Review Of Gaspari’s CytoLean Fat Burner: Does CytoLean Work?
CytoLean is brought to from Gaspari Nutrition, and it replaces the now discontinued 3° Burn (if you are looking for the newest version of this product, CytoLean V2 is reviewed here!). Rich Gaspari, the CEO of Gaspari Nutrition, is a former pro bodybuilder who’s transformed his love of this very demanding sport into the development of a “much better than average” sports supplement line.
CytoLean, not surprisingly therefore, is not your typical fat burner. Sure, CytoLean does contain surefire favorites like green tea (standardized for catechins and ECGC) and caffeine.
Green tea has shown great promise as a weight loss aid (see the full review of green tea here!), and when used in combination with caffeine has been shown to exhibit even greater fat burning benefits (see Obes Res. 2005 Jul; 13(7): 1195-204).
Cytolean also contains glucoronolactone, a carbohydrate more commonly found in energy drinks like RedBull, RockStar and so on.
However, the crux of the ingredient profile is based upon the ingredient phenylethylamine. In case you don’t remember, phenylethylamine is the “ampthetamine-related” chemical present in chocolate which produces that famous “chocolate high.”
Unfortunately, simple supplementation with phenylethylamine won’t do much to improve your mood.
That’s because the majority of it gets metabolized by an enzyme known as “monamine oxidase.” This prevents all but the slightest amounts from reaching the bloodstream. And alas… no feelings of “well being” or mild euphoria.
That’s where the large majority of the remainder of this formulation’s ingredients come into play — evodia rutaecarpa extract, hordenine, gingko biloba extract, uncaria rhynchophylla, and sinofranchetia chinensis. All of these ingredients are used for their ability to “inhibit” the action of the monamine oxidase enzyme that metabolizes phenylethylamine.
Theoretically therefore, with the action of the monamine oxidase severely compromised, the phenylethylamine could reach the bloodstream unscathed. There, it could travel directly to the brain, and lead to what Gaspari Nutrition calls “a unique “feel good,” euphoric effect that is sure to take the industry by storm.”
Also included in this formula are the amino acids phenylalanine and l-tyrosine. Phenylethylamine (that’s the chocolate “feel good” chemical, right?) can be naturally synthesized from phenylalanine via a process called enzymatic decarboxylation. L-tyrosine is the precursor to several thyroid hormones as well as several important “feel good” neurotransmitters.
Obviously, some real thought went into the development of the Cytolean formula. The $10,000 question is…
Does it work?
The most obvious answer is… there are currently no double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized, peer-reviewed studies that indicate that it does.
On the other hand, this is a very unique and well-thought out product developed by a company known for its quality compilations. Cytolean is a product that has piqued my interest like no other has in a long while. I’ll definitely be giving this product a try, and I’d love to hear from those of you who have tried it yourselves.
December 11, 2007
I was using Phentermine from a weight loss clinic but it caused me to wake up around 3 am and not be able to fall back asleep.
So, a lady at the Vitamin Shoppe told me about Cytolean. I just started it this morning and it really gave me a lot of energy.
I probably should have started off with one in the am and one in the early pm. I am anxious to see if this is going to help me. The Phentermine was causing me to lose weight daily. I am hoping the Cytolean will do the same. I will write it weekly to update.
November 29, 2007
just started taking it today…
hope it works..
January 4, 2008
I have been on Cytolean for 3 days and I am not feeling the energy that others are claiming to get. I also don’t feel the heat that others claim to get. I am taking 2 am then 2 pm. I have noticed some appetite suppression. I guess only time will tell, so far, I am NOT very excited about this product.
January 6, 2008
I have used Cytolean for 4 days now and have lost 3 pounds. I can tell a definite difference in my hunger levels and I do have more energy. I have been making the effort to eat healthier and with the new energy, to move more. I have about 20 pounds to lose and I believe that Cytolean will help me to my goal. I am taking 1 pill in the morning and sticking to a lower carb diet. When the weight loss starts to slow , I plan to add another pill around noon. This product is the best that I have ever used and believe me – I have tried alot of them over the years!! I would definitely purchase it again as well as recommend it to others.
January 23, 2008
I have been taking Cytolean for a month and I’ve lost two pounds but I also have been watching what I eat and exercising. I dont feel the extra energy but I think it is helping me control my appetite somewhat. I am going to continue to take for another month and I will let you know my results
January 29, 2008
NO… it is not all that great a product. The claims have been exaggerated. It is better to stick with the ECA stack.
January 31, 2008
I have been taking Cytolean for 2 days now I definitely feel the heat. My appetite has been surpressed.
I also feel like running a marathon. I hope it continues to work this well.
February 1, 2008
I just started today, and I can feel the energy!!! I think it works.
February 12, 2008
So far so good! Been on it for 2 days and I have a lot of energy and seemed to be in a great mood since I’ve started.
I have not tried working out with it yet – I will start that tonight. I have lost 3 lbs. already… I like it so far!
February 20, 2008
I have been taking Cytolean since the beginning of Jan. I LOVE IT!! Not only have I lost 17lbs (with strict diet and exercise) I don’t get the jitters like I have with some of the others.
I actually would like to compete someday and I would totally recommend this along with Redline (not together I meant Redline is another product I like).
And “yes” it does give you that feel good mood. I stopped for about 2 weeks and felt tired and yesterday I started again.
WOW yeah…I missed it! Helped me get through my workouts and etc… GREAT PRODUCT!
February 21, 2008
I took cytolean for about five days and it seemed to be working very well by improving my mood and alertness. I could also tell that my waist was shrinking.
However, I had to go for a yearly physical for the Navy and I found out that for the first time in my entire life I had high blood pressure. I always have very good blood pressure. I do cardio and eat very well also.
It could have been any number of things that caused this but I really think that it was the cytolean in addition to novadex so be careful when combining the two.
March 3, 2008
My daughter took this today at 7pm and now at midnight she cannot sleep. She is having an anxiety attack, she is experiencing heart palpitations and her skin is crawling. The panic is making her feel as through she can not walk.
She is also experiencing the feeling of the room closing in and blackening as well as the feeling that she is going to die — all this to try to lose weight! This is happening right now, her father will likely be taking her to the hospital. A very concerned mother.
Editor’s comments: Although Kerri doesn’t say how old her daughter is, it is important to note that most fat burners contain potent stimulants, and are not to be used by individuals under the age of 18. Please read the complete label of any product you, or your loved ones are taking!
March 3, 2008
I just received a free trial offer and am excited to try it out.
However, I wanted to check out the comments from others who have already tired this product. Most say the same thing. The only ones that say its not working I’ve noticed in their comments that they are taking their dosage twice a day. If you read the package correctly, it states, “1 – 3 capsules 1 TIME PER DAY, depending upon your sensitivity to caffeine”.
Try taking your current dosage at once, rather than twice, as recommended. GOOD LUCK!
March 3, 2008
I have just finished 1 week on it, I take 2 in the am and 1 pm. I have noticed a big energy boost, but no jitters, but my appetite is still the same so I have to build up the willpower.
I believe tomorrow I am going to do start taking 2 in the afternoon, hopefully that might help with the appetite.
March 10, 2008
Second day using this product and I seem to be in a better mood than normal. I feel the need to get things done. I am really focused and definately have more energy.
If I take it in the morning, it does suppresses my appetite until late afternoon. But at night when it wears off I am starving! I might try to take another pill around 2pm.
March 24, 2008
I’m working off the free sample experience. I cut out caffeine from my life about a year ago, so I took only one pill, once a day.
The first day, I took it around noon while still at the office (I planned to hit the gym after work). Within a half hour, I didn’t have the ‘jitters’ exactly, but I definitely had trouble sitting still at my desk. I wanted to get out and go for a run, do something (anything!) active.
Second time, the next day (Saturday), I took it in the morning before doing errands. I didn’t have jitters or any restless feeling, but I felt more productive. I had more energy to complete all those annoying weekend tasks that need to get done.
Third time, another weekday. I took the pill a little closer to the end of my day to avoid the experience from the first day. Hit the gym after work as I usually do on Mondays, and felt great.
It doesn’t really suppress my appetite, didn’t change my mood (but then, I’m a generally happy person normally), but Cytolean did increase my motivation to be active.
There was also no ‘crash’ feeling normally associated with caffeine pills. I haven’t lost any weight from just the 3-pill sample, but I don’t doubt it has the potential to help with weight loss.
March 27, 2008
I’ve been taking Cytolean for about a week now. I struggle with depression and have noticed a slight uplift in my mood, though not a ton.
It does seem to help me focus better but so far, very little weight loss. Of course, one week in you can never expect TOO much. During the week however I have been fighting a cold and oddly enough haven’t had to be off work.
Unless you’re really sensitive to caffeine please, people, follow the dosage or don’t complain about no results. The second day I was on the product I felt a bit sick and dizzy, but i also hadn’t eaten properly that day.
March 27, 2008
I would like to give some positive feedback for cytolean.
I use cytolean with Tunguska blast and Nos blast, co-enzQ10 and it is cleaner than methamphetamine. I am a recovering oxycontin junkie.
For those of you who know, you can’t feel good without it. Until now. I challenge all you people hooked on drugs to get clean on Cytolean and adaptogens!
April 24, 2008
I have used Cytolean for six weeks now. I’m not a big fan of the “stop taking it after 6 weeks statement that it makes on the back.”
Overall though, the product is amazing. I have found that it really uplifts my mood and over the last six weeks I have lost 26 pounds. I have a lot more energy than I have had in a long, long while.
I would recommend it. Granted, it may not work for everyone, but I would without a doubt give it a try and see what happens.
May 22, 2008
I would definitly suggest to anyone trying to loose wight or get who just needs that energy boost, to try Cytolean.
I have been using it for a while now, and I was worried that I would eventually need to change products becasue my body would get immune to it, but I haven’t!
I’m on my second bottle now but I did take a couple weeks off of the supplement before I began the second bottle. Although I have only lost about 10 lbs, it helps me concentrate much better at school and work. I really do like this product!
June 11, 2008
I got very fat very quickly when I quit smoking. I tried several products but this one lives up to its claims.
I take two capsules every morning before work and drink a cup of hot green tea. I feel a lift in energy that lasts 4 hours and my appetite is suppressed.
Now I just eat healthy snacks all day fruit or nuts, staying away from sodas, drinking juices or iced tea.
Cytolean will work for some especially if you used to have a high motabolism, I can’t say how many pounds I have lost because I am avoiding a scale on purpose, but my “pot belly” is getting smaller!
June 15, 2008
I’m 22 and have tried everything from running 5 mile a day 5 days a week. I’ve eaten a healthy diet consisting of low carb and low fat diets and that has worked wonders for me. I tried this product and it was not any better than taking a mood enhancing drug like speed or coke.
June 30, 2008
Most of us know that there is not a magic pill and no pill will work if you don’t bust your buns in the gym (home or otherwise), eat right and throw in cardio for good measure. Coupled with my hard work, Cytolean is working for me. I am leaner than I have ever been and the energy I get from Cytolean is steady and sustaining. No crashes. I do feel the “mood enhancement” somewhat but it is subtle. I have tried a lot of Fat Burners over the years from Ephedra stacks to Clenbuterol and I have to say I like Cytolean the best.
Don’t expect miracles from any product but if you put in the work Cytolean will pay dividends.
July 11, 2008
They didn’t work on me, I can take them (2) and go to bed! The only thing I noticed was that I didn’t want to drink coffee with them because they are caffeine based.
The funny thing is that my girlfriend took them for a day and see was ready to kill someone, so my comment is that they work on girls less than 50 kilos (110 lbs). By the way I just wanted to loss 5-6 kilos. After 4 weeks I’m still the some 72 kilos.
August 27, 2008
Women, beware of Cytolean.
I started getting really oily skin, acne and facial hair. Thought maybe it was hormonal but it’s not. I researched “Cytolean and acne” online and found a statement warning females that Cytolean will cause acne, facial hair, high level of estrogen and hair loss.
I stopped taking Cytolean and started using products for acne (I’m 45). My skin is now clearing.
Cytolean did work as a fat burner and I miss that, but don’t want facial hair and acne. Will look for another fat burner. NOTE: I’m a healthy, athletic, 65″ tall, 117lb vegetarian female.
September 4, 2008
Today is Day 1 on Cytolean: I took 1 in the morning at 8am w/ my Special K bar and I was good till about 11am without hunger. I didn’t feel any jitters so I took my 2nd. I was very focused and energetic today.
I work in a very stressful sales environment and I was number 1 today out of a team of 25. It was my 1st time being number 1; usually I average at 5th-10th place. So, yeah I was in a pretty good mood. Don’t know if it was the pills or what but we’ll see tomorrow.
By lunch time, I put away my packed lunch and took a walk downtown, picked up a salad and had to force myself to eat it. I took a bit and it was delicious! Usually when something is yummy, no matter how full I am, I eat the entire thing. This time, I was actually able to waste food!
Nights are my hard part, so I popped another pill at about 2pm. I have dinner on the stove now and I am hungry but not too bad. I will update you all by Friday.
So far, I like this product but it is only day one.
September 23, 2008
Today is my first day on Cytolean. I’ve previously been on Venom’s Hyperdrive and found that made me anxious and jittery.
I still feel jittery on Cytolean, but that may be due to the fact that I am stuck at work doing close to nothing.
I took 2 in the morning and didn’t really notice any appetite suppression. In fact, I almost feel just as hungry as I would if I weren’t on it.
We’ll see how it impacts on my workout tonight.
October 21, 2008
I took this the beginning of 2008 and combined with diet and regular everyday work outs, I lost 30 lbs over a couple of months.
I usually took 1 pill a day because I also take Adderall for ADD.
October 21, 2008
I see some people wrote about recieving a free trial. I am interested in trying out this product, and I want to do the free trial before I actually purchase the product. To those who got the free trial: where/how can I get it?
November 9, 2008
Been taking CytoLean for about a week. Pretty decent on energy, but nothing yet on weight loss!
December 1, 2008
This is day 4 for me. I definitely have more energy and concentration. I didn’t work out for the first 2 days and just maintained but on the 3rd day I put in a good work out, and in return for that got a great loss of 1.1 kg.
For me the Cytolean seems to show results if you put in the effort – that is what usually how it works – but it’s not usually on this kind of scale that I see the rewards.
November 27, 2008
In my second week of taking Cytolean…
So far so good. It certainly makes me more alert during the day. Only drawback is that I have little trouble falling asleep at night.
I take two pills at 8 and another around noonish.
Down 3.5 pounds in my first week!
November 27, 2008
I noticed I have a bigger appetite since I started using the product. Maybe that’s because I eat almost always. For the most part this pill makes me sleepy and hungry. I will definitely stick with Hydroxycut Hardcore.
January 5, 2009
Got to say I only use Gaspari products and Cytolean does a good job at cutting the fat.
Having back surgery about 6 months ago and not being able to hit the gym for a year before that, now I am 205lbs with lots of abs showing. I have been out of Cytolean for about 2 weeks now but should be expecting the new stuff in the next few days.
March 27, 2008
I have been using Lean System 7 for a few months but was looking for something else to use in my quest to lose since the makers suggested limiting continuous use.
Well, I tried Cytolean, as always hoping for the best and expecting the worse. My experience was a mixed bag. I didn’t see much weight loss with this product but I must say my mood improved tremendously and I did feel it helped my energy level.
I’ll be going back to Lean System at the end of the month after giving my body a reprieve. I think with most supplements, depending on the individual some work better than others.
Lean system 7 works for me while it made my sister jittery.
Cytolean might work for some but as far as weight loss went for me, it was pretty much a bust.
Editor’s Comments: Isatori’s Lean System 7 is one of the few products we recommend. A money back guarantee, a clinical study… all help to make it a product worth experimenting with. To read our review…
Click here!
March 14, 2009
I’ve been using Cytolean now for three weeks. I have to say that it does an awesome job at suppressing your appetite, I’ve had to tell myself to eat every two to three hours because I’m just not hungry. It does a pretty good job on energy.
As for weight loss i haven’t lost a pound, although I believe that’s because I’ve been pounding my protein powder like crazy. That said I have seen a change in my body. There is a noticeable decrease with the fat on my thighs and my body fat % is down 3%.
Cytolean works for me. I’ll finish my 6 week regimen and either go back to Redline or try some of the new Lean System 7.
March 16, 2009
I have taken Cytolean for six days and I feel more energetic. My appetite is suppressed and I have lost 5 pounds already.
March 31, 2009
I have a pretty high tolerance to most supplements and I took 2 capsules this AM with breakfast and I definitely feel the heat and energy. I feel wired without the crazy jitters. I like this product and will continue to use it. Everyone’s body is different and will react differently to supplements. The key is finding the one that works best for you. It’s all about trial and error. I will continue using this product. I’m actually excited to do cardio later! 🙂
May 19, 2009
An employee at the Vitamin Shop recommend Cytolean to me. I’ve been taking it twice daily for about 2-3 weeks now. I don’t feel any more alert or energized during the day. I’m working out and eating healthy which helps, but I will not continue using Cytolean going forward
June 26, 2009
It’s my third day and one amazing thing I have felt is that my cigarette smoke bothers me a bit and it’s a positive thing because I want this smoking habit to be eliminated . So far it’s ok but let’s see how it goes in the near future .
June 29, 2009
AMAZING for me! This makes you happy, energetic, and decreases appetite a lot. I shed significant fat over just a couple of weeks. Very impressive. Works best in active people, not those with significant weight to lose. If you want a really strong stimulant this is not it. This is excellent for those who want something that’s milder than other fat burners and improves mood too (this was my favorite effect of Cytolean). This made me a lot more cut looking – exactly what I wanted. :>
August 6, 2009
Taking this product builds my stamina and dramatically increases my overall workout performance! I’m able to double my time on the elliptical machine!
August 7, 2009
Cytolean has become a personal favorite of mine. Although I didn’t necessarily notice a huge weight loss (wasn’t really trying), I did notice a difference in my overall mood and energy level. The only problem now is that I cannot find it at any of the nutrition stores. They said that the old product was pulled for reformulation.
Editor’s comments: Lydia, CytoLean has been replaced with CytoLean V2. We’ll be reviewing it over at UltimateFatBurner.com soon.
October 16, 2009
I’ve only recently started taking this, & I am sure it’s going to take time to really get into your system but I am definitely feeling a difference in my appetite. I am also feeling a difference in my energy level! Very excited to continue with this product, and see the end result.
November 15, 2009
Well, lost 8lbs in a week, was 130, now 122! I’m 5’6 in height.
Started on 2 caps, and by 5th day went up to 3 but unfortunately had an extremely bad reaction and ended up in hospital with uncontrollable muscle spasms and extreme nausea and vomiting and had to postpone my trip to Rarotonga! Have to blame myself though as it curbed my appetite so much that I didn’t eat for 3 days prior to this! So bottom line is, this product definitely works but be careful, because the weight loss is so overwhelming, you want more and this can lead to trouble.
If you’re not too overweight I would suggest 2 caps a day instead of the 3 caps. Back on it now and using two caps a day for 5 days, then break for 5 days, so product doesn’t build up too much.
November 19, 2009
I have to admit I was hesitant after HotRox didn’t do the trick, but so far I have lost 16 pounds. Its like anything else, you have to really want to lose weight.
I’m very surprised that it worked for me in all honesty.
February 22, 2010
Today is the first day I’ve taken it Cytolean. I woke up at 4 this morning, much earlier than usual but I still have a lot of energy. I had so much energy that I went for a run twice today and could have easily gone for more (I normally HATE running) but I had to release the energy somehow.
Also, I haven’t eaten much since lunch (its 11:30) and since then all I’ve had is a handful or grapes and a handful of cereal and that was only because I thought I probably shouldn’t be starving myself even if I wasn’t hungry. I’m thinking this stuff works for me.
February 23, 2010
It is great because it really helped me to reduce my weight from 220 lbs. to 110 lbs. It is really effective.