powerman2000

Copied and pasted for your reading convenience.

Doing a little research on Lipovarin? Trying to find out if Lipovarin works, and lives up to its rather outrageous claims? Then you've probably seen this...


"...At last, eat what you want without the worry. Lipovarin's™ key ingredient, Metazide™ helps boost your metabolism without the harmful stimulants used in most weight loss products today."

Yawn.

Lipovarin lets you eat all you want and still lose weight? Yeah right, and my name's Rumplestiltskin. Hold on a second while I spin some straw into gold.

On a more serious note, there's nothing worse than a company instantly blowing their credibility with ridiculous, ambiguous claims. Look at this one, for instance...

"Lipovarin™ has three times more weight loss than diet and exercise alone, majority of weight loss as fat loss and the activation of three thermogenic enzymes."

That's not even grammatically correct English, for heaven's sake! Does this mean Lipovarin AND diet and exercise provide more weight loss than diet and exercise alone? Or does Lipovarin provide more weight loss than diet and exercise? And if so, what type of diet providing how many calories? What sort of exercise? Weight training? Aerobics? How many sessions per week? And for how long?

And if Lipovarin does work so well, why not provide us with the name of the double-blind placebo controlled study that verified its effectiveness? After all, you can't expect us to take you, the good people at Sterling Grant Laboratories, at your word. After all, you are in a direct conflict of interest... seeing how much money you stand to make flogging this stuff to the unsuspecting public.

OK, OK... I'll get off the soapbox now. ;-)

Let's take a closer look at the Lipovarin formula.

Not surprisingly, there's a huge focus on mood elevation in this formula. Caffeine, glucuronolactone, and taurine, all present in Lipovarin, are also present in the popular "Red Bull" energy drink. Caffeine, of course, is a well known stimulant. There's some evidence that in high doses, taurine, an amino acid, lowers blood pressure levels in hypertensive individuals. There is no compelling evidence, however, that either taurine or glucuronolactone have any positive effect on an increased metabolic rate or weight loss in general.

What else is in Lipovarin?

Citrus aurantium (called Advantra Z by Sterling labs), standardized for something called synephrine, a "milder", "gentler" ephedra. Although previous studies on synephrine were less than promising, some newer ones indicate there is hope for synephrine as a fat burner. In fact, Supplementwatch has this to say about it...

"Up until very recently, synephrine-containing supplements existed with only some interesting theories on how they might work to increase metabolic rate and promote significant weight loss. At this writing, there are now at least two clinical studies showing that synephrine-containing supplements help promote weight loss, and at least three clinical studies showing an enhanced thermogenesis (calorie expenditure) from these supplements. There is a great deal of research currently underway into the weight loss benefits of synephrine and supplements with related thermogenic effects, leading researchers in the Department of Physiology at Georgetown University to conclude that "Citrus aurantium may be the best thermogenic substitute for ephedra.""


Also in the Lipovarin compilation...

i) 7-keto: a metabolite of DHEA, with no apparent side effects - i.e. no conversion to testosterone or estrogen, and no effect on the sex hormones. What's promising about 7-keto is its positive effect on thyroid hormone levels -- without any adverse effects of any kind.

In quoting a recent study in his superb Diet Supplements Revealed (where the control group lost 0.57% of their bodyweight, and the group on 7-keto lost 1.8% - about 6 lbs on average), Will Brinks' says 7-keto is a potentially promising weight loss agent!

The promising beginning aside, these are clearly early days for 7-keto. More studies need to be completed to more thoroughly demonstrate 7-keto's fat burning ability.

ii) Green tea extract: a beneficial and all-round helpful ingredient, Green tea exhibits powerful antioxidant activity, is active as a glucose moderator, and has even been shown to elevate metabolic rate -- far beyond the level of its caffeine content. Don't get too excited though -- one study showed a 4% increase in 24-hour energy expenditure -- this translates into less than 100 calories per day for most people. If you are overeating, green tea won't help you.

iii) Serotain: contains 5-HTP, dervied from Griffonia simplicifolia, a West African plant. 5-HTP is often used to treat mild depression on the premise that as a precursor to serotonin (a chemical neurotransmitter found in the brain). 5-HTP can increase serotonin levels and influence mood. There is some evidence 5-HTP may indeed have an effect on appetite, and possibly even mood, but these positive results were obtained with nearly 10 times the amount of active ingredient found in Lipovarin.

iv) Carnitine: an amino acid which helps facilitate the burning of fatty acids (fat) in the mitochondria (the "energy furnace" of the cell). Although research on Carnitine has been inconclusive, it is generally not been found effective for anything under doses of 2,000 mg (there are 15 mg of Carnitine in Lipovarin). Carnitine may also provide some cardiovascular health benefits (a full review of Carnitine can be found here).

v) Metabromine: a stimulant derived from cocoa, and found in chocolate -- it too may have a positive effect on mood.

vi) Coral calcium: There does appear to be some evidence that calcium may have a positive effect on weight loss. It's cheaper to drink milk, though. One cup provides about 300 mg -- 100 more than what's found in the Lipovarin formula.

So there you have it -- Lipovarin, the latest "weight loss wonder". Despite the outrageous claims, this is a "better than average" product. While it may help you maintain an elevated mood and give you a boost of energy while dieting, don't expect miracles from it. If you've haven't already made the appropriate changes to your diet and lifestyle, Lipovarin will do nothing for you.

__________________
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