Phentremine Civ-Xr Fat Burner Reviewed
I heard of Phentremine Civ-Xr courtesy of some Spam (unsolicited bulk e-mail) that arrived in my mailbox one morning. Funnily enough, Elissa got spammed too, and sent me her notice about Phentremine Civ-Xr a mere 5 minutes after I had opened mine.
Note: In many countries (including Canada and the United States) it is illegal to send spam. Therefore it calls into question the credibility of any company that engages in such tactics. However, some retailers use affiliate programs in which they pay partners a percentage for generating sales. In some cases, it is the partners, not the retailers who are doing the spamming. Ethical retailers will fire such partners… but of course, the damage has already been done.
In this case, I ran the headers of the spam I received through the free tracking tool over at EmailTrackerPro to find this e-mail originated from Glendora, California from a computer with the I.P. address of 76.76.97.125. Apparently, it was sent from the email address [email protected] (although this address can be faked easily).
That said, what the heck is Phentremine Civ-Xr?
Well, according to the web site I visited, its the “strongest phentermine alternative” and its available without a prescription. It also reduces appetite, controls hunger, and provides a potent energy boost. To top it all off, it contains “all natural” ingredients (The term “all natural”, which is used by retailers to make the consumer feel “fuzzy and warm”, is absolutely ridiculous, as explained by Elissa in this blog post!).
Despite this “strongest phentermine hype” Phentremine Civ-Xr is a pretty ordinary product, containing lots of the old standards (and of course, it’s a proprietary formula, so although the ingredients are revealed, we can’t be sure just how much of what is included). Let’s have a look at what’s in the formula…
1. Hoodia: One of the most hyped and unsubstantiated weight loss products currently on the market. You can read a full review of Hoodia here, but otherwise, suffice to say there is no independent clinical research that validates Hoodia’s appetite suppression characteristics.
2. Citrus aurantium (standardized for synephrine): As a “chemical cousin” of ephedra, synephrine has replaced the ephedra content of many popular fat burners (ephedra now being illegal, of course). Retailers claim synephrine offers all the “fat burning” benefits of ephedra without any of the annoying side effects — sleeplessness, “the jitters”, elevated blood pressure and heart rate, etc, etc.
Unfortunately, the evidence to support these claims is a bit sparse. First of all, there are studies that show synephrine-containing products do elevate blood pressure and heart rate, despite claims that it is not a stimulant (see Ann Pharmacother. 2006 Jan;40(1):53-7. Epub 2005 Nov 29).
And it’s fat burning characteristics?…
This study (Obes Rev. 2006 Feb;7(1):79-88) concludes…
“While some evidence is promising, we conclude that larger and more rigorous clinical trials are necessary to draw adequate conclusions regarding the safety and efficacy of C. aurantium and synephrine alkaloids for promoting weight loss.”
And this one (Am J Cardiol. 2004 Nov 15;94(10):1359-61) on the “Safety and efficacy of citrus aurantium for weight loss” concluded…
“An extensive search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, and the Cochrane Collaboration Database identified only 1 eligible randomized placebo controlled trial, which followed 20 patients for 6 weeks, demonstrated no statistically significant benefit for weight loss, and provided limited information about the safety of the herb.”
One study (“Increase in the thermic effect of food in women by adrenergic amines extracted from citrus aurantium”) performed at the University of McGill in Montreal and published in Obesity Research (Obes Res. 2005 Jul;13(7):1187-94.) was slightly more positive. But although it concluded that citrus aurantium did not have any effect on blood pressure and pulse rate, and did elevate the metabolism, the results were hardly earth-shattering…
“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.”
3. Evodiamine: a Chinese fruit that some claim burns fat by increasing the body’s production of heat, as well as reducing the body’s ability to store fat.
The claims are supposedly “scientifically” proven. The problem is, they haven’t been scientifically proven in humans. There have been some promising “in vitro” studies and some done on rodents, but the jury is still out on whether this product has positive weight loss effect for humans (see this PubMed extract for more details).
4. Caffeine: 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), so it makes good sense to include it any fat burner.
5. Yohimbe: An extract of the bark of the African Yohimbe tree, this compound is often used as a natural aphrodisiac. A few studies bear out Yohimbe’s positive effect on weight loss (Isr J Med Sci. 1991 Oct;27(10):550-6) but its effects are hardly earth-shattering.
6. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA): Taken in the appropriate dosage ALA is both a great antioxidant and insulin regulator.
7. Chromium: This ingredient too, is helpful for managing blood sugar levels.
8. Senna: Commonly used for its laxative properties. Also can work as a diuretic.
Bottom line?
Phentremine Civ-Xr contains a couple of decent ingredients, but the bulk of the formula contains items for which their is little or no clinical evidence to validate their effectiveness for weight loss. Although not a terrible formula, it’s no real alternative to phentermine. And frankly, there are simply better and more thoroughly formulated products available — see our recommendations for more details.
