Review: SlimQuick Fat Burner For Women

SlimQuick is touted as the world's first and most advanced fat burner designed specifically for the woman's body, and claims to be "scientifically engineered" to help women "overcome the physiological and hormonal barriers" of losing fat.

SlimQuick's exclusive complex, according to the advertising anyway, helps women lose wieght through 6 unique means; the product is backed by science, and is "aimed at supporting fat loss through separate mechanisms."

It all sounds pretty intriguing, but in reality, SlimQuick has a lot more to do with marketing hype and advertising to a specific market segment (fat burners for women are big business—click here to view the most popular women's fat burners on this site!) than real science and ground-breaking, fat burning technology.

Scientifically engineered, my butt.

Most success is likely to be as a result of the sensible diet and exercise program that accompanies the product, and not the product itself. Most ingredients are undoubtedly present in only the tiniest amounts, and they are hidden behind a proprietary blend label that makes assessing the efficiency of this product very difficult. (The previous version of this product actually revealed the total milligram amount of each of the 6 proprietary complexes. Now, all the ingredients are lumped together, and we no longer know how much of any ingredient is included, or even the overall total millgram amount of a single serving).

Yes, this product does contain ingredients obviously focused on the specific needs of women, in most cases, they too are included in miniscule doses. Why is this important?

The medicinal plants, food compounds and herbs that are typically found in weight loss products are much like pharmaceutical drugs; they need to be present in a potent enough dosage to have any effect.

When you find a product that contains 10 or 20 ingredients, you're likely to receive only a few of them at a potent dosage (and that’s not even guaranteed). The remainder of the ingredients serve only as label dressing; they are there to make the label look good, but are not present in a dosage large enough to elicit an effect.

Other "women-oriented" ingredients are useless for fat burning. In other words, they have no proven effect on metabolism, or any mechanism that will actively faciliate weight loss.

Let's take a closer look at the compilation, to see if there's any justification behind the hype...

1) Vitamin & mineral blend: We all know that vitamins and minerals are important for optimal health. That's true for men, women, and children. While it's not a bad thing that SlimQuick contains vitamins a blend of B vitamins and calcium, rest assured these won't do any more for spurring on additional weight loss than your typical drug store vitamin. When was the last time you lost weight taking them?

2) SlimQuick 6-Ways™ Weight Loss Complex: This is the bulk of the 630 mg formula and is comprised of...

• Green tea extract: Green tea is a quality fat burning ingredient, when standardized for the appropriate dose of EGCG and related polyphenols—and it is in this case (this is the only ingredient for wqhich details are provided—SlimQuick contains 135 mg of EGCG). Clinical evidence also indicates that when green tea is combined with caffeine (as it is here), it seems to encourage greater weight loss effects (Obes Res. 2005 Jul;13(7):1195-204).
  
  
• Caffeine: A common ingredient in most weight loss products, as it cheaply and effectively addresses the fatique issue common to dieters and non-dieters alike. It does offer established weight loss benefits, mild though they may be (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97). Unfortunately, caffiene's effects are largely dose-dependent, and we really don't know how much of it is in this product.
  
  If I had to guess however, I would say it's likely SlimQuick contains approximately 75-100 mg of caffeine per serving; that's the amount shown helpful (in conjunction with the green tea) in this clinical study. Since caffeine is cheap and gives most people a much-needed "lift" it is also quite possible it is present an a dose double this size. Who knows for sure?
  
  
• Rhodiola extract: An adaptogenic herb used in Russain folk medicine, there is some evidence rhodiola has positive effects on physical/emotional stress—at a dosage of 340 or 680 mg/day over a 6-week period. It is highly unlikely SlimQuick contains anywhere near an effective dose of this ingredient.
  
  How can we be sure of this? Simple. Ingredients are listed on the label in order of prominence, or from those that are included in the highest dose, to the lowest. The first ingredient, green tea, is standardized for 45% EGCG, which turns out to 135 mg of active ingredient in this case. That means the formula contains 300 mg of green tea (300 X .45=135).
  
  Since rhodiola is listed third of the label after caffeine (likely present in a 100-200 mg dosage) and since the entire formula contains only 630 mg of ingredients, we can conclude that it is extremely unlikely that a 4-capsule daily dose is going to contain anywhere near to 340 mg minimal amount shown helpful in the study referenced above.
  
  
• Hoodia: Commonly advertised as an appetite suppressant, there are several major problems with hoodia. First, its effectiveness has never been demonstrated in a published clinical trial, and two, hoodia is an endangered species, making it extremely difficult to source. According to Mike Adams of NewsTarget.com, up to 80% of the Hoodia sold on the market is counterfeit, with 60% of the products sold in the U.S. failing laboratory verification.
  
  
• Juniper extract: Commonly included in weight loss supplements for its diuretic properties.
  
  
• Chaste Tree Extract: This herb is typically used to ease symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, and best of all, there is evidence to support this claim.
  
  Other evidence (J Altern Complement Med. 2009 Aug;15(8):853-62) indicates it may help with symptoms of meopause, too. Does SlimQuick contain enough to be helpful? Who knows?
  
  
• Soy extract (isoflavones): The data on the benefits/risks of soy are far from conclusive. For example, there are both positive studies on the benefits of soy isoflavones on menopausal symptoms, as well as negative ones. Likewise, there are studies that show soy consumption has hormonal/reproductive effects in men and women, and some that don't.
  
  
• Asian ginseng extract: Ginseng is an adaptogenic herb, like rhodiola. It is often used to combat stress and fatigue.
  
  
• Brown seaweed: Despite the fact that there is no evidence seaweed aids in weight loss,
  it's often included in products like this one for its iodine content.
  
  
• Dandelion: Commonly included in weight loss supplements as natural diuretic.
  
  
• Yerba mate: A source of caffeine and antioxidants; also can act as a diuretic.
  
  
• Uva ursi: Yawn. Another diuretic. Can also be used to combat urinary tract infection.
  
  
• Japanese knotweed: Normally used as a source of resveratrol.
  
  
• Phytosterols: Naturally occuring to plants, these phytochemicals have cholesterol lowering effects—when consumed in the correct dosage.

What's the bottom line on the SlimQuick fat burner for women?

Despite the claims of a 6-pronged attack on fat and an extensive ingredients formula, at its core SlimQuick is a simple caffeine-green tea combintation with a few adaptogens and diuretics thrown in for good meaure (other ingredients—like hoodia and those included to address "womanly issues"—are extremely likely to be under-dosed).

Now don't get me wrong; this "caffeine-green tea" combination is a pretty good one, and one most women will find helpful; it's just that it isn't particularly revolutionary, it's no more effective for women than men, and it won't deliver miraculous results.

SlimQuick certainly isn't bad product, and it isn't even outrageously expensive (about $34 for a full month's supply from a reputable online retailer). However, this formula itself could really benefit from some serious "slimming down." It would be nice to remove all the ingredients present at "label dressing" dosage, and replace them—either with a couple of useful weight loss ingredients (perhaps to control sugar cravings) or to ramp up the doses of the diuretics already present.

That aside, a large percentage of visitors who have written in about their experience with Slim Quick are really happy with the product (you can read Slim Quick feedback here and more here!) Regardless, despite this positive feedback (remember, that diet and exercise alone will bring about some results), I would suggest you do not expect miracles from it.

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