It’s bad enough that Jillian Michaels enjoys humiliating the contestants on “The Biggest Loser,” but now Michaels looks to spread her sphere of humiliation by pimping her Extreme Maximum Fat Burner supplement.
The supplement industry is great at ignoring research, in that they continue to pump out new brands of nonsensical weight-loss products despite the fact that there’s not much in the way of reliable science to justify the existence of such products. Michael’s Extreme Maximum Fat Burner represents classic supplement sketchiness.
NOTE:IF A GOOGLE AD FOR THIS PRODUCT APPEARS ON THIS PAGE, PLEASE IGNORE IT!
Michaels continues her ill-informed ways, promoting the myth that body fat is harmful and losing body fat somehow makes a person more fit. In the promotional material for her Extreme Maximum Fat Burner we’re told Michaels’ product, “Contains a unique blend of natural compounds designed specifically to help your body lose fat. Not just weight, but actual body fat.”
This is a bit of a stretch.
Before looking at the “Maximum Strength Fat Burner Proprietary Blend,” let’s talk about the “Proprietary Xanthine Complex (PXC).” This PXC is nothing but approximately 500 mgs of caffeine, or 5 cups of coffee worth and as much caffeine as you’d get in about 40 ounces of Red Bull. Nothing screams health and fitness like dosing up caffeine, right? This should be called the “Stimulant Complex.”
The primary ingredient in this mix is a substance called Yerba Mate, which has purported weight-loss powers, along with guarana, coffee bean extract and cocoa extract. However, science rears its ugly head. According to a review of existing scientific data titled, “Dietary Supplements for Body-Weight Reduction: A Systematic Review,” that was published in the April 2004 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, yerba mate – along with several other dietary supplements – has no weight-loss properties.
Here’s the conclusion of the study, “The evidence for most dietary supplements as aids in reducing body weight is not convincing. None of the reviewed dietary supplements (including yerba mate) can be recommended for over-the-counter use.”
The fat burner blend contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which is purported to have fat-loss/weight-loss properties. Science is the best weapon to combat supplement hucksters. The March 2006 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published the study, “Conjugated Linoleic Acid Supplementation for 1 year Does Not Prevent Weight or Body Fat Regain.” The title says it all, but here’s the conclusion. “Daily CLA supplementation for 1 year does not prevent weight or fat mass regain in a healthy obese population.”
It should come as no surprise that a fitness professional that lacks credibility would shill a dietary supplement with a shaky pedigree. Stay away from Jillian Michaels’ Extreme Maximum Fat Burner.
UPDATE: Check out my post that compiles the top reviews of this product as they appear on the Bing search engine as of November 30, 2009.
