Certiphene Review & Information: Should You Try Certiphene?
Ugh.
That’s about the most positive thing I can say about the Certiphene fat burner. Yup, I’ve just returned from checking out the Certiphene web site. Several visitors had requested a review, so I figured it was time to have a look. And I’ll have to say…
I wasn’t disappointed. I got exactly what I expected.
Sure, Certiphene “sounds” impressive enough… after all, the arguments are persuasive, and the term “clinical study” is thrown about with great alacrity. Heck, they’ve even included some study excerpts on the site.
Unfortunately, none of this matters.
Here’s the main reason why…
Although the retailers of Certiphene are eager to tell you what is in their product, they don’t reveal how much of the various ingredients it contains. That’s important.
Without this information, you can’t compare the amount of ingredient included in the product to the amount used in the clinical studies.
This is a pretty common underhanded tactic used by retailers.
Here’s a product that I recently reviewed, for example, that makes much of the fact that it contains many ingredients for which positive clinical study data exists. But when you check the studies and do some basic math you discover that the amount of the active ingredient included in the product is nowhere near the amount used in the clinical studies.
For Certiphene, of course, you can’t even do the basic math. That’s a huge red flag, and BIG strike against this product.
With that said, here’s what’s in Certiphene…
1. Hoodia: The most over-hyped, under-substantiated weight loss product currently available. You can read the full review of hoodia here, but in the meantime, let me say this…
Hoodia is an endangered species and takes several years to grow to the point where it can be cultivated. Mike Adams of NewsTarget.com estimates 80% of the hoodia sold in the world is counterfeit, while ConsumerLab.com (an online company that tests product label claims) says…
“It has been speculated that there is more Hoodia being sold today than could possibly be made from all the Hoodia gordonii plants in existence.”
Oh, and the “study” referenced by the Certiphene web site? It was conducted by PhytoPharm — people who have a vested interest in selling hoodia — and it was never published in any scientific journal where it could be critiqued by professionals.
2. Chromium Picolinate: The Certiphene advertising spiel labels this ingredient as a “metabolism booster.”
Not true.
There is no evidence chromium elevates the metabolism. What it does do, however, is help regulate insulin function. This can help balance blood sugar levels which may lead to reduced cravings for sweets and simple carbohydrates (study data on chromium use for weight loss is conflicting; see the full chromium review for complete details!).
It’s a worthwhile ingredient, but it’s no miracle fat burner. And, despite the hype, it’s an everyday ingredient common to the majority of fat burners on the planet. In most formulas, it plays a supportive role simply because its effects are largely recognized as being subtle.
If you’d like to experiment with chromium you can do so very cheaply (the NOW brand chromium sells at BodyBuilding.com for $11 for a 180 cap supply). These days however, I’d be more inclined to recommend Alpha Lipoic Acid instead (you can read the ALA review here!).
3. The amino acids L-Ornithine and L-Arginine: Included for their “muscle toning potential”, it’s a well known fact that protein and its amino acid constituents are an essential requirement for muscle building. But to suggest an indiscriminate amount of either of these two aminos is going to transform your body — through the release of growth hormone or some other method — is ridiculous, and without basis in any sort of fact.
4. Kola Nut and Guarana: Both included for their caffeine content. Caffeine’s benefit as a thermogenic (fat burner) is well documented (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97), but unfortunately we don’t know how much this formula contains.
5. Gymnema: Gymnema sylvestre is an interesting plant. It is used to treat diabetes, and there is some preliminary evidence that it is useful this regard (J Ethnopharmacol 1990;30:281-94. J Ethnopharmacol 1990;30:295-300). These studies, however, were performed with a 400 mg strong Gymnema sylvestre extract — is there that much in Certiphene?
Who knows?
Gymnema also seems to inhibit the ability to taste sweet or bitter (studies proving this have been performed in large part on mice and rats — see Am J Physiol. 1995 Apr;268(4 Pt 2):R1019-25 as an example).
Other animal studies suggests gymnema inhibits the uptake of glucose in the small intestine (see J Vet Med Sci. 1997 APR;59(4):245-51).
6. Bladderwrack: touted by various supplement makers to burn fat, bladderwrack contains a high concentration of iodine. 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, and are not overweight for other more common reasons — like the over consumption of calories and a sedentary lifestyle (incidentally, overconsumption of iodine can actually pose a health risk).
Despite this, research showing bladderwrack to be an effective weight loss supplement is “dodgy” at best. More research needs to be done to verify its effectiveness. Nonetheless, bladderwrack does seem to be effective for reducing blood sugar levels — helpful for reducing cravings caused by insulin resistance and simple carbohydrate overconsumption.
One concern though — bladderwrack can concentrate heavy metals and should not be consumed on a regular basis unless you can be sure of the source.
7. Ginseng: An adaptogen, usually included in fat burner formulas to boost energy or combat stress. It’s difficult to surmise how much ginseng is in Certiphene, and whether it offers any benefit other than “label dressing.”
In the end, Certiphene is an expensive product of indiscriminate strength and potency ($59 is a lot of money for this product — you can buy much, much better products for a whole lot less money)
And, despite the claims of “clinical evidence”, there have been no studies performed on the Certiphene product itself.
Worse yet, the hyped clinical studies performed upon the core ingredients either do not support Certiphene’s claims of weight loss (i.e. chromium), or they are inconclusive for weight loss (i.e., PhytoPharm’s hoodia trial was never published in any journal where its methodology could be critiqued by professionals).
The Certiphene web site also offers a “free trial” offer which I highly recommend you avoid. I’ve written how many online companies use these free trial offers to obtain their visitors’ credit cards and then add them to a recurring billing program.
That IS the case with Certiphene.
If you order the free trial, you will be added to a recurring billing program within 14 days of placing the order — not within 14 days of receiving the order. In other words, if it takes you 7-10 days to receive the product, you could find yourself added to the recurring billing program (called the “Certiphene VIP Program”) by day 4 of your trial. That means that once your 30 day trial runs out, you’ll receive a 3-month supply automatically.
When you receive a 30 day free trial, it is logical to assume that you should be able to use the product for the full month in order to truly assess its value. Not so… you must cancel your subscription within 14 days of placing your order to avoid being added to the program.
Although I’ve yet to receive any reports of deceptive behavior by the retailers of Certiphene, I highly recommend avoiding both this product, and the 30-day free trial.
Update: How the mighty have fallen! The Certiphene web site seems to have disappeared, and the only trace of the product I could find online was on one obscure retail web site, where it was selling for a whopping $7.95. It’s still overpriced, however, since the formula is basically worthless.
