Biogenix Therm Acai Review: An Antioxidant Fat Burner?

I must admit I was feeling a bit tired and worn out when I took my first look at Therm Acai. That's why I had to rub my eyes, shake my head, and re-read the product advertising to make sure I wasn't dreaming. Sure enough, I wasn't...

"Therm Acai is an effective and powerful antioxidant fat burner! The quality ingredients used for internal fat loss are what make this product effective. The Acai present in Therm Acai will help your body lose the excess fat buildup."

Wow. This isn't just nonsense, it's outrageous nonsense. Acai-based weight loss solutions have been circulating around on the Internet for some time now (usually sold through "negative option billing programs") and have even attracted the attention of the law. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal had this to say about the common Acai scams...

“There are no magical berries from the Brazilian rainforest that cure obesity — only painfully real credit card charges and empty weight loss promises. Aggressive acai berry pitches on the Internet entice countless consumers into free trials promising weight loss, energy and detoxification. These claims are based on folklore, traditional remedies and outright fabrications–unproven by real scientific evidence."

Yep, he's right. While acai is a decent antioxidant with certain beneficial characteristics (see the acai review for full details) there is absolutely ZERO evidence it has any weight loss properties, nor that it is significantly more valuable than cheaper and less exotic antioxidant fruits (blueberries, pomegranates, concord grapes, etc.).

Well, maybe the other ingredients in Therm Acai will redeem it (you think?) What else is in it?...

• Green Tea Extract (200 mg) Green tea is one of the few weight loss supplements that shows great promise and has some decent clinical evidence validating its effects. However, its effectiveness is largely dependent upon its potency, dosage, and whether it is standardized for the appropriate catechins. It's impossible therefore, to assess the true value green tea adds to this formula.
  
  
• Garcinia Cambogia (100 mg): Standardized for 50% hydroxycitric acid, an ingredient many thought would prove as effective a diet and weight loss aid to humans, as it appeared to be to animals. Not so. An early study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA. 1998 Nov 11;280(18):1596-600) indicated that hydroxycitric acid has no positive weight loss effects, concluding...

  "Garcinia cambogia failed to produce significant weight loss and fat mass loss beyond that observed with placebo."

• Caffeine (50 mg): Not surprising to find this here—caffeine has a well established record as a mild thermogenic, and does deliver mild weight loss results (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97).
  
  It also cheaply and effectively addresses the most common complaint of dieters; lack of energy. This is a relatively low dose however, as most fat burner supplements contain 2-4 times this amount. Unless you are someone who does not drink coffee or caffeinated beverages on a regualr basis, it's unlikely you will feel much of a boost from this product.
  
  
• Apple cider vinegar: An age old weight loss "scam" there is no evidence apple cider vinegar helps with weight loss, although it appears to delay gastric emptying and improve insulin function in diabetics.
  
  
• Kelp: Seaweed or kelp is found in many fat burners because of its iodine content. Iodine is used by the thyroid gland to make the various thyroid hormones necessary for optimal performance. Low or sluggish thyroid performance can lead to low energy levels or overweight.

  Of course, iodine supplementation is only helpful if you actually have low levels of thyroid hormone. If you are not iodine deficient, kelp may possibly induce hyperthyroidism. According to the Natural Database, "prolonged, high intake of dietary iodine is associated with goiter and increased risk of thyroid cancer.

• Grapefruit: Because of the ambiguous nature of the way this ingredient is labeled, it's difficult to assess its role here. Is the grapefruit powder standardized for narinigin? After all, naringin is often included in products to enhance the bioavailability of ingested nutrients/nutraceuticals, although specific benefits have not been demonstrated.
  
  It also has cholesterol-lowering effects, and can affect drug metabolism. Grapefruit seed extract, on the other hand, has anti-microbial properties; nothing wrong with that, of course, but not a valid reason for its inclusion in this product.

And there you have it, Therm Acai in a nutshell. Despite the less than postive review, Therm Acai is pretty cheaply priced; $9.99 for 60 capsules at BodyBuilding.com. It's too bad that we don't know a little more about the green tea in this formula—if standardized for the appropriate amount of EGCG, Therm Acai would be a decent low cost green tea / caffeine fat burner (studies show the combination of caffeine with green tea is helpful for weight loss).

Since we don't know, it's impossible to make the call.

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