German American Technologies’ Jet Fuel Pyro Review

Posted By Paul on Sep 7, 2012 | 0 comments

German American Technologies’ Jet Fuel fat burner has been a popular weight loss supplement for some years now, and the newer Pyro version claims to be…

“…an advanced 4-part professional formula carefully engineered to be used by athletes, those competing, hardcore bodybuilders, and physique models who need to diet down, burn stubborn adipose fat faster and easier.”

Of course, when it comes to fat burners, talk is cheap. When the rubber hits the road, how does Jet Fuel Pyro measure up? To answer that, we need to take a close look at the ingredients profile.

What’s in it?…

I. The Jetfuel® Rapid Fat-Melting, Ultra Clean/Clear, Xtreme Energy Blend: A 1657mg blend of the following 16 ingredients…

1. Sesame Seed Oil:The original Jet Fuel contained an oil-based delivery system, designed to deliver a smoother and longer lasting thermogenic effect. The advertising for the “pyro” version makes no note of this, so I’m assuming the oil content of this product is included for its thermogenic properties alone.

Sesame seed oil contains a lignan called “sesamin.” It’s occasionally included in weight loss supplements on the premise that the active compound (sesamin) increases the oxidation of fatty acids in the liver and muscle tissue (which should result in increased fat burning), as well as reducing the levels of enzymes which contribute to the storage of fat. There’s no credible human-based evidence to validate this claim—big surprise, right?

2. German Miglyol Oil: Here’s a classic supplement retailer trick; using a less familiar and more “technical-sounding” name for a well-known ingredient. In this case, it’s MCT oil (medium chain triglycerides, usually derived from coconut oil). MCT oil played a big part in the delivery system of the original Jet Fuel, and it’s back again here, although its presence is disguised.

There is some evidence MCT oil may be helpful for weight loss, although at vastly larger dosages than included here.

3. CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid): A non essential fatty acid, which, when present in a potent enough dose (around 3 grams/day) has been shown to be moderately helpful for weight loss. Unfortunately, with only 1657 mg of ingredients in this 16-ingredient blend, we can be sure CLA provides little more than “label dressing” here.

4. Caffeine Anhydrous: A well-known thermogenic with established, albeit relatively mild, weight loss benefits (see Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Jan;49(1):44-50, Am J Clin Nutr. 1980 May;33(5):989-97).

It’s also used to cheaply and effectively address the most common complaint of dieters—fatigue.

5. Panax ginseng: A common adaptogen, with immune-boosting characteristics.

6. Green Coffee Bean Extract: Hard to know what role this ingredient plays here, since we’re not told what it is standardized for—it is probably something called “chlorogenic acid.” There is some animal data that indicates this compound has weight loss benefits (see BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006, 6:9); as well as one small (and somewhat problematic) human clinical trial.

7. Guarana Extract: This Brazilian shrub is often included in weight loss products as an additional source of caffeine, although it has both antioxidant and diuretic properties as well.

8. Fucoxanthin: A carotenoid isolated from brown seaweed, and used in diet pills for its supposed fat blasting characteristics. This, based on the strength of positive animal studies. Newer studies show the combination of fucoxanthin and pomegranate seed oil to be beneficial for weight loss. Human data on fucoxanthin is highly lacking, however.

9. Grapefruit Extract: Because of the ambiguous nature of the way this ingredient is labeled, it’s difficult to assess its role here. Is it standardized for narinigin? After all, naringin is often included in products to enhance the bioavailabilityof 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.

10. Vinpocetine: Often added to fat burners and pre-workout, stimulant blends designed to improve focus, concentration and training drive (see BSN’s No-XPLODE as an example).

11. Yohimbine HCl: The standardized extract of the bark of the African Yohimbe tree is yohimbine. This compound is often used as a natural aphrodisiac. It is also sold as a drug (in the U.S., a popular brand is Yohimex containing 5.4 milligram of yohimbine hydrochloride per tablet) and is used to treat impotency, dilate the pupil of the eye, and stimulate fat loss (studies indicating weight loss are promising but not revolutionary — see Isr J Med Sci. 1991 Oct;27(10):550-6).

12. Orange Peel Powder: It’s not revealed what this ingredient is standardized for; it’s likely for synephrine (see below).

13. Ginger Root Extract: Some small animal studies performed on zingerone (a component of ginger) have been positive for weight loss (Yakugaku Zasshi. 2008 Aug;128(8):1195-201) albeit the dosage used (170 mg/kg) is too high to be transferred into humans (a 180 lbs. person would need to take about 14 grams a day).Ginger also seems to accelerate gastric emptying… the opposite of the sort of thing dieters want (Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2008 May;20(5):436-40).

14. cAMP (3′-5′-Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate):cAMP is a “cellular regulator.” In other words, this compound is required to “spark” many intercellular processes. An increased concentration of cAMP can have such “total-body” effects as raised thyroid hormone levels and increased fat burning.Most studies performed on the effectiveness of cAMP for weight loss have been performed on herbal ingredients (i.e. forskohlin, clary sage) thought to stimulate it. This study (using 250 mg twice daily doses of 10% standardized forskolin) showed a modest weight loss effect.

15. Raspberry Ketones: Becoming more popular in fat burners, as retailers claim it has anti-obesity effects. Unfortunately, most positive clinical study data has been derived from animal studies, and human studies haven’t exactly been overwhelming.

16. Synephrine HCl: Once thought to be a credible alternative to ephedra, clinical evidence has not been kind to synephrine. The most positive study I could find concluded…

“CA (citrus aurantrium) alone increased thermogenesis, on average, by 4% (52), a response that is statistically significant but not necessarily clinically significant, representing an average 1 kg over 6 months.”

For more, see the full synephrine review.

Before I continue on with the remaining Jet Fuel Pyro ingredients, a couple of words about this element of the formula.

It is impressive looking, I agree.

However, most of these ingredients are present at a dosage far too low to have any real effect.

Consider, for example, the ingredient yohimbine. Because of its potent CNS stimulating properties, it is rarely found in any supplement in a dose greater than 3-8 mg.

Since ingredients on the label are required to be listed in the order of prominence (i.e., the ingredients present in the highest dose are listed first, following along in decreasing order), we can therefore assume every ingredient listed after yohimbine (ginger root, orange peel extract, cAMP, raspberry ketones, synephrine) is present in a dose less than 3-8 mg. That means they add absolutely nothing of value to this formula, and serve only as label dressing.

II. The Jetfuel® Super Uplifting, Serotonin/Dopamine/Anti-Fatigue Blend: A 377 mg blend of the following ingredients…

• Rhodiola rosea Extract: From our glossary…“An adaptogenic used in Russian folk medicine. Positive effects on physical/emotional stress have been documented in several animal studies and small human clinical trials.”
• Phenylethylamine (PEA): PEA is the amphetamine-related chemical found in chocolate. It is rapidly metabolised by the enzyme monamine oxidase, so oral supplementation provides little benefit. PEA-focused fat burners (like Gaspari’s CytoLean) contain natural MAOIs (monamine oxidase inhibitors) to offset this.
• Chocamine®: A proprietary cocoa extract containing methyxanthines (caffeine, theobromine, etc). Usually included in fat burners for its stimulant properties.
• German 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP): Used as an alternative treatment for depression (in doses ranging from 50-3,000 mg/day) and is also somewhat useful for weight loss, when used in a high enough dosage (900 mg/day).
• Olive Extract: Has antioxidant, antibiotic, and anti-hypertensive effects.
• Matricaria Chamomilla: Known as chamomile, which is often heralded for its soothing properties.

III. Jetfuel Ultra High-ORAC Antioxidant, Cellular Recovery/Repair Blend: A 135 mg blend of Indian Gooseberry, Acai Berry, Mangosteen Extract, Grapeseed Extract, Maca Extract. At such a tiny dosage, it’s a wonder why German American Technologies even bothered with these ingredients… unless it is to capitalize on the popularity of current “superfruits” and to make the label look impressive. Forget it, I just answered my own question…

IV. JetFuel® Bio-Nutrient, Maximum Absorption Blend: Contains 4.5 mg of BioPerine®, a proprietary black pepper extract which has been shown to improve the bioavailablility of certain ingredients. It’s a common enough supplements in many supplements for this reason.

So there you have it. Jet Fuel Pyro. In a nutshell.

As you noticed, it contains a ton of impressive looking (and sounding) ingredients. But as is the case with ALL capsule/tablet based supplements, there is only so much stuff you can cram into a manageable dose. And, when you consider that like prescription drugs, the medicinal plants, food compounds and herbs that are typically found in weight loss products need to be present in a potent enough dosage to have any effect, you can only come to one conclusion…

Most of the ingredients in Jet Fuel Pyro are hideously under dosed.

That doesn’t mean Jet Fuel Pyro is useless, of course. I suspect this product contains plenty of caffeine—and when combined with the yohimbine, synephrine and Chocamine also included in this formula—it is likely to give one heck of a boost of energy (the aforementioned ingredients all do offer mild thermogenic effects, even if what they deliver is not consistent with the advertising claims).

In fact, the advertising copy I reviewed talked almost as much about Jet Fuel Pyro’s ability to increase “training intensity” as it did about its weight loss characteristics. I have no doubt it will accomplish this.

And quite frankly, most people I have received feedback from (they used the original formula) seemed to be quite happy with their experiences. I would imagine the same thing would apply the this newer formulation.

But as a weight loss miracle, it falls WAAAYYY short.