EverSlim Fat Burner Review — Does EverSlim Work?
Note: this review concerns the (now-discontinued) “EverSlim” fat burner, which is not related to the “Ever Slim” brand of products marketed by the Healthy People Co.
EverSlim is the fat burner that promises to help you “lose 3.5 times MORE weight than diet and exercise alone!” This claim is based on a the positive clinical study performed on several of the key ingredients in EverSlim. Here’s the good news…
There is a valid, albeit small clinical study (conducted in India, see PubMed for complete details) that does indeed support this retailer’s claims that three of the key ingredients in their product (Garcinia cambogia extract, chromium polynicotinate, and Gymnema sylvestre extract) have been shown useful for weight loss.
That’s the good news. What’s the bad news?
The dosages used to obtain these results were significantly higher than those found in the EverSlim compilation. If you review the abstract here, you’ll see that both of the groups that showed success, groups A & B, received nearly 5000 mg of a highly bioavailable version of hydroxycitric acid per day (divided into 3 doses).
In EverSlim, the hydroxycitric acid content is labeled under a proprietary blend consisting of 4 ingredients totaling 1.3g. Even if the entire EverSlim proprietary blend contained nothing but hydroxycitric acid (and it does not) two doses would provide you with slightly more than half of the dosage shown to be effective in the study.
Group B also received 4 mg of niacin-bound chromium (approx. 400 mcg of chromium… EverSlim contains a mere 133 mcg of chromium per dose) and 400 mg of Gymnema sylvestre extract. Because Gymnema sylvestre extract is also labeled as part of the EverSlim proprietary blend it’s impossible to know just how much is in it. Of all three ingredients referenced in this study, it’s likely EverSlim contains only this ingredient in volume close to that necessary to obtain the demonstrated results.
What else is in EverSlim?
1. Griffonia: standardized for 5-HTP: 5-HTP is often used to treat mild depression on the premise that as a precursor to serotonin (a chemical neurotransmitter found in the brain).
5-HTP can increase serotonin levels and influence mood. There is some evidence 5-HTP may indeed have an effect on appetite, and possibly even mood, but these positive results were obtained with a large amount of ingredient… much more than what’s in this formula.
2. Soy Phospholipids: basically, this is just another term for “lecithin” – a common food additive used as an emulsifier. It was once heavily promoted as a weight loss aid, but there is no scientific support for this.
3. Green tea and caffeine: green tea is a pretty decent fat burner with some decent research behind it. One study suggests the combination of green tea and caffeine has additional benefits (Obes Res. 2005 Jul; 13(7): 1195-204), and is therefore a good addition to this formula.
Sidebar: Green tea and caffeine are part of the “EverSlim Daytime Energy Blend.” The main difference between this formula and the EverSlim Nighttime formula are 4 ingredients; passionflower, melatonin, valerian root, and chamomile. All these ingredients are useful sedatives and useful to induce sleep. Full review of all these ingredients can be found here!
Bottom line?
Although EverSlim does contain some decent ingredients, it’s also a great product to demonstrate that you should always be wary when a retailer makes claims based on “clinical evidence.” The number of products that actually do have some real, supportive evidence for their exact formulas are very few indeed. With that said, I’d love to hear your feedback — positive and negative — for this product…
