Guest guest Posted March 8, 2006 Report Share Posted March 8, 2006 >Just curious what the pill does? From this web site: http://www.philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/trimspa.htm Trim Spa As with most " revolutionary products " promising weight loss, Trim Spa has people confused, and while many use it, few understand what they're ingesting. The original Trim Spa product was a caffeine + ephedrine stimulant. When the FDA put the pressure on manufacturers to stop using ephedrine, researchers went back to the drawing board. The Trim Spa EF (Ephedra-Free) sold today is a very different product than the original. Here was the ingredient panel of the original: * guarana seed extract yielding caffeine * ma huang extract containing ephedrine * ginger root * black pepper * long pepper * spirulina * cayenne pepper * kola nut * Siberian ginseng root * cinnamon twig * lemon verbana * chamomile flower * licorice root * tangerine peel * chicory root Most of the herbs have either stimulant or diuretic properties. As with all ephedrine based products, the weight loss is a combination of water loss and reduction in body mass due to calorie deprivation. The stimulants crank up your circulatory system and ephedrine acts on neurotransmission to minimize appetite. Was if effective? That depends who you ask. Was it safe? That also depends who you ask. If you haven't yet read it, you'll find the realities of ephedrine based products here. http://www.philkaplan.com/thefitnesstruth/ephedrine.htm The new Trim Spa ingredient panel has very little resemblance to the original. It does contain some stimulants, although nothing as questionable as ephedrine. Theobromine is found in chocolate, and in Trim Spa. It's a mild stimulant, similar in structure to caffeine although not as potent. It also tends to increase urine flow in humans which suggests it has application as a diuretic. Theobromine also has a " feel good " property to it which is why it 's theorized that chocolate acts as an opioid peptide. In chocolate, and in Trim Spa, theobromine is combined with phenylethylamine, another mood enhancer. Both theobromine and phenyletylamine are included in the " proprietary formula " as " Cocoa Extract. " Trim Spa also contains one primary ingredient from the original. Caffeine. It's a component of green tea. Chromium and vanadium are also in there. Both of these minerals have been sold as fat loss aids, chromium being a component of glucose tolerance factor (GTF) and vanadium theorized to mimic insulin. These compounds remain unproven and the research often quoted to validate these types of products is sometimes skewed and was rarely if ever replicated. The most interesting ingredient is an herbal extract of Hoodia gordonii cactus. It was used originally by tribespeople in the Kalahari desert to ward off hunger during long treks or times of famine. It appears to have legitimate appetite suppressing properties and has been approached with great interest by the pharmaceutical companies (who keep in mind have not yet found a weight loss drug that " works " despite several releases). Pfizer obtained the rights to use Hoodia gordonii to create their experimental appetite suppressing drug presently called P57. Citrus narginine is another ingredient, an extract of grapefruit. It is also theorized to suppress appetite. Trim Spa utilizes as a primary ingredient Glucosamine, the same compound being used effectively by many who suffer connective tissue maladies. There is some vague research to suggest that glucosamine might hold glucose in the digestive tract for a longer period of time allowing insulin to transport glucose efficiently inhibiting the likelihood of fat storage. Two other ingredients, Glucomannan and Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose are both used in OTC weight loss products to create a feeling of gastric fullness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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