BSN Thermonex Fat Burner Review And Information:

I have no doubt that BSN's Thermonex fat burner will be phased out eventually as the company focuses its promotional efforts on their brand new weight loss product, Atro-Phex.

BSN makes many popular products including Cell-Mass, NOXplode, Nitrix and Syntha-6 to name but a few (I've used many of these BSN products myself, and have always been happy with them). I've also reviewed another of their fat burner offerings, "Cheater's Relief" (you can read that review here!).

Despite claiming that Thermonex boasts "the most advanced thermogenic weight loss formula to arrive on the supplement market in years", this formula isn't particularly revolutionary. The majority of the ingredients are pretty common.

That's not to say this isn't a very potent product that will deliver some results. However, those of you with a caffeine sensitivity may want to avoid this product altogether -- or at least start your dosage with a single pill twice a day to assess your tolerance -- because there's well over 300 mg of caffeine per serving of Thermonex. That's from caffeine, and the caffeine content of the green tea and yerba mate also included here.

Let's take a closer look at the Thermonex ingredient label. What's in it?...

1) Caffeine: There's a ton of the stuff here, as I just indicated. Caffeine's fat burning abilities are well-documented, and as such, it's a no-brainer addition to any fat burner (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97).

When combined with green tea (as it is here!) caffeine's effects may be even more powerful (see Obes Res. 2005 Jul; 13(7): 1195-204).

2) Green tea (reviewed here): There's 375 mg included in this formulation, but I don't see to what potency its been standardized to, and how much EGCG is included.

Nonetheless, green tea is one of the few fat burning ingredients that shows genuine promise for weight loss. (see Mol Nutr Food Res. 2006 Feb;50(2):176-87, Am J Clin Nutr; 81:122-129, Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity. 2000 Feb;24(2):252-8, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999 Dec;70(6):1040-5).

A good addition to this formula, no doubt about it!

Other ingredients in this formula are not nearly as promising...

3) Octopamine: A trace amine for which no real conclusive evidence for weight loss benefits exist. Additionally, octopamine is readily broken down by the enzyme monamine oxidase and has very low oral bioavailability. Therefore it is unlikely the small amount included in this formula has much effect at all.

4) Advantra Z®: A patented citrus aurantium extract standardized for synephrine, an ingredient often referred to as "ephedra's chemical cousin." You'll find many web sites and weight loss products touting the amazing weight loss benefits of synephrine. Unfortunately, the clinical data to validate these claims is in very short supply. For instance...

This study on "The Safety And Efficacy of Citrus Aurantium for Weight Loss" concluded...

"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."

This one (Obes Rev. 2006 Feb;7(1):79-88) had this to say...

"While some evidence is promising, we conclude that larger and more rigorous clinical trials are necessary to draw adequate conclusions regarding the safety and efficacy of C. aurantium and synephrine alkaloids for promoting weight loss."

Check out the full review of synephrine for more information!

5) Evodia Rutaecarpa: A Chinese fruit with the "supposed" ability to help with weight loss by increasing the body's production of heat, as well as reducing the body's ability to store fat (evodia sports many of the same characteristics as capsaicin, the chemical that gives hot peppers their "heat.")

The problem is, these claims haven't been scientifically proven in humans. There have been some promising "in vitro" studies and some done on rodents, but the jury is still out on whether this product has positive weight loss effect for humans (see this PubMed extract for more details).

6) Naringin (reviewed here): a grapefruit extract that serves as a source of fiber, an antioxidant, and supposedly inhibits the actions of the enzyme cytochrome P450, which may be associated with obesity. Also extends/improves the effectiveness of some ingredients.

7) Yerba Mate: a source of caffeine and other xanthines (compounds similar to caffeine). It may inhibit the activity of the monamine oxidase enzyme, increasing the bioavailability of octopamine in this formula.

Thermonex also contains l-tyrosine, diiodotyrosine and iodotyrosone -- all thyroid hormone precursors.

Thermonex's real weight loss benefits lie in its caffeine and green tea content. While a few of the other ingredients do show some promise, their benefits have not been conclusively proven.

And of course, there's no peer-reviewed, double-blind study performed on Thermonex itself, so we can't assume this blend of ingredients has any sort of synergistic effect.

Is it worth trying?

BSN has just released a new fat burner (read the Atro-phex review), and that may very well lead to deep discounts to the Thermonex product (a bottle of Thermonex costs about $26 on BodyBuilding.com -- about $16 less than the new Atro-Phex).

If you can grab a bottle for $20 or less, I'd give Thermonex a try. Otherwise, I'd recommend checking out my review of Lean System 7 (Lean System 7 offers a complete satisfaction or your money back guarantee when ordered direct, which makes it a better choice, in my opinion).

Have you used Thermonex? Tell me what you think!

Have you been the victim of a product that makes exaggerated claims? Launch a complaint!

US visitors should submit a complaint to the US Federal Trade Commission!

Canadians, submit a complaint at the Canadian Competition Bureau!