Synephrine Review

What You Should Know

Synephrine, also known as citrus aurantium or bitter orange, is a compound used in a variety of diet products and pills. It has been used historically in Chinese medicine to improve digestion. It claims to be a safe alternative to the FDA-banned ephedra, and purports to burn fat by increasing metabolism and boosting energy levels. Synephrine products are often used by body builders to burn fat and suppress appetite.

List of Ingredients

Synephrine is a citris extract that comes from the citrus aurantium plant. It is used in various combinations with other ingredients in a wide variety of diet products.

Product Features

Synephrine has been effectively used by body builders and others to burn fat by increasing metabolism, boosting energy, and suppressing appetite. It is commonly used in diet products as a substitute for ephedra, with the idea that it provides the same benefits without the risks. Clinical trials have been performed on synephrine which showed it to be an effective fat burner in combination with other ingredients such as caffeine and St. Johnís Wort, but no trials have tested synephrine in isolation.

Possible side effects of synephrine include headaches, elevated blood pressure, cardiovascular risks, and risk of stroke. Patients with adverse reactions to caffeine should avoid products containing synephrine, as the two substances have been shown to have similar effects.

Synephrine can be purchased inexpensively as a pure extract; however many synephrine-containing products are quite expensive.

Pro’s

• Synephrine has been demonstrated to effectively burn fat and increase energy.
• It can be purchased at low cost.
• It works well in conjunction with other weight loss methods such as appetite suppressants, nutritious diet, and exercise.

Con’s

• Synephrine can cause serious side effects such as high blood pressure, increased risk of stroke, and frequent headaches.
• No clinical studies have been performed on synephrine in isolation.
• It can cause some of the same reactions as the FDA-banned drug ephedra.
• It has not been proven that it is an effective agent of long-term weight loss.
• It is available as part of many different product formulations which makes finding information about the safety and effectiveness of a specific formula difficult.

Conclusion

Although it is evident that synephrine can produce fat burning effects and increased metabolism, the inherent risks outweigh the benefits for most people. The lack of clinical trials or systematic reviews on this ingredient in isolation make it impossible to determine the actual effect that it has on the health of the average person, especially when used in its pure form. While it is possible to safely use synephrine as part of a balanced approach to weight loss, most people can achieve similar weight loss results using traditional methods that include a healthy diet and regular exercise program, with the added benefit of avoiding synephrineís associated health risks.