EPH200 Fat Burner Review From Tom Lee Health -- Does EPH200 Work?

A lot of you have been asking me about the EPH200 fat burner from Tom Lee Health. So I decided to have a look. Unfortunately, my "B.S." detector was sounding at full volume within 5 seconds of my visiting the EPH200 web site. If you haven't seen it for yourself, here's the initial spiel...

"You have nothing special to do. There are no medications to take and you don’t have to deprive yourself of your favorite foods. Just follow the instructions and take a few capsules of EPH200 each day to lose up to a pound of fat every 24 hours."

Unfortunately, it is physiologically impossible to lose a pound of fat every 24 hours. Not even prescription diet pills work anywhere near as well as this. You have to remember that fat is simply stored energy -- and a pound of fat represents in excess of 3500 calories.

The body does not "miraculously" divert itself of calories -- the only way you loose them is if you burn them as fuel. And 3500 calories is a lot of energy. To give you an idea of how much, you burn approximately 600 calories per hour doing easy-moderate exercise on the treadmill. So a pound of fat represents almost 6 hours of exercise on the treadmill.

In other words, there is absolutely no scientific basis for this claim, and I'd be very surprised if the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) isn't breathing down the neck of Tom Lee Health very soon. One of the mandates of the FTC is to target companies using false and unsubstantiated claims to sell products -- and suggesting that no changes be made to your eating habits in order to lose weight is certainly one.

But what about the miraculous formulation?

Well, first of all, although a list of ingredients is provided (it's not particularly unique) we aren't told how much of each ingredient is included in the formulation, so it's impossible to assess the efficacy of this product (I hate when retailer/manufacturers do this!). Even the best ingredients will provide little in the way of benefits if included in only minimal amounts. So what's in EPH200? The main fat burner ingredients include...

• Calcium: increasing calcium consumption seems to be effective for weight loss for those individuals following a low calorie diet. However, studies showed 1,000 mg/day from dairy products (especially yogurt) is the most effective.
  
  
• Chromium: in the correct dosage, chromium is a useful insulin moderator, helpful for balancing blood sugar levels.
  
  
• Citrus Aurantium: While a few smaller studies have shown promising results, the jury is still out on the effectiveness of citrus aurantium for weight loss. For the most part, it's effects are invalidated and extremely hyped (for a very detailed article from HerbalGram.org on this ingredient, click here!).
  
  
• Green Tea: showing great potential as a fat burner, a full review of green tea is available here!
  
  
• South African Hoodia Gordonii: one of the most hyped weight loss products on the Net, with little evidence of its effectiveness. If you're interested, you can read the full review here!
  
  
• Garcinia Cambogia: standardized for HCA, or hydroxycitric acid. Early animal studies seemed to indicate that HCA/Citrimax displayed an amazing ability to block the conversion of carbohydrates into fat by inhibiting an enzyme called ATP-Citrate Lyase. It also appeared to suppress appetite as well. Since then, several studies seem to indicate that hydroxycitric acid has no positive effects, and no value as a weight loss and dieting aid. Please see the full review for more details.
  
  
• Gymnema Sylvestre: In the correct dosage, preliminary evidence seems to indicate this ingredient may affect blood glucose levels by reducing its absorption in the intestines. More evidence is needed to properly rate the effectiveness of this ingredient as a potent fat burner.
  
  
• Guarana: a natural source of caffeine, a mild thermogenic.
  
  
• Yerba Mate: also a natural source of caffeine. One study, (J Hum Nutr Diet 2001;14:243-50) indicated the combination of yerba mate, guarana and damiana delayed gastric emptying, and improved satiety (a feeling of fullness) in dieters. Unfortunately, damiana is absent from this formula.
  
  
• White Willow Bark: a natural source of salicin (an anti-inflammatory). In the old days, white willow bark would be used as a natural alternative to aspirin in fat burners based on the ephedra/caffeine/aspirin stack. Now, it provides little benefit in a fat burner.

What's the bottom line on this product?

Well, it does contain a few promising ingredients, and more than a few "not so promising" ingredients. But because we aren't told how much of each ingredient is included in the formula, and because the EPH200 product claims are ridiculous and completely unfounded (there isn't a shred of clinical evidence that verifies the claims), this product gets a big "thumbs down" from me.

Have you used EPH200?
Tell me what you think!

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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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