Noxycut Fat Burner Review: Burn Fat And Pack On The Muscle?

Posted By Paul on Sep 27, 2012 | 0 comments

Sold online (from eBay and a web site) Noxycut claims to do more than merely prevent the loss of muscle mass normally associated with dieting. It claims to increase it. According to the Noxycut web site…

” Noxycut is formulated to help shred fat and add insane amounts of rock-hard muscle enhancing your muscle building efforts…Noxycut is the only supplement that’s ever been developed to help you get the body you want in just 14 days, GUARANTEED!”

This rather amazing accomplishment is thanks to its “…scientifically advanced combination of powerful fat-burning ingredients and an intense muscle-building formula.”

TestoRipped is another “amazing” fat blasting, muscle building product sold online… and it sports exactly the same ingredient profile as NoxyCut. It is very obviously the same company selling the same product under two different names. This hardly adds credibility to either of these two products.

Too bad none of this true. Let me explain why…

First of all, the claims made by Noxycut — lose weight AND build muscle at the same time, — are physiologically contradictory. You see, losing weight requires a caloric deficit. Building a significant amount of muscle requires a caloric surplus. Although some advanced high intensity exercise programs claim otherwise (check Craig Ballantyne’s Turbulence Training) it’s almost impossible to prioritize both at the same time.

That’s why bodybuilders go on “mass” and “cutting” cycles. In the mass cycle, they consume surplus calories and build as much muscle as they can. In the cutting cycle, they restrict calories in an effort to rid themselves of fat while maintaining as much muscle as possible. And trust me, these guys face this reality despite taking the most potent anabolic steroids in the world.

You see, elevated testosterone levels do not prevent the loss of muscle mass in the face of caloric deficit — although they can certainly slow it. But they certainly do not increase muscle mass. The body simply cannot create new muscle mass without the raw material necessary to do so (calories — from protein, fats, and carbohydrates). It’s sort of like asking a carpenter to build a garage with 2 pieces of lumber. There simply isn’t the raw material available.

And that’s assuming the ingredients in Noxycut actually do anything to boost test levels. Let’s have a closer look at the formula…

1. Tribulus terrestris: To date, I’ve found no studies that validate tribulus’ ability to boost testosterone levels. In fact, I found two that showed the opposite (Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2000 Jun;10(2):208-15, J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Oct 3;101(1-3):319-23). Yes, they indicated that tribulus had no effect on either body composition or androgen (testosterone) production.

2. Caffeine: Caffeine: 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).

3. Creatine (reviewed in full here): As a sports performance supplement, creatine is a “no-brainer.” It provides the raw material to enhance the production of energy in the muscle cell (it re-energizes the ATP energy molecule).

By providing the body with large amounts of raw creatine, your muscles have the necessary raw material to perform more intense contractions (work) with less recovery time.

And, there are plenty of studies that validate creatine’s effectiveness on athletic performance (see J Am Diet Assoc. 1997 Jul;97(7):765-70,Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Feb;34(2):332-43, Med SCI Sports Exerc. 1998 Jan;30(1):73-82).

What you’ll notice if you check any of these studies is that they were performed with subjects taking anywhere from 20 grams per day of creatine and up. And although the creatine used in the Noxycut formula (creatine ethyl ester) is advertised as being a more potent and more easily assimilated form of creatine, recent research suggests it’s inferior to creatine monohydrate. Nor is there nearly enough of it included in this formula to elicit any sort of response (Noxycut only contains 100mg of creatine).

4. Glutamine: A “conditionally-essential” amino acid, and a great supplement… but in amounts much larger than the measly 100mg included in Noxycut.

There are plenty of clinical studies that indicate glutamine has no positive effect on muscular performance whatsoever (see J Strength Cond Res. 2002 Feb;16(1):157-60, Sports Med. 2003;33(5):323-45) even at the appropriate high dosage.

Glutamine is best used to enhance recovery times between exercise sessions, boost the effectiveness of the immune system and other extended periods of stress (glutamine may be especially effective as a post-surgery recovery supplement).

5. Arginine: An amino acid that is a precursor to nitric oxide (NO2).

Arginine alpha-ketoglutarate is the “granddaddy” of all NO (nitric oxide) “pump” products. Although recent research casts doubt on its value for boosting NO, it’s still widely used in pre-workout formulas.

However, you need to take a least 3 – 6 grams of arginine — that’s 30 to 60 times the amount included in this formula — to elicit a response. The 100 mg included in this formula is nothing more than “label dressing” (it looks impressive, but accomplishes nothing).

6. Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) : a flowering plant native to Indonesia and Malaysia, eurycoma has been used for years as an aphrodisiac. But as a potent testosterone booster? Well, there’s a few studies — all performed by the same people — that validate this ingredient’s ability to increase the sex drive of middle aged and old rats (see Phytomedicine. 2003;10(6-7):590-3, Exp Anim. 2000 Jan;49(1):35-8 and J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol 15 (3-4): 303-9).

Only a single, small study shows any positive effects for humans (Br. J. Sports Med. 37: 464-70), and it did show and increase in muscle strength.

Nonetheless, the jury is still out on eurycoma.

7. Cinnamon Extract: A spice produced from the bark of Cinnamomum cassia, that has been shown in some (but not all) studies to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose control.

8. Synephrine HCl: A sympathomimetic compound derived from Citrus aurantium (“bitter orange”). Synephrine is chemically related to ephedrine, and used as a substitute in “ephedra-free” fat burners. It’s been claimed that synephrine is as effective as ephedrine, while producing fewer side effects, but the evidence for this is slim. Synephrine appears to be mildly effective for weight loss, but – as Paul notes in his review “there is no evidence to support dramatic results.”

9. Gugglesterones:  plant sterols that are thought to be the active principles in guggul lipid – the resin of the medicinal plant, Commiphora mukul. In Ayurvedic medicine, guggul lipid is to treat gout, arthritis, inflammation and obesity. Guggul extracts also have potential lipid-lowering and thyroid stimulating effects.

Guggulsterones are often added to fat loss supplements, although the evidence suggests guggul isn’t a weight loss miracle.

10. Yohimbine HCl: An alkaloid that’s the active principle in yohimbe (bark of the African tree, Pausinystalia yohimbe). Yohimbine hydrochloride is sold as a prescription drug for erectile dysfunction.

Yohimbine (either in standardized form or as yohimbe bark extract) is frequently used in “male enhancement” products, as well as fat loss supplements. Yohimbine stimulates lipolysis by increasing blood flow in adipose tissue and blocking the activation of a ₂-adrenoceptors on fat cells…although it works better in theory than in fact.

Buyer beware: The Noxycut web site’s “Frequently Asked Questions” page claims the product is legal in United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.This product is NOT legal in Canada. Yohimbine is the culprit here… it is considered illegal.

Bottom line on Noxycut?

Basically, it’s a glorified tribulus product. With the exception of eurycoma longifolia and caffeine, none of the other ingredients in this formula are present in large enough amounts to elicit any response. If that weren’t bad enough, clinical data validating either tribulus’ or eurycoma longifolia’s effects on testosterone is darn short supply.

And the claims of “burning fat and building muscle at the same time?”

Totally bogus — and certainly not validated by any scientific data, anywhere.