OxyElite Pro

I was handed a sample bottle of OxyElite Pro when I bought my multi-vitamin at GNC on Saturday.  A bottle of 90 capsules will set you back $40.00 and you are supposed to take up to four a day.

It touts itself as "the most powerful thermogenic that activates certain thyroid functions"....

Here is what they have to say:

There are two very important thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). They are tyrosine-based hormones that your thyroid gland produces whose prime responsibilities are to regulate your metabolism. The ratio of T4 to T3 released by the thyroid into your bloodstream is about 20 to 1.

However, T3 is 3-4 times more potent than T4! T4 is converted to the active T3 within cells by a process called deiodinases.

hmmm, I was curious to see what what in it, so I checked it out. Below you can see he ingredients.

It's one of those things with a proprietary blend, again, you know I never trust them.

I don't trust it. Just because something is natural does not mean it is safe nor does it mean it is effective. Heroin is natural, so is cocoa.


Proprietary Blend    119.5mg    *
Bauhinia Purpurea L. (Leaf And Pod)(Standardized For Bauhnia-Statins 1-4), Bacopa Monniera (Leaf), 1,3-Dimethylamylamine (Geranium [Stem]), Cirsium Oligophyllum (Whole Plant Extract), Rauwolscine (Rauvolfia Canescens L. [Leaf And Root])
Caffeine    100mg    *

Other Ingredients:
Modified Food Starch, Gelatin, Vegetable Stearate, Silicon Dioxide, Red #3, Blue #1, Red #40, Titanium Dioxide

All the studies have been on mice! And some of those mice were diabetic to boot! Take a look at the "research"

[1] Withania somnifera and Bauhinia purpurea in the regulation of circulating thyroid hormone concentrations in female mice
[2] Amelioration of metformin-induced hypothyroidism by Withania somnifera and Bauhinia purpurea extracts in Type 2 diabetic mice.
[3] Relative efficacy of three medicinal plant extracts in the alteration of thyroid hormone concentrations in male mice
[4] Inhibition of the lipolytic action of beta-adrenergic agonists in human adipocytes by alpha-adrenergic agonists
[5] Yohimbine does not affect fat distribution in men.
[6] [3H]rauwolscine (alpha-yohimbine): a specific antagonist radioligand for brain alpha 2-adrenergic receptors.
[7] Body fat mass reduction and up-regulation of uncoupling protein by novel lipolysis-promoting plant extract.

They say their product is all natural and safe, well look at this disclaimer:

To truly maximize the result of any supplement, you must combine with proper nutrition & exercise plans.

It's mandatory that athletes or anyone subject to testing check with their governing body before using this product. Read the entire label, including directions, precautions & warnings. While this product contains compounds & constituents that are found in nature, tested athletes make up the extreme minority of the American public and have to follow strict rules on what they can and cannot use in competition. For example, compounds such as caffeine, creatine & 1,3 dimethylamylamine (also known as methylhexanamine, 2-amino-4-methylhexane & 1,3-dimethylpentylamine - a natural constituent of the geranium flower) may not be allowed by your specific sports organization. It’s completely up to the user to get this and any dietary supplement cleared by their organization before using.

Dimethylpentylamine and methylhexane are both banned substances by the International Olympic Committee, and this is well known, the makers of this products still make a statement that it MAY not be allowed.  If you plan to compete in any tested competitions, Figure or Bodybuilding, forget it if you ever took this.



I would also be very careful about messing with anything that affected my thyroid, the human body is a highly tuned machine, start screwing with it, and you will eventually be very sorry.

You know what works in this? The 100 mg of caffeine and that is NOT a banned substance, nor is creatine. Caffeine is cheap, effective and safe. You will notice that it is always in every single fat burner, that's because it is the most effective ingredient they put in it, but if they told you it was only caffeine, you wouldn't pay so much for it.

If you are trying to lose weight or body fat, be safe, increase your activity and decrease your calories. Caffeine has proven to be effective and safe, stick to proven ingredients and save yourself a lot of money.

Caffeine

I get up early, 4:00 in the morning on weekdays and 5:00 on weekends, so I can get to the gym as soon as it opens.

It's quiet there in the morning, most of the regulars are "cardio" people, they climb on the same machine, day after day. They look the same, day after day. Not very good. Lots of cardio and no weight lifting makes for a very, very unattractive body.

I digress. I am writing about caffeine. Because I get up so early, I really need a kick start. I have the drive, I have the desire, I have the urge. But I still need some help that early.

Caffeine

As usual, I don't trust all those expensive proprietary blends, you just never know exactly how much of any ingredient is in a serving.

I have read numerous studies on the effects of caffeine and as usual, they come up with a different conclusion.  You always need to consider all of the variables, and not one study will be the same.

I used to take powdered caffeine, just put 400 mg in my meal replacement drink in the morning, cheap and does the trick. Then I stopped and started using left over coffee instead of water to mix my MR, and it tasted great- chocolate and coffee, yum!

Then I read an article by Scott Welch in Natural Muscle Magazine and it made me decide to go back to trying my caffeine again. The article explained why you may wish to purchase one of those "fancy pre-workout drinks" and I won't quote the entire thing, I do want to share this part:



Caffeine is a drug that is on its own, has been proven to enhance endurance, strength, power and speed. Unfortunately, when you get it from coffee this isn't the case. Dr. Terry Graham gave runners either caffeine with water or the same amount of water with coffee and tested their performance. What the researchers found was shocking! Only the water & caffeine group had higher performance, the coffee drinking subjects showed little or no improvements!

Test subjects also had higher levels of an energy hormone called norepinephrine.

Study Reference

According to British researcher, Mark Gilbert, coffee is a complex mixture of chemicals like diterpenes, chlorogenic acid, minerals and oils and all of these can have their own effects on the body and on each other. Scientist theorize that one or more of these chemicals blocks the performance-enhancing effects of the caffeine found in the coffee...

If you want the benefits of caffeine (which also include helping release more fat from fat cells and curbing appetite), you need about 200 milligrams before exercise.

OK, it was a very small test, but sounded solid enough for me to try that powdered caffeine again.

So I have given it a try again, and I have more energy to keep up with grueling, tough workouts, I can train longer and harder.

Could it be a placebo effect? Maybe, doesn't matter to me. If it works on my brain, it works on my body.

Give it a try. Just make sure that you check everything else you are taking first, if you take one of those "fancy pre-workout" drinks, it probably has caffeine in it already.