Despite the hype, the Zotrim “slimming pill” is a pretty common fat burner containing a blend of 3 herbs — mate, guarana, and damiana (exactly how much of each ingredient is included in the formula is hidden from us — it is displayed as a percentage of the formula, making it impossible to access the efficacy of this product).
While advertisers like to make a big thing of these 3 South American herbs and their near mystical powers, you should recognize that at least 2 of these 3 ingredients are commonplace in just about every fat burner on the market these days. In other words, there’s nothing really special about their place in this formula.
Advertisers also make a big deal about a “clinical study” validating Zotrim’s effectiveness. This study (J Hum Nutr Diet 2001;14:243-50) indicated that a combination of yerba mate, guarana and damiana delayed gastric emptying and improved satiety (a feeling of fullness) in dieters.
That is a good thing, However, you should know that the study is…
- Preliminary, and not a complete validation of these ingredients — in other words, further studies are necessary to confirm these results
- Performed on the raw ingredients included in the Zotrim formula, and not Zotrim itself, which may prove to be too weak to elicit any fat burning response.
Of course, we also can’t be sure that the ingredients used in the study are present in the same dosage in Zotrim. It’s a common tactic for retailers to reference a study, include the ingredients from that study in their product, but only at a fraction of the dosage used in the clinical study.
Nonetheless, one can’t discount the fact that there is at least some real data validating the effects of the Zotrim™ ingredients — for many fat burners, even that does not exist. Several less rigorous studies posted on the site suggest that it might help reduce snacking and contribute to a sense of fullness.
Guarana and yerba mate also offer additional benefits to this formula in that they are both sources of caffeine and other xanthines (caffeine-related compounds) that may display both energizing and thermogenic (fat burning) properties.
As I say though, it’s hard to assess the efficacy of the formula when a full breakdown of ingredients is not provided.
In the end, I’m hesitant to recommend the Zotrim slimming pills for this very reason, although I’d be curious to hear from you who have used the product.
