The cortifem complex contains several ingredients including Beta-sisosterol,
Phophatidylserine,
Rhodiola Rosea root extract, and
Theanine.
Phosphatidylserine has been demonstrated to speed up recovery, prevent muscle soreness, improve well-being, and might possess ergogenic properties in athletes involved in cycling, weight training and endurance running. Soy-PS, in a dose defendant manner (400mg), has been reported to be an effective supplement for combating exercise-induced stress by blunting the exercise-induced increase in cortisol levels.
Phophatidylserine supplementation promotes a desirable hormonal balance for athletes and might attenuate the physiological deterioration that accompanies overtraining and/or overstretching. [7]
Rhodiola rosea extract
- has its origins in Eastern Europe and Asia, and
has been used in traditional medicine to stimulate
the nervous system, decrease depression, reduce fatigue,
and prevent high altitude sickness.
There are claims that Rhodiola can
help weight loss by activating hormone sensitive lipase,
which plays a key role in the break down of fat stored
in adipose tissue; however, I was unable to find any
studies to substantiate such claims. On a positive
note, I did manage to find studies that support the
claims that Rhodiola can improve endurance exercise
capacity, which would lead one to think that this
would enhance your workouts to promote more effective
weight loss. Here's the study: Rhodiola
rosea extract study
Here's the conclusion quoted directly from the
study:
CONCLUSION: Acute Rhodiola
rosea intake can improve endurance exercise capacity
in young healthy volunteers. This response was not
altered by prior daily 4-week Rhodiola intake.
Theanine is an amino acid commonly found in tea. Theanine is related to glutamine, and can cross the blood-brain barrier. Because it can enter the brain, theanine has psychoactive properties. Theanine has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress, may produce feelings of relaxation and improves cognition and mood when taken in combination with caffeine. [8]
Slim Quick Aquaplex Water Removal Complex
As the name "Water Removal" suggests, this complex consists of mostly diuretic ingredients including Dandelion leaf and root,
Horsetail,
Uva Ursi extract,
and French maritime pine extract.
Dandelion Leaf (Taraxacum) offers many health benefits. It contains luteolin, an antioxidant, and has demonstrated antioxidant properties without cytotoxicity. Dandelion leaves are believed to have a diuretic effect as they increase salt and water excretion from the kidneys. [9] It is a natural diuretic that helps remove excess water and toxins from the body.
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) has traditionally been used in Europe as a diuretic for the treatment of edema (swelling/fluid retention). The German Commission E expert panel has approved horsetail for this indication. Horsetail is also occasionally used for osteoporosis, nephrolithiasis (kidney stones), urinary tract inflammation, and wound healing (topical). It is also used in cosmetics and shampoos. These uses have largely been based on anecdote and clinical tradition, rather than scientific evidence.
There is preliminary human evidence supporting the use of horsetail as a diuretic. [10]
Uva ursi extract is a species of Arctostaphylos, one of several related species referred to as bearberry. It has been historically used for medicinal purposes. It contains the glycoside arbutin, which has antimicrobial properties and acts as a mild diuretic. In a study using rats as the test subjects, Uva ursi was tested for its diuretic effects in the rats, and pharmacological evaluation revealed that they led to an increase in urine flow. [11]
Pycnogenol is a standardized French maritime pine bark extract , and it has favorable pharmacological properties. Pycnogenol has been found to protect against oxidative stress in several cell systems by doubling the intracellular synthesis of anti-oxidative enzymes and by acting as a potent scavenger of free radicals. It also has Anti-inflammatory activity, which has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo in animals. Pycnogenol is also known to relieve premenstrual symptoms, including abdominal pain. [12] Pycnogenol has also been found to be beneficial for patients with hypertension. [13]
As you can see, the ingredients contained in the water removal complex are mostly diuretics which help flush out excess water from your system. While this may help users experience some up front "weight loss" as they start using Slim Quick, it is important to keep in mind that a portion of that weight lost is simply water. It may initially look good on the scale, but the water loss is not real weight loss, and should definitely not be confused with fat loss, which is what you are ultimately after.
Slimquick Side Effects
Like all fat burners and diet pills, Slimquick has potential side effects, and the degree to which you may or may not experience these side effects will depend totally on the individual - some may not experience any side effects of Slimquick, while others will experience some side effects. As it contains various stimulants, some slimquick side effects include:
Increase in heart rate
Increase in frequency of urination - as mentioned in detail above, slimquick contains several diuretic ingredients that flushes out excess water. This could also lead to dehydration
Increase in sweating
Increase in blood pressure
Reduced appetite
Anxiety, jittery, and restlessness
As with all fat burners and diet pills, we suggest starting off with only half of the recommended dose. This will allow you to get a feel for the diet pill, and test out your body's reaction to it - everyone is different, and will have different reactions. If all goes well, then you can take the full dose as recommended by the label instructions, and make sure to read the instructions carefully.
Instead of spending money on another diet pill, why not spend much less and learn the true method of long term, healthy weight loss that will lead to permanent weight loss results.
7. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphatidylserine
8. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine
9. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dandelion
10. US National LIbrary of Medicine - Medline Plus http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-horsetail.html
11. Phytother Res. 1999 May;13(3):222-5
Effect of extracts of Orthosiphon stamineus Benth, Hieracium pilosella L., Sambucus nigra L. and Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. in rats.
Beaux D, Fleurentin J, Mortier F.
Laboratoire de Pharmacognosie, Centre des Sciences de l'Environnement, Metz, France.
12. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2002 Apr;40(4):158-68.
A review of the French maritime pine bark extract (Pycnogenol), a herbal medication with a diverse clinical pharmacology.
Rohdewald P.
Institute Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany. rohdewa@uni-muenster.de
13. Life Sci. 2004 Jan 2;74(7):855-62.
Pycnogenol, French maritime pine bark extract, improves endothelial function of hypertensive patients.
Liu X, Wei J, Tan F, Zhou S, Würthwein G, Rohdewald P.
Guang An Men Hospital of Chinese Medical Science Research Institute, Beijing, PR China.
