Irvingia - Any data or info on this

[yianni54]

Has anyone heard of this Irvingia extract stuff? Supposedly keeps Leptin up!

Thanks

[Myles.Buckley]

This is a paste of conciliators post from the "Mean" forums where this product has already been discussed.

Studies should be looked at as highly suspect

Originally Posted by Forrest
Here's the 10 week study the article talks about

http://lipidworld.com/content/7/1/12

Here's the 30 day study

http://www.lipidworld.com/content/4/1/12

Both of these studies on irvingia gabonensis were conducted by Julius Oben, which raises huge red flags to me. Oben is the researcher behind a study earlier this year showing that cissus quadrangularis was effective as a fat loss aid.

After digging around, I found that Oben, the lead researcher, is actually employed at Gateway Health Alliances Inc, which supplied all the testing materials (and probably funded) all of these studies (if you search, you'll find "All testing materials were supplied by Gateway Health Alliances"). Apparently, they've hired Oben as the "Chief Scientific Officer" at Gateway. How's that for impartial.

In addition, Oben holds a patent on Cissus' use as a weight loss aid: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-P...S=PN/7,175,859. Oben is the "inventor" and Gateway Health Alliances is the assignee. Apparently Oben and Gateway Health Alliances have been working together since as early as 2000.

In 2006, Oben published a similar study "The use of a Cissus quadrangularis formulation in the management of weight loss and metabolic syndrome". In that study he used a different product from Gateway Health Alliances called Cylaris. It was a mixture of several ingredients including cissus. Of course, it had amazing results, results that Gateway Health Alliances relies on heavily in their marketing: http://www.cylarisweightloss.com/

This doesn't mean that Oben's research is necessarily bogus, but can you tell me why an American corporation is having an obscure university in a poor West African country do all the research on their products, while simultaneously employing the lead researcher? Smells like bad fish to me.

Further, how reputable is "Lipids in Health and Disease", the journal that these were studies were published in? From a dispute about Cylaris:

The challenger also informed ERSP that studies were published only in an online journal and its description as a "peer reviewed journal" is highly circumspect due to its anonymous, on-line submission of potential peer reviewers, the significant processing fee and the relatively short time (i.e., 50 days) between submission to a journal and publication.

Some things to think about.

[lylemcd]

I'm sure it will work as well as everything else that's come down to the pike to do this.

[yianni54]

Originally Posted by lylemcd

I'm sure it will work as well as everything else that's come down to the pike to do this.

I am assuming your being sarcastic and that this stuff is garbage? Thanks

[Myles.Buckley]

Originally Posted by yianni54

I am assuming your being sarcastic and that this stuff is garbage? Thanks

actually - he is quite serious.

Everything that has come down the pike before Irvingia has also been garbage.

Here is the short list for what is known to work (pills only. Injectables like steroids are not covered in my list)

EC, Bupropion, Phen-Fen, Bromo, Pergolide, Clenbuterol, DNP, Yohimbine. (FULL STOP)

all of the above (one at a time please - don't mix and match) work to change your appetite and/or metabolism and/or lypolysis.

caveats:

some can be deadly dangerous - heart valve problems for Pergolide and Phen-Fen - you can die from heat exhaustion due to DNP.
some can trigger seizures or mania - Bupropion A.K.A Wellbutrin.
some are contraindicated for heart problems, prostate problems, and/or blood pressure - EC, Yohimbine.
some people can't tolerate bromo due to nausea, hypoglycemia.
some stop working after a while due to downregulation - Clenbuterol stops working after it completely shuts down your beta receptors within a couple of weeks

of the above: EC, and yohimibine aren't available everywhere in the world.
Pergolide and Phen-Fen are withdrawn from the market.
Clenbuterol is difficult to source in many countries.
Bromo and Wellbutrin are prescription only, (United States folks can grey-market import them with ease)
DNP is a pesticide, not easily available, stains everything yellow.

This is what you have to work from until someone releases a product that can do all (or most) of the following

1. increase metabolism.
2. decrease appetite
3. improve leptin sensitivity
4. stabilize thyroid output AND conversion rate.
5. improve lypolysis.

and it does NOT down regulate.
and it does NOT destroy heat valves or other important organs in your body...