Fenphedra Fat Burner Review: The Rapid Weight Loss Pill?

I first heard of Fenphedra from a site visitor. She had received numerous spam e-mails all claiming it was possible to lose "30 lbs in 30 days" with Fenphedra. Obviously, she wondered if such claims were true.

Whenever I hear about a product that is marketed via unsolicited bulk e-mail (aka "Spam") I always say the same thing.

Don't buy it.

Marketing products via spam—whether it be Fenphedra, prescription drugs, money making opportunities or whatever—is illegal in U.S., Canada, as well as many other countries. Companies that use such marketing tactics are breaking the law, and therefore have neither ethics or credibility. If they are willing to break the law to market to you, what do you think their customer service is like? What do you think their products are like?

Fenphedra (obviously named by combining fenfluramine and ephedra) is sold online—primarily on eBay. Although there's certainly nothing wrong with selling via eBay, how many big, respected name-brand companies are using this as their only marketing venue? Point is, some of the most nefarious retailers use eBay as a way to market their products while at the same time isolating themselves from their customers. In other words...

It's an easy way to sell products and avoid accountability to customers.

Additionally, Fenphedra is manufactured by BlackStone Nutrition. Check out the details of the lawsuit filed against Utah businessmen Steve DeVore (of SyberVision) and Garret DeVore (of BlackStone Nutrition) that alleges…

“…SyberVision and Blackstone Nutrition conspire to deceive consumers through Web sites that post bogus “product reviews” that defame competitors and violate trademarks…”

The press release goes on to state…

“The defendants’ Web site claim to contain unbiased and helpful consumer information. However, the ‘reviews’ are fake and the Web sites are nothing more than a marketing scheme for defendants’ competing products, which they promote on the sites.”

Not exactly confidence inspiring, is it? (These guys also hold a coveted spot on our wall of shame—a listing of companies that a long list of customer service issues and terrible Better Business Ratings).

Fenphedra is also outrageously priced. If you believe the advertising copy, it retails for US$179 (although I was not able to find iit retailing for this ANYWHERE) but can be had for the bargain price of $77.

Elevating the price to this level allows the retailers to pay huge commissions to affiliate partners, who can then blanket the 'Net in "reviews" trumpeting Fenphedra's awesome fat burning power... recommendations that can hardly be considered impartial, given the financial conflict of interest that exists.

No refunds are offered, the web site claims, "to keep prices down."

Of course that makes me ask... if the retailer suspects the refund rate would be significant enough to affect Fenphedra's price, there must be a heck of a lot of people who would be returning it.

Is it because the product does not live up to its claims? Is it because people would not get the benefits advertised? Otherwise, why would they return it?

And despite the claims of being "revolutionary", the Fenphedra compilation is actually quite ordinary, with the exception of Humulus Lupus -- which, despite its impressive sounding name, is nothing more than common "hops" -- yes, the stuff you make beer with.

Humulus Lupus has antibacterial qualities, and the dried female buds have a high content of methylbutenol -- a natural alcohol that has sedating effects. Some small studies verify Humulus Lupus' ability for sedation, but according to the Natural Database...

"There is insufficient reliable information available about the effectiveness of hops."

And the rest of the compilation? Here's what you'll find...

1) Caffeine, a moderately effective thermogenic agent common to most fat burners on the market today.

2) Synephrine, derived from the citrus aurantium plant. Originally, this "chemical cousin of ephedra" was thought to hold great promise for weight loss. Unfortunately, research has not bourne this out. This excerpt from PubMed (Am J Cardiol. 2004 Nov 15;94(10):1359-61.) says it best...

"An extensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, and the Cochrane Collaboration Database identified only 1 eligible randomized placebo controlled trial, which followed 20 patients for 6 weeks, demonstrated no statistically significant benefit for weight loss, and provided limited information about the safety of the herb."

The most positive study I could find ("Increase in the thermic effect of food in women by adrenergic amines extracted from citrus aurantium") performed at the University of McGill in Montreal and published in Obesity Research (Obes Res. 2005 Jul;13(7):1187-94.) stated...

"CA (citrus aurantrium) alone increased thermogenesis, on average, by 4% (52), a response that is statistically significant but not necessarily clinically significant, representing an average 1 kg over 6 months."

Hardly a miracle, methinks.

3) Chocamine™: A proprietary extract derived from the cocoa plant. It contains the xanthines theobromine, caffeine, and theophylline. It is a stimulant (obviously, given its caffeine content), but evidence demonstrating weight loss effects beyond those attributable to its caffeine content are in short supply.

4) Phenylethylamine (PEA): An amphetamine-related chemical derived from the cocoa plant. It's the "feel-good" chemical commonly found in chocolate. Unfortunately, supplementation with PEA will do little for you, as it is metabolized very quickly by the enzyme monamine oxidase. That's why the best PEA-based fat burners (see Gaspari's CytoLean) contain natural monamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs).

Nonetheless, there is no clinical evidence to indicate phenylethylamine has any benefits for weight loss.

In the end, Fenphedra is rather simple blend of common stimulants. Thus, I have no doubt you will "feel" this product and, if you're low on energy, get a pretty significant "boost" (this is seems to be echoed by the customer feedback posted on this product. This might seem like enough of a benefit to justify a purchase until you consider that you can buy caffeine pills on their own (which will supply many of the same benefits) for around $5.00).

All in all, there is nothing here that justifies either the "30 lbs. in 30 days claim", or the outrageous price tag.

If you like the look of this product, check out the much more reasonably priced Lipo 6 (which contains synephrine, caffeine, yohimbe and guggulsterones) or Lipo 6 X, which boasts the aforementioned ingredients as well as PEA and a couple of MAOIs. While I don't believe either one of these products is a sure winner, both contain similar, but more potent formulas, for much less money.

Remember also that despite the claims, the retailers provide no proof (in the form of clinical references) that their product does anything. And no studies have been performed on Fenphedra itself.

And of course, Fenphedra has been marketed illegally via unsolicited bulk e-mail. So I highly recommend you give Fenphedra a wide berth.

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