Somehow or other, I keep getting emails or finding ads for diet pills and such.  I really don't think that I do that much searching for health and nutrition nuggets on the internet, but maybe I'm wrong.  Today, we can look at the logic and claims of the apidexin scam.

Before I get into the claims and how much sense they make to me, I'd like to note the name of the website is "diet pill critic," implying that the operator somehow or other is tough on evidence first, and extolls virtue second.  This is the same connotation I take from movie critic, book critic, restaurant critic, etc.  This, however, doensn't appear to be the case once you get to the material of the site.  It's just a marketing gimmick.  Let's proceed to the claims.

"According to Apidexin’s website, they “set out to create the world’s best fat burner – Even stronger than Prescription Weight Loss Medications.  In order to accomplish this tremendous feat we had to use ingredients that were:  1. Clinically Proven 2. Patented or Patent-Pending 3. And Produce Visible Results fast!”"

If you set out to create something stronger than prescription weight loss medications, it will be classified as a drug, and MUST be regulated by the FDA.  I don't see any evidence that there is ANY effort to get this product approved by anyone but you and your neighbor.

Yes, ingredients should be clinically proven, but they should also be used in significant amounts, which they are obviously not, or it would be illegal to sell it without FDA approval.

Patented chemicals are good and fine, but there is no patent on caffeine, and it bumps your metabolism significantly.  Proven in the lab.  That's why most diet pills include as much as they can without crossing the FDA threshold.  I can't find a complete list of its ingredients online, but there are several comments here  which lead me to believe that there is indeed caffeine in the pill.  Big surprise.

Also, it SHOULD produce visible results, and faster is better.  However, it should be able to do this under controlled intervention-type experimental conditions.  Mixing the pill with caffeine doesn't prove the efficacy of the 8 "magical" ingredients, it suggests the efficacy of caffeine, which is already proven.  Discounting results unless the pill is taken "in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise" also doesn't prove the magic formula of Apidexin and diet and exercise, it suggests the efficacy of diet and exercise, which is ALSO already proven.

I'll quickly run through the list of 8 ingredients found everywhere in every review I saw.

"Wakame Seaweed Standardized to 10% Fucoxanthin -Fucoxanthin has thermogenic properties that can help increase the body's metabolic rate. It may support healthy liver function, an important factor in weight management since the liver promotes the efficient utilization of fat and facilitates the removal of cholesterol by-products from the bloodstream."

It seems that wakame is basically just a specie of seaweed.  Of course, like lots of seaweed, it is eaten, but mostly because it's easy to grow and harvest, and doesn't taste to bad.  Look here .  About the fucoxanthin found in the seaweed, don't be shelled by the reference to the university study, but rather look here to what it really is, and notably, that no human studies have been performed or published according to wiki.  If you know of any, send them my way.  Moving on to the wording of the rest of the claim, "May support...." healthy liver funtion or ANYTHING for that matter is just a clever way to avoid making a specific claim, which would then require, you guessed it, intervention from the FDA.  By the way, healthy diet and regular exercise also "support" healthy liver function, whatever that means.

"Razberi-K - Razberi-K, also known as 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl) butan-2-one, is a ketone unique to raspberry. Raspberries contain many bioactive constituents beneficial for health. One particular constituent, 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl) butan-2-one appears to have the potential to support body fat reduction. In a recent study (Morimoto et al, 2005), test subjects were fed a high fat diet to induce obesity while treated groups were also fed an additional 1 or 2% raspberry ketone. The treated groups gained less body fat than the control groups. "

The only study I found not conducted by the manufacturer of Razberi-k involved mice that were fed high fat diets, and the group on Razberi-K didn't gain AS MUCH weight.  In other words, it wasn't about fat loss at all, and that's the one they cite to prove it works.

"Guggul EZ 100 - Guggulsterones have been shown in studies to maintain normal blood lipid levels, support a fine skin texture by decreasing the appearance of blemishes, and optimize thyroid gland function (thus supporting ideal fat loss and body weight). And the best part... Guggul EZ 100 won't strip away your muscle like other weight loss products. "

Wiki supported with JAMA published studies .  'Nuff said.

This is really getting cumbersome.  I had such high hopes when I started this post, but the rest of the ingredients read the same.  Unsupported, unproven, and unregulated.  Does the stuff work?  Who knows?  If it does, you'll see it get regulated pretty quickly, but not quickly enough to prevent some people from being needlessly hurt, just as when ephedrine became popular.  Just do yourself the favor and try to read between the crap and make educated decisions for yourself.