Atro-Phex is a weight loss supplement which claims to be, The most powerful mood, well-being, Energy, thermogenic and physical and cognitive performance formula in history.
It supposedly removes subcutaneous water under the skin to define muscle shape by using the most powerful thermogenic technology ever created.
As you can see. Atro-Phex makes some pretty bold claims. Too bad there is little research to back them up.
Like countless other weight loss supplements, Atro-Phex fails to disclose just how much of each ingredient is included so comparing it other weight loss supplements or even to clinical studies of individual ingredients is virtually impossible.
What are the ingredients in Atro-Phex?
The following is a list of the ingredients contained in one capsule of Atro-Phex:
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine HCl) 6.25mg
- Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) 100mcg
- BSN Atro-Phex Extreme Multi-Action Rapid & Sustained Release Energy & Weight Management Tech
- Adipose Atrophy & Energy Stimulator Matrix
- Atro-EFX A Scientifically Engineered Ratio Of
- B-Phenyethylamine,
- B-Phenyethylamine Malate,
- Hordenine HCl,
- Methylxanthine (hellothis is just a source of Caffeine),
- IFAS50 (A Precise And Synergisctic Ration Of High Potency Fatty Acid Synthesis Inhibitors:
- Green Tea,
- Fleece Flower, and
- Loranthus Parasiticus (yes, that means parasite. Butterflies eat it and you can find it just about anywhere. Its a beast to get off of mango trees)
- DL-Phenylalanine,
- Razberi-K (4-[4-Hydroxyphenyl] Butan-2-One),
- Naringin 99%,
- Citrus Aurantium 30%,
- Bioperine,
- Yohimbe HCL Mood & Mental Performance Optimizers
- N-Acetyl-L-Tyrosine-Ethyl-Ester Monohydrate,
- Vinburnine 99%,
- Vinpocetine 99%,
- Vincamine 99%) Aqua-Retic Matrix
- Juniperus Communis Extract,
- Isopimpinellin 10%,
- Isoquercetin,
- D-Myo-Inositol,
- 5-Triphosphate Hexasodium Insulin Support & Weight Management
- Cinnulin PF (Aqueous Cinnamon Extract) Pro-Thyroid Amplifier
- 7-Keto (3-Acetyl-7-Oxo-Dehydroepiandrosterone),
- Dicana (A Patent Pending Diiodothyroacetic Acid Isomer)
Shock Factor as Marketing Tactic
Considering Atro-Phexs target market, its no wonder that they simply throw out anything possible to impress the aspiring 13-year-old bodybuilder (who weighs a buck twenty-five soaking wet).
What youre seeing here is the employment of the relatively new shock factor. A diet pill shock factor is increased when the quantity of ingredients listed is increased to an (at that time) unbelievable amount.
Notice that Im not talking about the quantity or potency of each ingredient, just the length of the list.
Imagine baking a cake where you included one grain of pepper, one piece of rosemary, a few grains of cinnamon, and one single piece of parsley, sage, and thyme.
What would be the effect on the cake? Probably absolutely nothing. But then you could go around to your friends and say there were six secret ingredients in the cake to make it special.
This is essentially what Atro-Phex is doing here with their ingredients.
Now, if I were to take my secret cake ingredients and hide them inside new words, that would add even more to my cakes shock factor.
- Pepper -> Schwarz Pfefir Extract (extract is overused, because for some reason everyone thinks its fancy)
- Rosemary -> Fat Disodator
- Cinnamon -> Cinni-plex Isolate (isolates a lot like extract, but less used)
- Parsley -> Petroselinum crispum (if youre having a hard time coming up with a fancy name, you can just use the latin term for it this is done all the time)
- Sage -> Leucophyllum frutescens
- Thyme -> Tymianek Extract (Tymianex means Thyme, but in Polish)
This is exactly what Atro-Phex has done. Dont fall for it (especially at their price). Ive bolded the terms that are simply fluff (or that made me laugh out loud).
Hiding (as usual) behind Proprietary Blends
You will notice specific amounts are listed only for the vitamins. None of the other ingredients have the amounts listed.
This is typical for weight loss supplements because they dont want you to know what a small amount of the effective ingredients is included.
Even at a dosage of four capsules, this ingredient list is cleary heavy on the list and light on the potency (and potency is what matters).
A Look at some ingredients in depth
Studies show raspberry ketones (Razberi-K as listed above) induced weight loss in mice with a diet containing 2% of the total diet as raspberry ketones.
No studies have been done on humans. Once again, Atro-phex does not disclose how much of this ingredient is included. (Notice that 2% of the total diet would be 40 calories based on a 2,000 calorie diet (if youre an Atro-phex customer target, it would likely be more.
It would be physically impossible for them ton include the same, or even close to the same ratio of raspberry ketones for you). (( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15862604))
We like green tea as a diet pill ingredient, as its been proven effective in aiding weight loss.
However, the actual amount of green teac contained in Atro-Phex is not disclosed, so we cannot determine whether it will provide any weight loss benefits.
Synephrine can be found in the citrus aurantium fruit, also known as bitter orange.
Is Synephrine effective? One study performed in December of 2007 looked at the lipolysis (fat loss) effectsof Satsuma mandarin orange (Citrus unshu Mark) peel on the fat cells of rats (I know, its always rats).
A high concentration of Synephrine was present in the peel and lipoloysis effects were present.
Conclusion about the ingredients
These results suggest that the segment wall, an edible fraction, from Satsuma mandarin orange might be useful as a functional food, especially as a fat-reducing material.
Bioperine is an extract from the fruit Piper nigrum L (black pepper) or Piper longum L (long pepper). Both of these contain the active ingredient that youre looking for: Piperine.
They call it a thermonutrient because it enhances the bodys natural thermogenic activity.
The Bioperine website did cite one study on that showed an increased absorption of beta-carotene, vitamin B6 and selenium (fat soluble, water soluble, and a mineral, respectively).
I dont know if the ability to absorb more nutrients will directly translate into lost weight with Atro-phex, but the added health benefits of Bioperine are obvious.
Yohimbe comes from the bark of an African evergreen tree. It has been shown to increase fatty acid mobilization. It is also used to treat erectile dysfunction.
Were lacking in research on Yohimbe (we meaning DPR, not necessarily the medical community), so we take a neutral stance on it until weve done more research.
7-KETO is a naturally occurring metabolite (metabolites break things down for use in the body) of the hormon dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA).
DHEA serves as a precursor for the sex hormones, such as estrogen and testosterone.
In one study, participants exercised thee times per week for 45 minutes each time, ate an 1,800 calorie per day diet and was given either a placebo or 100mg of 7-KETO twice daily.
After eight weeks, the KETO group lost an average of 6.34 pounds compared to the placebo groups loss of 2.13 pounds.
There are no long-term studies available to show 7-KETOs affect on humans. Some have concerns that it may cause heart palpitations.
Others have even suggested maximum dosages of 5mg (obviously much lower than the study cited above).
As always, it is up for you to decide if you are comfortable supplementing with 7-KETO.
Dicana is a metabolic regulator that allegedly burns stored fat as while sparing muscle tissue.
It promotes thermogenesis by boosting the bodys temperature and increasing oxygen consumption. There is no research to back up these claims.
What is the cost of Atro-Phex?
Atro-Phex costs $64.99 for 98 capsules. The recommended dosage is 4 capsules per day, with a warning not to exceed 8 capsules per day.
At the recommended dosage, one bottle will last about 25 days. This is very expensive considering there is no research showing the product actually works.
Expense is an interesting thing with diet pills because, at times, it can show the manufacturer is actually including the necessary quantity of these ingredients to be effective.
When I first saw the (very) high price for Atro-phex I thought, Well hey, maybe the quantity is actually sufficient!
Then I noticed that Bodybuilding.com, one of the main distributors, sells it for $39.99. The $64.99 is just a fake retail price to make you feel good about wasting your money on Atro-Phex.
What are the side effects of Atro-Phex?
Side effects include cramping, burping, gas, sweating, nausea, headaches, and rashes.
The Atro-Phex website explains that the product should be cycled through, with the optimal length being 12 weeks of taking Atro-Phex followed by 4 weeks off. My gut tells me Atro-Phex is heavy on shock appeal and light on results
Atro-Phex Review Conclusion
Atro-Phex does contain some ingredients that have been proven to promote weight loss.
However, like so many other weight loss supplements, Atro-Phex fails to disclose the amount of each individual ingredient included in the product.
This makes it impossible to determine whether enough of the ingredient is included to be effective.
This product is too expensive considering they cannot prove their claims. (And the Atro-Phex website wins the Flashy Website award.)
