MuscleTech Hydroxycut Review

Hydroxycut Past Success - The ECA Stack

It's been many years since ephedra was banned, but it did not go quietly! It was on Feburary 6, 2004 when the FDA issued their final ruling on the ban of ephedra. But in April 2005, the Federal District Court in Utah overturned the FDA'ss ban on ephedra products, where products with less than 10mg of ephedra was allowed back on the market. Come August 2006, a federal appeals court upheld the FDA ban on ephedra, and it was banned completely, again.

Certainly ephedra has played a big part in the ingredient mix of fat burners of the past, but in the current market, supplement makers are formulating new diet pills, and testing new ingredients.

What we're interested in, is whether the new Hydroxycut is as effective as the old version with the ephedra?

But one thing we need to consider is that the ECA stack, AKA Ephedrine, Caffeine, and Aspirin, is a tested and true thermogenic stack that literally "burns" the fat off for many users. Of course, the main ingredient in it is ephedra. Over the past few years, Hydroxycut and other popular fat burners like Xenadrine RFA-1, Ripped Fuel, Stacker 2 and 3 etc. are all based on the famed ECA stack (with their own "proprietary formulations" as they claim.)

Now, no longer is Hydroxycut based on the ECA stack, it still has the caffeine (guarana) and the aspirin (willow bark), but just not the ephedra (ma huang).

MuscleTech Hydroxycut Ingredients

Okay, so other than being ephedra free, what other ingredients does the ephedra free hydroxycut have? Take a look:

Serving Size 2 Capsules
Servings Per Bottle 75
Calcium (as hydroxycitrate) 156mg
Chromium (as polynicotinate) 133mcg
Potassium (as hydroxycitrate) 218mg
*Hydroxagen Plus 1.32g

Garcinia cambogia extract (fruit and rind) (standardized for 60% hydroxycitrate acid
Gymnema sylvestre extract (leaf) standardized for 25%gymnemic acids
Soy phospholipids (supplying phosphatidyl ethanolamine (NOPE), phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidyl choline
Rhodiola rosea extract (standardized for 5% rosalins)
Withania somnifera extract (root) (standardized for 1.5% withanolides

**Hydroxy Tea 414mg

Green Tea extract (as camellia sinensis)(leaf) supplying polyphenols, catechins, epigallocatechin gallate- 91mg EGCG
Caffeine anhydrous
White Tea Extract (as Camellia sinensis)(leaf) standardized for 50% polyphenols, 35% catechins, 15% EGCG
Oolong Tea Extract (as Camellia sinensis)(leaf) standardized for 50% polyphenols, 25% catechins, 15% EGCG - 200mg of caffeine

So what are some of these ingredients in Hydroxycut?

Chromium Picolinate - Chromium Picolinate is a trace mineral found in many foods, and is widely used for its appetite suppressing and weight loss effects. However, there's little evidence that Chromium Picolinate is actually effective, so I can't see much benefit from the Chromium Picolinate in Hydroxycut. (Despite what you might hear, there's little evidence that Chromium deficiency is wide spread.)

Garcinia Cambogia Extract - HCA (Hydroxycitric Acid) is a key ingredient in Hydroxycut. Its the active ingredient found in Garcinia Cambogia, a small tropical plant. HCA works to 2 effects: 1) by suppressing appetite, and 2) by inhibiting lipid synthesis. Various studies have shown Garcinia Cambogia to be effective on animals.

However, I've also read 2 different research papers which found little significance in the effectiveness of HCA, so it still remains to be seen just how effective HCA really is. As far as side effects go, Garcinia Cambogia has been in use for decades in Asia, and I'm unaware of any of its side effects, which is a plus.

The Hydroxy Tea blend consists of various tea extracts including green tea, white tea, and Oolong Tea. Because of its many health and weight loss benefits, Oolong tea has been gaining popularity in the west. There are numerous studies demonstrating the health benefits and weight loss effects of Oolong tea. Studies have found Oolong tea to have antioxidant boosting effects [1], and Oolong tea also increases energy expenditure after consumption [2]. Below is one of the many studies showing the weight loss benefits of Oolong tea, where it increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation.

Oolong tea increases metabolic rate and fat oxidation in men.
Rumpler W, Seale J, Clevidence B, Judd J, Wiley E, Yamamoto S, Komatsu T, Sawaki T, Ishikura Y, Hosoda K.
Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.

This was a randomized cross over study designed to measure the impact of tea on energy expenditure in humans. Twelve male subjects consumed each of 4 treatments including water, full strength tea, half strength tea, and water containing 270mg of caffeine. The subjects consumed each treatment for 3 days, and on day 3, energy expenditure was measured. The study found that energy expenditure increased by 3.4%, and found that fat oxidation was 12% higher compared to the water treatment. [3]

So does Hydroxycut work? As already mentioned, there are plenty of ancedotal evidence supporting the effectivenss of Hydroxycut. In short, Hydroxycut works, but it does not work for everyone. In all the diet pills and fat burners we have reviewed and came across, there's probably not a single one that actually works for every person - simply because everyone is different. What works for one individual might not necessarily work for another. But the overall consenus is that Hydroxycut works, and it has worked well for many users.

Important: FDA Warns Consumers to Stop Using Hydroxycut Products

Released on May 1, 2009, the FDA is warning consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products by Iovate Health Sciences. All Hydroxycut products has been recalled by Iovate. Please see FDA release here.

Related:

Hydroxycut Hardcore Review
Hydroxycut Max Review
Hydroxycut Side Effects

1. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jan;54(1):87-92
A single dose of tea with or without milk increases plasma antioxidant activity in humans.

2. Oolong tea increases energy metabolism in Japanese females.
Komatsu T, Nakamori M, Komatsu K, Hosoda K, Okamura M, Toyama K, Ishikura Y, Sakai T, Kunii D, Yamamoto S. Department of Applied Nutrition, The University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Tokushima, Japan.

3. J Nutr. 2001 Nov;131(11):2848-52.
Oolong tea increases metabolic rate and fat oxidation in men.
Rumpler W, Seale J, Clevidence B, Judd J, Wiley E, Yamamoto S, Komatsu T, Sawaki T, Ishikura Y, Hosoda K. Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.

Oct 2008 - last update