Shape-Up Reviewed

Caffeine may be the most popular legal addictive stimulant that is available to mankind. Besides coffee, tea, guarana and kola nut have excess amount of this xanthine alkaloid, which is actually acting as a psychoactive drug. In several plants, caffeine is an effective insect repellant, but this trimethylxanthine is deemed by the Food and Drug Administration as generally safe food substance. It is an antagonist of adenosine receptors. The effect of caffeine is individual and may more or less increase the ability to perform physical and mental labor. It reduces the effects of fatigue and may in long term help predominantly men reduce the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. It has also been observed that caffeine has nootropic effects, furthermore, regular consumption of caffeine may significantly reduce the risk of heart diseases.

Chromium Picolinate is, besides chromium polynicotinate, a nutritional supplement designed to avoid or treat chromium deficiency. Insulin requires some modest levels of chromium in order to utilize glucose in healthy individuals. There is no record of chromium deficiency occurrences in regular population, only prolonged dieters in clinically observed and controlled obesity reduction treatments have registered any. Clinical trials have suggested that chromium picolinate may have antidepressant qualities, when applied to patients with atypical depression. Further observation signaled a reduction in carbohydrate cravings and seemed to regulate appetite. These results led to the incorporation of chromium picolinate into supplements for athletes who are working on body development and are looking to lose weight. It has been also observed that chromium picolinate is able to boost the blood levels of insulin for a limited time.

Green Tea Extract- Camellia sinensis, or more commonly the tea plant is a genus of flowering plants which is generally being used to produce tea, including green tea, oolong, black tea, white tea and pu-erh tea, also called Bolay tea. The different oxidation process makes the final difference. Tea plants can grow out into a tree, but are generally pruned to allow for easy hand picking. While camellia sinensis is being cultivated all around the globe in tropical and subtropical regions, this South and Southeast Asian native is most popular when imported from India and China. Medical uses of tea stem from the traditional Chinese medicine, where it was used as a bronchodilator and to treat angina pectoris, coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular diseases. Green tea extract is used as appetite suppressant and thermogenesis increasing agent.

Guggulsterone- Commiphora wightii, or the so called Guggul tree is a flowering shrub or rather a small tree which can grow up to a size of 4 meters. Once very common in India, it is now there listed as endangered, but not in northern Africa or elsewhere in central Asia. It was very popular in the Indian Ayurvedic medicine, but also currently in the western medicine for treating of heart problems. The hydrocarbon secretion of Guggul contains a plant sterol, guggulsterone, which in the human body seems to act as an antagonist to the farnesoid X receptor. Furthermore, guggulsterone is active in increasing the natural thyroid production. This in turn stimulates the metabolism and may raise the body temperature, burning stored excess fat.

Kola Nut, bitter brown seed that contains caffeine. Once used to make cola soft drinks, Kola Nut has been replaced by artificial flavourings in most beverages.

L-Phenylalanine- The human body needs L-Phenylalanine for survival as it is an essential amino acid. It is found in food items that are rich in protein such as eggs, meat, dairy products, beans and fish. Since the body cannot produce L-Phenylalanine from other chemicals, you need to increase the intake of protein for fulfilling the nutritional needs. L-Phenylalanine is one of the chemical forms of Phenylalanine, an amino acid. It helps in building up of several proteins produced by human body. L-Phenylalanine supplements act as an appetite suppressant as it initiates the release of cholecystokinin, an intestinal hormone. Once this hormone enters the stomach, it signals your brain that you are not hungry anymore. According to experts, you should not take more than 500-1000 mg of L-Phenylalanine per day.

Theobromine- The bitter alkaloid found in chocolate is known as theobromine. It comes from the cacoa plant and is found in chocolate as well as chocolate free foods that are consist of theobromine. Theobromine belongs to the methylxanthine class of chemical compounds. It is found in the leaves of the tea plant, the kola or cola nut and acai berries. No bromine is present in theobromine, despite the name. The properties of theobromine are that it is souluble in water, is crystalline, is a bitter powder, is listed as white or colorless in color. It is considered a lesser homologue because it has a lesser effect to caffeine. Theobromine is the kind of isomer which belongs to paraxanthine and theophylline at the same time. It is basically a xanthine having two methyl groups.

Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, which is naturally found in foods such as fish, milk and milk products, eggs, meat and poultry. Vitamin B12 is important for good health, necessary for the proper digestion and absorption of foods and for normal metabolism of carbohydrates, and fat. It helps maintain healthy nerve cells and red blood cells and is needed to make DNA. Vitamin B12 is bound to the protein in food. Hydrochloric acid in the stomach releases B12 from protein during digestion. Unlike other water-soluble nutrients, vitamin B12 is stored in the liver, kidney, and other body tissues. It can take several years before signs of the deficiency appear due to poor dietary intake. Vitamin B12 functions as a "methyl donor." A methyl donor is a compound that carries and donates methyl groups to other molecules, including cell membrane components and neurotransmitters. As a methyl donor vitamin B12 is involved in homocysteine metabolism and plays a critical role in proper energy metabolism, immune function, and nerve function. Therefore, vitamin B12 is clearly an added benefit for anyone wanting to lose weight, as without it, metabolism is not at its peak potential.

Vitamin B16

White Willow Bark, or Salix alba, is a willow commonly found in Europe and adjacent parts of western and central Asia. The bark of the White Willow has been used for centuries against fevers and to ease pains and aches. Already Hippocrates wrote about the White Willow bark powder two thousand five hundred years ago. The active ingredient of the White Willow bark is called salicin, a relative to aspirin and chemical derivative of the salicylic acid. When ingested, salicin is converted to salicylic acid, a beta hydroxy acid. As a nutritional supplement, White Willow products are being propagated as weight loss additives, whereby the scientific community has yet to provide any corroboration to this allegation. Besides the well known anti inflammatory characteristics, any other uses have not been approved by the FDA.