How did I hear about SlimVox?
Well, there are a zillion weight loss products on the market with new ones being launched everyday, so sometimes it’s easy to miss things. Luckily, I have you guys—the visitors to UltimateFatBurner.com—to let me know. Yes, you have been entering “SlimVox” into the search box enough times that it finally got on my radar and forced me to take a look (I receive a weekly email of the top searches performed here that allows me to determine what’s new and what people are interested in reading about).
So what did I find?
A product web site that makes a lot of unsubstantiated, ridiculous claims, and reviews—some text, some video—from “experts” calling SlimVox a “magic weight loss pill.”
Trust me, it isn’t.
So what is this miracle pill supposed to do? Here’s the list…
- Increase your metabolism.
- Suppress your appetite.
- Enhance and “lift” your breasts.
- Boost your energy.
- Give you your perfect body.
- Burn fat from the thighs, waist and butt.
So now that what we know what it’s supposed to do, we need to talk about the ingredients in the product and whether the scientific data for any of them supports the claims made by the retailer.
But before we do, a couple of important points need to be made…
Some of the blatant promotional BS “reviews” I read online made a big deal about the fact that SlimVox contains all natural ingredients. Despite the fact that “all natural” is a meaningless marketing term, even natural herbal compounds need to be present in a dose large enough to demonstrate an effect.
For example, your typical Advil capsule contains between 200-400 mg of ibuprofen, and there’s a reason for that; that’s the minimum amount needed for pain and inflammation relief. If you bought budget Advil that only contained 2 mg of ibuprofen, how well do you think it would relieve your pain?
Not too well, right?
That’s pretty much the issue here; while the SlimVox advertising does reveal the product’s ingredients, it does not give us any idea whether they are present in dosages helpful for weight loss (sorry, there are NO dosages useful for “lifting” breasts), or properly standardized. And, since there’s really no “good” reason to withhold dosage sizes from consumers, it’s not unreasonable to assume that the reason they do not reveal this information is so that guys like me can’t tell you 100% for sure what a load of garbage their product is.
Second, since these are herbal compounds, not drugs, you usually need more ingredient (comparable to a drug) to elicit an effect.
And there’s an additional problem too; capsule size. Yes, that’s right; there’s only so much stuff you can jam into a “00” sized capsule or two (the largest capsule size most people can tolerate). What this essentially means, is that simple logistics ensures most of the 19 ingredients in this product cannot possibly be included at a helpful dose.
The only purpose for all these ingredients then, is to dress up the label; make it appear more impressive than it actually is.
This is a commonly used dirty trick.
Anyhow, to sum it all up…
- We can’t tell how much of each ingredient is included in the formula.
- We can’t tell whether the ingredients have been properly standardized.
- We know most ingredients cannot be included at potent dosages, given the logistics of serving size.
Unfortunately,this makes an “ingredient-by-ingredient” breakdown almost pointless, since it’s impossible to assess the value any ingredient provides to this formula.
But you know what?
I’m going to it anyway, just because I’ve heard the most ridiculous things spouted by “experts” providing “unbiased” reviews of the product. You need to know the truth behind each ingredient.
So let’s take a look at the formula…
1. Green tea: Yes, it’s true; when present in the correct dose and standardized for the appropriate catechins, green tea offers a ton of benefits for dieters (see the full green tea review for supporting clinical references) although what you can reasonably expect from it is grossly exaggerated by the retailers.
2. Soy Isoflavones: Soy contains isoflavones, plant compounds that can mimic estrogen—which is why you’ll often see them in products marketed to women, including products like this one that make claims of “breast enhancement.” According to the SlimVox advertising…
“Lowers cholesterol levels by increasing the excretion of bile. This process eliminates cholesterol and other toxins keep you from losing weight.”
By now, you’re probably well aware that clinical data has confirmed soy’s cholesterol-lowering benefits. But lowering your cholesterol does not necessarily equate with weight loss, and the remainder of this statement—that soy isoflavones “eliminates other toxins”—is not supported by anything remotely resembling evidence. (Additionally, cholesterol is not a “toxin”, but compound essential for health—when present in appropriate amounts).
3. Chocamine: A proprietary cocoa extract, chocamine contains caffeine and other caffeine-related chemicals (also called xanthines), plus biogenic amines and antioxidants. While there is evidence that caffeine demonstrates metabolism boosting and performance enhancing characteristics (see clinical data here and here), there is no published data to suggest chocamine is superior to caffeine in any way.
4. Cinnamon: According to the SlimVox advertising…
“Cinnamon modifies the way the body uses glucose by accelerating the metabolism and burn excess glucose.
Not quite.
Some studies (not all) suggest cinnamon may improve insulin sensitivity. There’s no evidence cinnamon boosts the metabolism or “burns excess glucose.”
5. Ginger root: Normally ginger root is used as an antinauseant as it effectively calms stomach upset. Animal studies suggest it may reduce blood sugar and lipid/serum cholesterol levels.
Ginger contains compounds called gingerols, chemical cousins to capsaicin—the active component of chili peppers. Keeping this in mind, some suggest ginger may have the ability to boost the metabolism, despite the fact that there’s little human-based clinical evidence to support this assumption.
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) would mean any ginger-based supplement would need to include a ton of standardized ingredient to deliver a Human Equivalent Dose (HED). This product, for reasons already thoroughly covered, does not.
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).
6. Kelp: I’m going to return to the SlimVox advertising copy again here, as there’s some serious comedic value in this statement…
“Extremely effective at absorbing toxins and metabolic waste to eliminate many of the obstacles women face as they try to lose weight.”
Riiiight. Supportive evidence, please? I’ll save you the trouble; there isn’t any.
Kelp is normally included in weight loss supplements because it’s a source of iodine, and iodine is a precursor to thyroid hormones. Regardless, supplementing with kelp may only be helpful if you’re iodine deficient. And supplementing with iodine supplements isn’t without downsides either. According to the Natural Database, “prolonged, high intake of dietary iodine is associated with goiter and increased risk of thyroid cancer.
7. L-Tyrosine: Once again, the SlimVox advertising provides an “interesting” description of this ingredient…
“Helps balance hormone levels to decrease the number obstacles standing in your way of reaching your weight loss goals. Help you eliminate the impact of stress on your weight.”
Balance hormone levels? I’m not even sure I even know what they mean, but I do know there isn’t any clinical evidence to suggest anything of the sort.
Normally, tyrosine is added to weight loss supplements on the basis that as a precursor to the thyroid hormone thyroxine, supplementation may boost thyroid hormone activity and lead to weight loss. There’s no clinical evidence to support this assertion though. In large doses (much larger than present in this product), there’s decent evidence to suggest L-tyrosine helps boost cognitive performance and possibly mood.
These 7 ingredients are the ones featured prominently in the advertising.
In smaller print, the sales copy indicates SlimVox contains another 12 ingredients; Damiana, Don Quai,Wild Yam root, Oatstraw, MothersWort, Blessed Thistle, Fennel seed, Fenugreek seed, Magnolia bark, Passionflower, Razberi-K, and Elderberry. However, I am not going to do a detailed breakdown of these ingredients as none are likely to be present in a dose that constitutes anything more than “label dressing.”
It’s enough to say that the clinical evidence does not support the claims for a “miracle pill” (so much for the other “reviews” you’ve read, huh?).
And there isn’t a single ingredient in this formula that supports breast enhancement.
Truth is, retailers have been making claims for natural breast enhancement products for years (and getting sued by the FTC for making false and unsubstantiated claims for doing so), but the fact is, nothing works to enlarge your breasts other than cosmetic surgery. After all, if taking a handful of herbs actually made a difference, why would anyone bother with implants? To make matters worse, losing weight and boosting breast size are contradictory goals; since breasts are largely fat tissue, they`re the first things to shrink when you start cutting back on your calories.
In other words, to suggest that you can diet effectively and lose weight while increasing your breast size without surgery, is a ridiculous assertion.
But that’s not surprising, considering the advertising for this product is based entirely on ridiculous assertions.
Bottom line?
Sure, SlimVox contains a couple of useful ingredients, but without knowing if they’re present at a helpful dosage, it sure doesn’t warrant a purchase. You’d be better off stacking a decent green tea supplement with simple 200 mg caffeine pills. No, these are not a miracle either, but at least you know you’re getting effective doses of core ingredients of this formula. Plus, you’ll save a bunch too!
One other thing that concerns me is that no mention is made of who actually manufacturers SlimVox. Reputable, recognized brand names are quick to associate their products with their brands, but that’s not the case here. Why should this concern you?
Because if you don’t know who manufactures the products you are buying, how easy to do you think it is going to be to file a complaint or obtain a refund?
Not too easy, I can assure you.
