Leptopril, Stacker 2, Trimspa, and Zantrex 3 – Are They Effective?

As of this time, there have still no substantial academic and independent studies that have been undertaken to determine the efficacy and latent effects of using Leptopril, Stacker 2, Trimspa, and Zantrex 3. This is why we have to rely on company information about these products as marketed in their websites.

According to their website, Leptopril is a “powerful anorectic agent”. According to the tests conducted by Generix Laboratories, the patients “taking the active Leptopril compound lost more than twice as much as subjects on the same diet program, but who took a placebo”. They claimed that the test was undertaken in a “two-month randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial”. However, active Leptopril compound only became effective to deliver weight loss in overweight individuals when the pill was combined “with a sensible, low-calorie eating plan”. Furthermore, the “substantial weight loss is postulated to be due to the ability of CAE (ingredient in Leptopril) to inhibit both glucose absorption and the activity of the enzyme glucose-6-phosphatase. The latter activity would limit the release of glucose into the general circulation and therefore limit insulinemia, which would in turn limit fat storage and new body fat formation and lead to utilization of the fat reserves for energy”.

Stacker 2 claims to be some “herbal enhancement pill” because it contains Kola Nut Extract (contains caffeine) and White Willow Bark. In the past, Stacker 2 contained ephedra. Ephedra refers some herbs that include the six ephedrine alkaloids, among which ephedrine is predominant. It is a naturally occurring substance derived from botanicals, and is also known as “ma huang”, Chinese ephedra and epitonin. Other botanical sources include Sida cordifolia and pinellia. In recent years, dietary supplements containing ephedra have been very popular in this increasingly overweight nation. However, ephedra has been connected to the deaths of more than 100 people, including Baltimore Orioles pitching prospect Steve Bechler in February 2003. Bechler’s wife has since filed a complaint against the producer of that ephedra supplement. Ephedra was also linked to heart ailments (Ling, 2004). At present, the Stacker 2 available in the market is ephedra-free. One study conducted by Frucht et al. (2005) compared the efficacy of Stacker 2 with another diet pill named One a Day Weight Smart. The researchers tested 10 groups of rats that received one of these supplements ground and added to its rat chow. Results in the experiment verified that the group of rats receiving Stacker 2 Ephedra Free produced by NVE Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “gained statistically significantly less weight and gained it at a statistically significantly slower rate than rats receiving One a Day Weight Smart or the control group”. Yet, the researchers claimed that “there was no statistically significant difference in metabolic rate of the three groups across time. These results present evidence that One A Day Weight Smart does not promote weight loss or stimulate metabolic rate and that Stacker 2 Ephedra Free does promote weight loss, but does not do so by stimulating metabolic rate” (Frucht et al., 2005).

On the other hand, Trimspa also claims to depend on herbal extracts that come from a cactus (Hoodia gordonii). In their website, Trimspa does not have any scientific studies to boast of; rather they have pictures of contestants from its promo Trimspa’s 2006 Million Dollar 12-Week Challenge. They posted the before and after photos of contestants that were encouraged to exercise, diet, and use their product Trimspa X32. Unfortunately, early this year, TrimSpa Inc. had been tasked to pay $1.5 million for consumer redress, according Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The commission has taken enforcement actions against some leading weight control dietary supplements, alleging that these products have “deceptive” claims. Among TrimSpa claims that were unsubstantiated, the FTC alleged, was that hoodia “enables users to lose substantial amounts of weight by suppressing appetite”. In future ads, FTC suggested that marketers “must not make any claims for TrimSpa or hoodia unless they are “true, not misleading and substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence” (Wallace, 8 January 2007).

Lastly, Zantrex 3 is a diet pill composed of herbal combinations three exotic herbs: Ilex paraguarensis (I), Paulinia cupana (P and Turnera diffusa (T). According to a comprehensive study in their website by Mowrey (2005), the compound produced “has been shown to significantly delay gastric emptying and to produce significant weight loss in humans, without changes in diet or exercise”. However, unfortunate reports were published in BusinessWeek last year about the ill effects of Zantrex 3. For example, Jennifer Anger, a 25-year-old graphic designer, took the recommended dose of Zantrex-3, a dietary supplement billed on the Internet as “America’s hottest new Super Pill,” offering “rapid weight loss and incredible energy.” However, she felt her heart started pounding that she thought she was having a heart attack. When that symptom subsided, she was left with a splitting headache. Dr. Tod Cooperman was not surprised, as his company, ConsumerLab.com LLC, tests dietary supplements to know what’s inside these diet supplements. The Zantrex-3 that he analyzed in late 2005 contained a huge amount of caffeine per daily dose: 1,223 milligrams. That’s a bigger jolt than you would get from 35 cans of Classic Coke or 12 cups of espresso (Carey, 30 January 2006).