned the herbal stimulant, Ephedra, in 2004 because of possible adverse side effects, like irregular heart rate, hypertension, and stroke.
Some dietary supplements will be labeled and marketed as “clinically proven” to cause weight loss. Such claims need to be backed up by some type of clinical evidence. Raspberry ketone supplements became extremely popular in 2013 after it appeared on the Dr. Oz Show. Health food stores just couldn’t keep it on the shelves.
Raspberry ketones were marketed as a “clinically proven, natural weight-loss product.” However, only one clinical trial has been published about the product and the results were negligible. The population size, research methods, and duration of the clinical trial provided insufficient evidence to determine if raspberry ketones really worked or not. Our hunch – it did not.
The obesity rate in America is still over 35% of the adult population.
Hydroxycut is supposedly America’s number one weight loss brand according to its website. The company has been around since 1995 and sells a long list of weight loss products, including Pro Clinical Hydroxycut. It is even endorsed by The Bachelor star, Sean Lowe. But, does Hydroxycut work?
Topic Contents
What is Hydroxycut?
Hydroxycut is a brand of weight loss supplement products that has been around since 1995. Their products include pills, tablets, gummies, and even protein shakes and bars.
The Pro Clinical Hydroxycut, often just referred to as “Hydroxycut,” is their most popular product. Each pill contains: robusta coffee extract, papaya, blackberry, saffron extract, caffeine anhydrous, maqui, and amla extract. In other words, it contains caffeine and herbs and not much else.
During your first three days, you take one pill with water twice a day about 30 to 60 minutes before a meal. If after three days your body can handle the pills, you can take two pills twice a day. A 30-day supply of Hydroxycut Pro Clinical will cost you about $13.50, so you can see why the product is so popular. It’s cheap.
How Does Hydroxycut Work?
Hydroxycut is a mixture of caffeine and herbs that may or may not lead to weight loss. Many research studies have indicated that caffeine can increase metabolism by up to 11% and enhance fat burn in the human body. However, caffeine is also an addictive drug. The effects are short term and people, especially routine coffee drinkers, build up a tolerance to caffeine.
One study has found that saffron extract (stigma) may reduce snacking in mildly overweight but healthy women. However, a high dosage (176.5mg) is needed. A chronic high dosage of saffron has several adverse side effects, like vaginal bleeding and vomiting.
No other clinical studies were found for the other herbs found in Pro Clinical Hydroxycut.
Does Hydroxycut Work?
Probably not. There are no human or animal studies that have directly tested Hydroxycut. But, the Hydroxycut website shows a study? Yes and no. If you read the fine print the research participants were not taking any Hydroxycut products. They took Svetol, a decaffeinated green coffee extract, which is similar to Hydroxycut’s robusta coffee extract.
Interesting enough, this study was never published in a peer-reviewed journal so that leaves you to question the source of the data. It was most likely funded by the company that produces Svetol.
It is also important to note that Hydroxycut has a long history of pulling products and lawsuits. The original Hydroxycut was pulled from the shelves in 2009 because it contained Ephedra. Ephedra was linked to 155 deaths and is now an FDA banned substance.
In that same year, Hydroxycut was recalled because of several cases of liver poisoning and other serious adverse side effects from the ingredient, Garcinia cambogia, which was in Hydroxycut products.
Hydroxycut came back in 2010 with a reformulated product that they have been selling since. Most of its serious side effects are no longer present in the new product, but some consumers have reported negative effects from the supplement, like anxiety, nausea, and diarrhea.
Some side effects, like death and liver poisoning, were so bad that a class action lawsuit was filed again Hydroxycut’s parent company, Iovate Health Sciences Inc. that involved Hydroxycut products sold between 2008 and 2014. According the lawsuit, Hydroxycut products made false claims regarding weight loss.
Iovate decided to settle with the plaintiffs, but the company continues to deny any wrongdoing or liability of its products.
The Verdict
Should you take Hydroxycut? We are not doctors or scientists, but we recommend avoiding Hydroxycut products. Their history of using dangerous ingredients and lawsuits is concerning to us.
We believe that you shouldn’t put your health at risk by consuming products with little to no scientific evidence to back up their claims.
There are hundreds of weight loss products on the shelf today to choose. Most of which probably won’t do anything. However, their companies don’t have a history of denying lawsuits. Hydroxycut needs to owe up to the fact that their products have no scientific evidence to make the claims that it does on its packaging.
If you’re serious about losing weight, the only tried and true method is through lifestyle changes. You need to eat a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, and lean protein and exercise daily. If you’re not sure where to start your weight loss journey, talk to your physician or health and fitness professional. With their knowledge and guidance, you’ll be well on your way to meeting your goals.
Recommended Reads:
Alt Protein Team is a team of professionals and enthusiasts committed to bringing you the most up-to-date information on alternative protein, health and wellness, workouts, and all things health-related. We’ve reviewed a lot of products and services so you don’t have to guess when you spend your hard-earned money on them. Whether you want to shed some pounds, build lean muscle or bulk, we can help you figure out what you need to do and what you need to have to achieve your goals.
