Metabolife
356
Metabolife
356 is the flagship product of Metabolife International. This
company has made news (not all favorable) about its reporting
of the side effects that consumers have experienced with this
supplement. Metabolife 356 contains a proprietary blend of guarana,
ma huang, Siberian ginseng, ginger and seven other herbs. It also
contains spirulina, lecithin, bovine complex, chromium picolinate,
zinc, magnesium and vitamin E.
The most active ingredients in Metabolife 356 are ephedrine and
caffeine. Like other ephedrine/caffeine-based products, Metabolife
356 works by inducing thermogenesis (the production of heat),
which speeds up your metabolism and burns calories. It also has
an appetite-suppressing effect, so you feel less hungry and therefore
eat less. (For a more detailed discussion of how Metabolife works,
see Metabolife Results.)
The most powerful component in ephedrine/caffeine-based supplements
is ephedrine. It's long been regarded as a fairly potent thermogenic
compound, but it was found to be even more effective when combined
with caffeine. It's true that caffeine is also a fairly good thermogenic
compound, but it hardly measures up to ephedrine.
When these two nutrients are combined in fairly specific ratios
– 200 mg caffeine to 20 mg ephedrine (taken three times
daily) – the results are synergistic. In other words, the
effects of each are greater than the sum of their individual effects.
In fact, studies show that the combination of ephedrine and a
precise ratio of caffeine speeds up the metabolism and enhances
fat loss. The ephedrine/caffeine combination produces a synergistic
fat-burning effect that is even more effective than the once-popular
diet pills Fen-Phen and Redux.
Metabolife 356 contains 12 mg of ephedrine alkaloids from ma huang
and 40 mg of caffeine per serving. This gives it a caffeine/ephedrine
ratio of just 3.3 to 1, making it three times higher in ephedrine
than the ratio found by researchers to be synergistic. In other
words, it has much more ephedrine than the amount needed to be
synergistic, possibly giving rise to the number of complaints
received by the company (and reportedly not forwarded to the FDA
as required by law).
Although for most people Metabolife 356 is still safe, if you
have a history of heart or thyroid disease or drug abuse, an enlarged
prostate or high blood pressure, you should definitely check with
your doctor before you take this product.
Ingredients and Dosage Information
Ingredients
One caplet of Metabolife 356 contains 728 mg of a proprietary
blend with guarana seed extract yielding 40 mg of caffeine, ma
huang extract providing 12 mg of ephedrine, ginger root, Siberian
ginseng root, lecithin, bovine complex, spirulina and seven other
herbs. It also contains 75 mcg chromium picolinate, 5 mg of zinc,
75 mg of magnesium and 6 IU of vitamin E.
Dosage Information
Take 2 caplets 2 or 3 times per day on an empty stomach 1 hour
before meals. Do not exceed 8 tablets per day.
For more information
about Metabolife, see the following parts of this review:
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