Stimerex ES Fat Burner Review: Is Stimerex America's Strongest Fat Burner?

Stimerex is advertised as "America's Strongest Energizer," available "over-the-counter" without a prescription.

The whole "without a prescription" thing drives me crazy. Lots of fat burners retailers are using this claim to give customers the impression their product has somehow skirted the FDA regulations, and is the equivalent in potency to presciption drugs. The fact is that ALL the fat burners on the market are available without a presciption. With that said...

There's no doubt that the earlier versions of Stimerex were pretty potent, packing a punch that included 24 mg of ephedra per serving. Unfortunately, ephedra was outlawed in the U.S. -- a ruling that was later overturned by Judge Tena Campbell of the US District Court in Salt Lake City Utah in April 2005. This new ruling limited the amount of ephedra alkaloids to be included in weight supplements to 10 mg/dose.

Since then, the FDA has appealed the decision, and the US Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver has overturned Judge Campbell's decision, ruling that the FDA was correct in their analysis, and has met the required burden of proof necessary to ban the supplement (read more about the reinstatement of the ephedra ban).

Anyhow, to make a long, extremely dull story short, the new version of Stimerex does not contain ephedra. So what's in it that justifies the "America's Strongest Energizer" moniker? Not a heck of a lot...

1) Citrus Aurantium: standardized for synephrine, ephedra's "chemical cousin," it was originally thought synephrine could replace ephedra as the premier thermogenic in most fat burner compilations (this based on promising animal studies). Unfortunately, human-based studies have been less exciting. Results were lackluster, they suffered from methodological flaws, or were done using a combination of ingredients (making it impossible to attribute results to any specific ingredient). This extract from this PubMed abstract...

"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."

... tells the tale of citrus aurantium's ineffectiveness for weight loss.

2) Acacia leaf extract: there are many varieties of acacia, so it's impossible to determine exactly which one was used in this formula or why. A search of PubMed for "acacia leaf extract" did not reveal any benefits for weight loss. However, some acacia species contain psychoactive alkaloids. One such alkaloid, dimethyltryptamine, is similar to the neurotransmitter serotonin, but is inactive orally.

3) Theobroma cocoa extract: Theobromide is an xanthine-derivative of caffeine, an ingredient that has mild stimulating effects. It's effect on weight loss has not been effectively demonstrated at this time.

4) Green Tea: A worthwhile ingredient in any fat burner, studies indicate green tea can elevate the metabolism as well as provide a myriad of other benefits. A full review of green tea is available here!

5) Naringen: a citrus flavonoid common to grapefruit, a full review of naringen can be found here! Generally, naringen is used to prolong the effects of the ingredients in a product formula.

6) Phenylethlamine: known as the "love chemical", and also present in chocolate, this chemical can release dopamine in the pleasure centers of the brain. This adds a "feel good" element to Stimerex formula.

7) 3-dimethyl aminoethanol bitartrate: likely included here too, for its positive effect on mood and well-being.

8) Yohimbe: Hardly a benign ingredient, the standardized extract of the bark of the African Yohimbe tree is often used as a natural aphrodisiac. It is also sold as a drug (in the US, a popular brand is Yohimex containing 5.4 milligram of yohimbine hydrochloride per tablet) and is used to treat impotency, dilate the pupil of the eye, and stimulate fat loss. Because it can cause unpredictable effects on blood pressure, Yohimbe should be approached with caution.

According to the US Food and Drug Administration...

"Yohimbe is a tree bark containing a variety of pharmacologically active chemicals. It is marketed in a number of products for body building and "enhanced male performance." Serious adverse effects, including renal failure, seizures and death, have been reported to FDA with products containing yohimbe and are currently under investigation."

There is a small amount of evidence indicating Yohimbe is useful for weight loss, but results are only promising -- not revolutionary -- see Isr J Med Sci. 1991 Oct;27(10):550-6).

9) Caffeine: A common stimulant/thermogenic found in most fat burners displaying mild "fat burning" properties. Some evidence indicates the combination of caffeine and green tea (as is found in Stimerex), offers greater benefits (Obes Res. 2005 Jul; 13(7): 1195-204).

So, what's the bottom line on Stimerex?

Well, first of all, there have been no clinical studies performed on it, so any claims made by the manufacturer and its retailers have to be taken with a "grain of salt." As seen in this FTC report, making false or misleading claims and exaggerated product results are common to the weight loss industry.

Secondly, because most of these ingredients hide behind a "proprietary blend," it's difficult to assess whether enough of the better ingredients are present in sufficient dosage to elicit any sort of response. And it's really difficult to justify the "America's Strongest Energizer" comment. In the end, it is these reasons that make it difficult for me to recommend Stimerex.

Have you used Stimerex?
Tell me what you think!

Want to learn more about fat burners? Industry professional Will Brink reviews dozens of top weight loss products in his superb "Fat Loss Revealed" Click here to read my review! Click here to visit the Fat Loss Revealed web site!

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