[MissDiana72]

Hello! I just discovered this website and like it a lot. Especially the cute logo! I am 31 and am 50 lbs. overweight. I used to be quite active (ran 5 & 10Ks) and slim, but lost inspiration and sooner than I thought, the pounds kept piling on.

I wanted to give my input on SkinnyFast, a brand I recently found at a local vitamin emporium here in NYC. It's stimulant-free (save for Green tea) and boasts bitter orange as one of its main ingredients --as well as an 'amazing results!' tagline. The 90ct. bottle sells for $20 and the pills are little less than an inch, gel-based (always good for nails). The dosage is 3 pills early in the morning, on an empty tummy. I absically bought it because I had read about the fat-burning properties of bitter orange.

I have had no side effects whatsoever and have lost 5 lbs. in 2 weeks. I am being sensible about my diet (no breads after 7pm), walk *everywhere* here in Manhattan, and drink loads of water w/ lemon juice (unsweetened). I've also taken up to having a shot of pure lemon juice right before going to bed--I'll let you guys know how that works out for me.

'Hope my review/suggestion help!

Diana

[MrsJim]

Hola! and welcome to 3FC.

In reading your post, I would say that your five pound weight loss in two weeks probably has a LOT more to do with your lifestyle changes (diet and exercise - I'm skeptical about the lemon juice...no harm in it, but I wouldn't call it a weight-loss aid - more of a diruetic).

Bitter orange is showing up in a lot of 'diet pills' nowadays - I read an article in Allure magazine last year that stated the supplement manufacturers were leaping onto the substance as a replacement for the now-banned ephedra.

Check this article out... www.newsday.com/ ny-hssupp0203,0,7010454.story?coll=ny-health-utility

WHAT'S IN THE BOTTLE
Bitter Orange Supplements

By Charles Choi

February 3, 2004

THE PRODUCT AND WHAT IT'S MARKETED FOR: Bitter oranges are used to make marmalade and flavor the liqueurs triple sec and curaçao. Native to Asia and cultivated throughout the Mediterranean, they are also known as Seville oranges, or by their scientific name, Citrus aurantium.

Bitter orange supplements are sold worldwide to promote weight loss and relieve nasal congestion and digestive system ailments such as ulcers, nausea, upset stomach and constipation. Nature's Way retails a 60-tablet bottle of bitter orange extract for $8, with two 900- milligram pills recommended twice daily.

The manufacturer notes that the supplement is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Bottles also note that bitter orange should not be taken by anyone with high blood pressure or heart disease, nor by people taking a prescription monoamine oxidase inhibitor. It is not recommended for pregnant or lactating women.

WHAT'S KNOWN: Since the Food and Drug Administration announced in December that it was banning ephedra, many of that herbal supplement's 12 million to 17 million U.S. customers now look to alternatives such as bitter orange to help lose weight, as well as for its other touted benefits.

"Very little, if any, evidence exists to suggest it actually works for any of these problems," Dr. Stephen Bent of the University of California at San Francisco said. FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan has noted that bitter orange is under increased scrutiny for potential safety risks.

Bitter orange contains a stimulant known as synephrine, which is chemically similar to adrenaline and ephedrine, the chemical behind ephedra's potency.

"There is one very small trial that suggests it might be of benefit -- but this is, at best, suggestive and not definitive," Bent said.

Synephrine also may constrict blood vessels and cause high blood pressure "and may pose the same risks of stroke or myocardial infarctions that are believed to occur with ephedra," Bent said. "In my opinion, no one should take it until it is studied more carefully, because there are not enough studies to prove that it is or is not safe."

Side effects of bitter orange supplements in humans are not well studied. "In animals, it has caused cardiovascular toxicity. There are theoretical reasons to believe it might increase blood pressure, pulse and have adverse cardiovascular effects, but this has not been proven," Bent said.

Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., cautioned that anyone taking drugs on a daily basis should avoid bitter orange since it can increase levels of a variety of drugs in the blood.

"Citrus aurantium has a substance in it that grapefruit juice also has, 6',7'-dihydroxybergamottin. It inhibits a drug-metabolizing enzyme, so that drugs are cleared less quickly," Fugh-Berman said. "That can be a bad thing, such as with warfarin, the generic name for the drug Coumadin, an anticoagulant. You have to keep warfarin at a very specific level in the bloodstream, or you can have unpleasant bleeding episodes."

Moreover, bitter orange supplements often are combined with caffeine or herbs containing caffeine, such as tea, guarana, maté or kola nut. "Caffeine can amplify adverse effects caused by other substances that affect the bloodstream, such as ephedra," Fugh-Berman said.

Researchers also have not yet carried out clinical studies into any long-term effects of bitter orange usage, "which is, of course, a big problem," Bent said, since many people may use it long-term without knowing if it has harmful consequences. "People tend to go overboard with anything for weight loss," Fugh-Berman noted. "Just because adverse effects haven't been linked with bitter orange yet does not mean it's safe. Its wide use is very recent, and adverse effects take time to get reported."

Fugh-Berman also said that while traditional Chinese medicine has used bitter orange for centuries, "it was not for weight loss. It was used mainly for digestive problems."

Bitter orange essential oils have shown antibiotic and antifungal properties in lab studies, as do many herbal oils. But such oils are extremely concentrated and dangerous. "People aren't even supposed to put pure essential oils on their skin," Fugh-Berman said.

OTHER APPROACHES: "I think weight loss really must be addressed by the simple steps -- more exercise and fewer calories," Bent said.

"There's no quick and easy way to lose weight that's safe," Fugh-Berman added.

And here's Supplementwatch's analysis of Bitter Orange...

http://www.supplementwatch.com/supat...upplementId=87

Citrus aurantium

Description - Synephrine is the main "active" compound found in the fruit of a plant called Citrus aurantium. The fruit is also known as zhi shi (in traditional Chinese medicine), and as green orange, sour orange and bitter orange in other parts of the world. Synephrine is chemically very similar to the ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine found in many OTC cold/allergy medications and in a number of weight loss and energy supplements which contain Ma Huang.

Claims - Increases metabolic rate
Increases caloric expenditure
Fat burner
Promotes weight loss
Increases energy levels


Theory - Because synephrine is a stimulant, similar to caffeine and ephedrine, it is thought to have similar effects in terms of providing an energy boost, suppressing appetite and increasing metabolic rate and caloric expenditure. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), zhi shi is used to help stimulate the Qi (energy force). Although synephrine and several other compounds found in zhi shi are structurally similar to ephedrine and are known to act as stimulants (via adrenergic activity), zhi shi does not appear to have the same negative central nervous effects of ma huang (ephedra). Through its stimulation of specific adrenergic receptors (beta-3, but not beta-1, beta-2 or alpha-1), zhi shi is theorized to stimulate fat metabolism without the negative cardiovascular side effects experienced by some people with Ma Huang (which stimulates all beta-adrenergic receptors).

Scientific Support - The effects of synephrine alone or in combination with other ingredients such as kola nut and guarana (both are caffeine sources) or with salicylates such as white willow (a natural form of aspirin) generally fall into the category of acting as a mild stimulant. The extract of citrus aurantium, in addition to synephrine, also contains tyramine and octopamine. Octopamine may be related in some way to appetite control, as it is thought to influence insect behavior by stopping bugs from eating the citrus fruit (so if you’re an insect, this may be the perfect weight loss supplement for you). Importantly, each of these related compounds (synephrine, ephedrine and octopamine) can result in elevated blood pressure.

A recent study conducted in dogs suggests that synephrine and octopamine can increase metabolic rate in a specific type of fat tissue known as brown adipose tissue (BAT). This effect would be expected to increase fat loss in humans – except for one small detail – adult humans don’t have brown adipose tissue.
As it stands now, citrus aurantium extract exists as one of the most over-hyped ingredients on the weight loss scene. There are some interesting theories on how it might work to increase metabolic rate and promote weight loss, but most are couched in pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo and none are backed by any credible scientific evidence of effectiveness in humans.


Safety - Both isolated synephrine and citrus aurantium extract have been shown to raise blood pressure in animal studies. Until more studies are conducted on the safety, pharmacology and efficacy of citrus aurantium as a thermogenic supplement, it should be treated as an ingredient with mild stimulant properties and should be avoided by individuals with cardiovascular concerns such as hypertension.

Value - The most likely explanation for weight loss effects attributed to citrus aurantium supplements is the amphetamine-like effects of the alkaloids. Although this effect is likely to be somewhat less dramatic that effects induced by Ma Huang (ephedra alkaloids), users can expect variable effects including reduced appetite and heightened feelings of energy (similar to caffeine) – both of which are likely to result in weight loss.

Bottom line, as always - caveat emptor.

I really hate to see you giving the credit for your hard work to a spurious diet pill...pat YOURSELF on the back and keep up the good work! (And in the future, you might want to save the money you'd spend on crappy 'diet pills' for new clothes or fun stuff).

[Suzanne 3FC]

Hi Diana, and welcome to 3FC! Congratulations on your 5 lb loss!! Walking and cutting back food consumption works wonders I would like to comment, though, on your reference to SkinnyFast and bitter orange. I don't have a label to check ingredients, but you already mentioned green tea and bitter orange, so ti's not stimulant free. Diet supplement makers slap the term stimulant free on anything that doesn't contain ephedra, but they usually still have some sort of stimulant. Bitter orange is being marketed as an ephedra substitute, and carries with it other dangers.

An interesting article: http://www.firstcoastnews.com/onyour...?storyid=13344

I'll quote part

The ingredient drawing the most attention is bitter orange, which McClellan says the FDA is monitoring closely because it contains synephrine, a stimulant chemically similar to ephedra.

Also called citrus aurantium, the peel of this very sour "Seville orange" is found in some foods like orange marmalade.

"It's not as potent as ephedra unless you take it in much higher doses," says Mark Blumenthal of the American Botanical Council.

But some scientists note that synephrine can increase blood pressure and constrict blood vessels, as ephedra does, and question whether using it with caffeine could worsen those effects the way taking ephedra with caffeine does.

"There's not really a reason to think citrus aurantium will be safer," says Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman of Georgetown University, an expert on herbal supplements.

More worrisome, she says, is that bitter orange could interact dangerously with prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

Why? It's related to a longtime warning against taking medications with grapefruit juice. Grapefruit contains a natural chemical that inhibits one of the body's drug-metabolism routes so that some medicines build up to dangerous levels, and bitter orange contains even more of that drug-boosting substance, says Fugh-Berman.

Studies to date show bitter orange inhibits metabolism of at least two drugs, the popular over-the-counter cough medicine dextromethorphan and the prescription blood-pressure drug Plendil.

As for shedding pounds, there's no evidence in people yet that it works.

I've been following medical news on bitter orange and other similar products for several years, and have yet to find anything that I can recommend for weight loss. The only thing proven to work, for safe and long term results is a healthy diet and exercise program.