Product Review
Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™
Joe Cannon, MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
www.Joe-Cannon.com
Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™
Joe Cannon, MS, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
www.Joe-Cannon.com
This is part 1 of a 3 part series of in-depth reviews on the weight loss supplements that are being advertised by Jillian Michaels, a personal trainer best known for the TV show The Biggest Looser. This review will be on the Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™ that is being sold via TV, the internet as well as in stores such as Wal-Mart.
According to the supplement’s website, jillianweightloss.com, the “Maximum Strength Fat Burner” is supposed to
1. Promote Preferential Loss Of Fat Mass*
2. Encourage Lipolysis (release of fat from mature cells)*
3. Inhibit Activity Of Phosphodiesterase*
On the website, all of these statements have an asterisk next to them which refers people to bottom of the website page. There we are told that “these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA to cure treat or prevent any disease”. This is standard cover your butt language that all ads for supplements have in the US. The FDA does not evaluate ANY supplements.
Now, before we go further, let’s take a closer look at each of the statements:
Statement # 1 is interesting because it says “preferential” fat loss – This is a very vague phrase. Does it mean that the supplement will preferentially lead to fat loss in specific areas, like under the arms or tummy? That’s how I interpret it to mean.
But, this is called “spot reduction” and it’s impossible! No supplement or exercise will do this. The impossibility of spot reduction is “personal training 101”. If preferential fat loss doesn't mean spot reduction, what else could it be referring to? I have no idea. Do you?
Statement # 1 also uses the word “promotes”. Most people do not know that supplement makers in the US are prohibited from making specific disease or medical claims. For example, they can’t say that a supplement cures or helps osteoporosis. They are however allowed to make “structure / function claims” which tell how the product is used in the body. These claims are usually vague and do not have to be supported by much evidence. Structure function claims can be recognized because they often contain the words “promote”, “aids” or “supports”. So, statement #1 is a structure function claim.
Statement #2 is also a structure function claim because it contains the ambiguous word “encourages” fat loss. They actually use the word “lipolysis” which means fat loss. Why did they say lipolysis instead of fat loss? Because lipolysis sounds smart.
If somebody sounds or looks smart, people take them more seriously. This is why Dr. Oz always wears his scrubs when he’s on Oprah and its why doctors who are on TV often wear white coats or have their stethoscopes around their neck. In fitness, personal trainers are sometimes taken as more knowledgeable if they have good abs or big muscles.
Statement #3 jumped out at me because the Maximum Strength Fat Burner supplement is alleged to inhibit phosphodiesterase. What’s that? Phosphodiesterase is an enzyme that breaks a specific type of chemical bond, called a phosphodiester bond. Doctors abbreviate phosphodiesterase as PDE.
There are many types of this enzyme in our body. Each type is responsible for different actions. For example Viagra is also a phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Doctors call Viagra a PDE 5 inhibitor. Some research does note that PDE 3B is involved in lipolysis (fat burning). However, the Maximum Strength Fat Burner website does not say which PDE enzyme the fat burner is inhibiting. Does it inhibit the same type as Viagra? Most likely not. I'm saying this because unless they specifically tell you which PDE enzyme the fat burner inhibits, you don’t know if it’s inhibiting the type that helps you burn fat, or causes erections. Phosphodiesterase is also another one of those “smart words”, like lipolysis.
Maximum Strength Fat Burner™ Ingredients
According to the website, the product contains a “proprietary blend” blend of the following:
1. Blood orange (fruit) extract
2. Bitter orange (fruit) extract
3. Sweet orange (fruit) extract
4. Grapefruit extract
5. Guarana (fruit) extract (standardized to 12% caffeine)
6. Coffee bean (standardized to 70% natural caffeine)
7. Alpha Lipoic Acid
8. Kola Nut (seed) extract -standardized to 12% caffeine
9. Cocoa (seed) Extract
10. White Willow (bark) Extract
11. Cayenne Pepper (fruit) Powder
Blood orange (scientific name Citrus sinensis). It’s interesting that blood orange and sweet orange are listed as separate ingredients when they are very similar. Both are extracts from oranges. The blood orange appears to be just a variation of the sweet orange. Blood orange gets its name because of its red color. I uncovered one preliminary study noting that blood orange extracts might lower blood sugar in diabetic mice. I was unable to find any studies in humans. Likewise, I was unable to discover any research that blood orange or sweet orange have any weight loss effect in humans.
Other research notes that blood orange may have a cholesterol and blood pressure lowering effect. Because of this, people who take high blood pressure medications (e.g. Beta blockers) should speak to their doctor before using this Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™. It’s possible that blood orange may impact the absorption of beta blockers. Other drug interactions may also be possible.
Bitter Orange. Bitter orange (also called Citrus aurantium) is a stimulant that is chemically similar to ephedra. Studies have shown that ephedra (along with caffeine) can help enhance weight loss in humans for at least 6 months. But, ephedra is currently illegal in the US because of its connection to several deaths and other serious medical issues ranging from psychosis to heart attacks and strokes.
Bitter orange is sometimes used in weight loss supplements because if it “looks” like ephedra, it might foster weight loss like ephedra. One study did find that bitter orange might help – when it was combined with other supplements (caffeine and St. Johns Wort). But the people in this study also exercised and ate fewer calories. I could find no peer-reviewed study showing that bitter orange alone or in combination with the blend of ingredients in the Maximum Fat Strength Burner™ supplement helps weight loss in humans.
Also, there is more than one type of bitter orange. Different types might have different effects. Which type bitter of orange is found in Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™? They don’t say.
As a personal trainer myself, I'm very surprised that Jillian Michaels would allow her name to be associated with a product that includes bitter orange. Bitter orange is a stimulant and can raise heart rate and blood pressure (especially when combined with caffeine).
Bitter orange should be avoided by anyone with health or medical issues including people with high blood pressure, heart problems, liver or kidney issues and those who take antidepressants to name a few.
Bitter orange supplements have even resulted in heart attacks – in apparently healthy people.
Guarana . This is a caffeine containing compound. Weight loss supplements often use guarana because its caffeine helps release fat from fat cells and it has been shown to work synergistically with ephedra (this is also why it’s often used alongside bitter orange, mentioned above)
Coffee Bean. This is another caffeine containing compound.
Alpha Lipoic Acid. There is no good proof that alpha lipoic acid promotes weight loss in humans. There are however a few studies suggesting that this compound may help people with type II diabetes. Since many overweight people may have type II diabetes, in theory, it makes sense to include alpha lipoic acid in a supplement. But, how much alpha lipoic acid works? Generally, research uses almost 2000 milligrams to impact type II diabetes. How much is in Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™? The amount is not listed.
Kola Nut (seed) extract. This is another caffeine containing compound.
Coca (seed) extract. Coca seed contains caffeine (are you sensing a trend here – lots of ingredients that have caffeine).
Grapefruit Extract. I'm covering grapefruit out of order on the ingredients list to point something out. Grapefruit can slow the breakdown of caffeine in the body. So, all the caffeine in those other ingredients stays around longer. This means heart rate and blood pressure stay elevated longer also.
Grapefruit and medications can also be a bad combination. If you have my book on nutritional supplements, you know that I told you about the “Grapefruit Effect” – the ability of grapefruit to alter the absorption of medications. This can result in the medication either being absorbed too fast or not absorbed enough. Either scenario can lead to serious medical complications. Grapefruit can interfere with drugs used to treat heart problems, anxiety disorders, infections and epilepsy to name a few.
White Willow (bark) Extract. If you read my in-depth review on the weight loss shake, Right Size Smoothie you may remember it also contains white willow bark. This is an aspirin like compound that is often added to weight loss supplements that contain caffeine (and or bitter orange) because of speculation that it enhances the effects of these compounds. What little research is out there on white willow bark and weight loss uses 600 mg (and combines it with ephedra and cola nut). How much white willow bark extract is in Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™? They don’t say.
Since white willow bark is similar to aspirin, it may interfere with blood thinner medications.
Cayenne Pepper (Fruit) Powder. This compound contains capsicum, the molecule that causes your mouth to burn when you eat peppers. The thinking here is that spicy foods enhance metabolic rate (the speed you burn calories). Right size smoothie, which I reviewed in another blog, also contains cayenne pepper fruit.
Cayenne pepper may interfere with blood thinner medications.
Is there any evidence that the combination of ingredients in Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™ helps weight loss? I can find no peer reviewed study that used the specific combination of ingredients found in this product.
Conclusions.
Based on the rational thought and the research I could uncover, I come to the following conclusions:
1. Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™ contains several ingredients that are also found in other weight loss products.
2. Many of the ingredients contain caffeine which might help the fat burning process. The stimulating effect of caffeine may also promote more physical activity- and hence more calories burned at the end of the day. How much caffeine is in a serving of the product? The website does not say. Those sensitive to caffeine should investigate this.
3. Some of the ingredients (bitter orange, cayenne pepper fruit, grapefruit extract, white willow bark) are in my opinion, scary and should be avoided by people who take any medications or have health issues. This is especially true for bitter orange. How much bitter orange is in the product? The website does not say.
4. Since overweight individuals tend to have more health issues, in theory, they may also be at greater risk of adverse health effects from supplements that contain bitter orange and caffeine.
5. I was unable to discover any published peer reviewed studies of Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™.
6. I was unable to find any published peer reviewed studies on the “proprietary blend” of ingredients in Jillian Michaels Maximum Strength Fat Burner™.
7. How does the product stack up against exercise and eating fewer calories? This is an interesting question but the lack of peer reviewed evidence makes it difficult to draw conclusions.
For more unbiased supplement reviews visit Supplement-Geek.com
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