SlendeSlim Review: Do 8 Patented Ingredients Make SlendeSlim A Winner?
SlendeSlim™ is one of the many new fat burners and diet pills that capitalizes on the common misconception that “patented” ingredients are proven ingredients. Not so. As Elissa indicates in this blog post…
“A patent is simply a legally-recognized grant of property rights over an invention, formula, or design.”
In fact, anytime you come across the term “patented” in advertising copy—for ANY product, it’s time to turn the “skeptic-o-meter” up to full volume. Since patented does not mean “proven to work”, there’s no real reason to divulge this information to you. After all, you’re interested in finding out if the product will work for you. I doubt you could care less whether the retailer has a legally recognized grant of property rights over the product or not.
Ergo, the only reason to include this information is to further perpetuate the illusion that there is something very special about the product in question. And if they are using the term “patented” to do it, instead of something genuine, chances are it’s a pretty ordinary product.
Bottom line?
Beware the terms “patented” and “patent pending”.
Anyhow, let’s get back to SlendeSlim™.
It boasts an 8-ingredient blend of undetermined strength and potency (in other words, the retailer tells us what is in the product, but they don’t tell us how much of each ingredient is in it.
This makes it impossible to determine whether the promising ingredients are present in doses high enough to correspond with any positive clinical studies that may exist. It’s common tactic used by retailers to disguise the potency of their product formulas).
What’s in SlendeSlim™exactly ? Indeterminate amounts of…
1. Chromax®: The patented form of chromium picolinate. Chromium plays a role in regulating insulin function and as such, is a common ingredient in many weight loss products. However, studies show contradictory results when it comes to demonstrated benefits for dieters.
2. Slendesta®: A potato extract engineered to stimulate the body’s production of a powerful “satiety” chemical, cholecystokinin—or CCK. This potato extract is nothing new—an older product called Satise makes exactly the same claim. Unfortunately, there’s no peer-reviewed published data validating this potato extract’s effect on cholecystokinin and weight loss. And until there is, this one definitely goes in the “wait and see” category.
3. Viscofiber®: A soluble dietary fiber made from oat grain. You won’t get any argument from me on the importance of fiber in the diet. Upping your consumption of fiber is one of the easiest ways to increase satiety (i.e., the feeling of fullness), and decrease calorie consumption. Taking a product like SlendeSlim™ isn’t usually the best way to get the recommended amount of fiber into your diet however. It’s unlikely SlendeSlim™ contains enough Viscofiber to make a difference to your hunger levels —and if it does, there won’t be room for anything else in the formula. Besides, fiber supplements are usually pretty affordable, making this product an expensive option as a fiber supplement.
4. ChromeMate®: Another variation of chromium, this time it’s chromium polynicotinate. Frankly, the presence of ChromeMate® in this formula makes Chromax® redundant. One source of chromium is enough—you’re not going to get much in the way of additional benefits by providing two sources of chromium. As I indicated previously, clinical data for chromium is contradictory, although one study did indicate this particular form of chromium is beneficial.
5. Selenium SeLECT: Selenium is a trace mineral that plays a role in a properly functioning thyroid. It’s unlikely selenium supplementation will help your weight loss program unless you are deficient in it. If you’re a North American, it’s unlikely this is the case, as the soil is rich in selenium (planted crops convert selenium into forms easily absorbed by humans).
6. Slimaluma: The patented form of Caralluma fimbriata, an Indian plant which shows modest weight loss effects. There is one positive study on Caralluma (see Appetite. 2007 May;48(3):338-44. Epub 2006 Nov 13). It concluded…
“While there was a trend towards a greater decrease in body weight, body mass index, hip circumference, body fat and energy intake between assessment time points in the experimental group, these were not significantly different between experimental and placebo groups. Caralluma extract appears to suppress appetite, and reduce waist circumference when compared to placebo over a 2 month period.”
7. Infinergy® DiCaffeine Malate: Besides the “boost” it provides, caffeine exhibits modest thermogenic activity, and is therefore a common ingredient in most weight loss products and diet pills. Much ado has been made by retailers about this “special” form of caffeine (which is bonded with malic acid). They claim it outperforms the regular stuff. Unfortunately, there’s no published data to validate these claims. In reality, dicaffeine malate may work as well as, better than, or not as well as, regular caffeine.
8. Bioperine®: A pepper extract, Bioperine is usually included in products for its ability to increase the bioavailability of certain ingredients. And yes, there is published evidence to validate this claim (see Planta Med. 1998 May;64(4):353-6).
The SlendeSlim™ sales copy references Bioperine’s “thermogenic” effect and its ability to ramp up the metabolism. There is no clinical evidence to validate this claim.
So there you have it. The SlendeSlim™ formula. It’s not terrible, by any means. However, there are some major problems that make it impossible to make a recommendation for this product…
- As previously indicated, we’re not told how much of each ingredient is included in the formula. For example, the positive study I referenced for Slimaluma used 1 gram (1,000 mg) of Caralluma per day (for 60 days). Does this product contain 1,000 mg of Caralluma? Who knows?
- For many of the ingredients in this formula (Slendesta, Cromax, Chromate) the benefits are largely speculative, or the clinical results are inconsistent.
- The cost. At $50 for a month’s supply, this is an incredibly overpriced product, especially when you consider that it’s a pretty ordinary formulation. Readily available, popular commercial products can be had for almost half the price (for instance, Nutrex’s popular Lipo 6 is available online for just under $25).
To put the “value” of this product into proper perspective, check out what it would cost to buy a few of the core ingredients from a reputable online retailer (we recommend BodyBuilding.com)…
- 2 60-cap bottles of Now Slimaluma Plus (provides a 1 month supply at 4 caps/day). Also contains green tea and yerba mate ($14.35 per bottle – $28.70)
- 1 bottle NOW Tri-Chromium. 90 caps, 90 day supply, also contains cinnamon bark ($5.99)
- 3 bottles NOW Oat Bran Plus 300 caps total, 3-month supply ($9.87)
- 1 bottle AllMax Caffeine 100 caps, 50-day supply ($4.49)
For around the same money I can guarantee I will receive the correct doses of the appropriate ingredients. Plus, this $50 buys several months supply of all ingredients but the Slimaluma Plus. I’m not suggesting this is the best course of action… this is just a demonstration of the product’s value.
The SlendeSlim™ web site claims a 100%, no-quibble money-back guarantee. Love to hear from users of the product to find out if they honor it…
