Patented ingredients are among the hot new ways that diet pill companies can show their customers that they’re serious about providing real benefits. While a patent doesn’t mean that the ingredient has been proven to cause weight loss in every single dieter, it can at least show that it has undergone some scrutiny.
Furthermore, patents are expensive to obtain. Therefore, when a product contains a patented diet pill ingredient, it means that the company has either had to spend a considerable amount to obtain their own proprietary patent, or that they’re spending more to be able to use an ingredient that has been patented by another company. Either way, it requires an additional investment from the diet pill maker and suggests that they’re in it to offer a decent product and that their goal isn’t just to make a quick buck.
Though it’s still important to understand all the ingredients in a diet pill you’re considering – even those that have a patent to back them up, the fact that they are patented can make it easier for customers to find the information they want to know about these various substances.
Consider the following, which are among the most popular patented ingredients due to the research that has been conducted to support their use:
• NeOpuntia® – This ingredient is made of a unique form of lipophilic fiber. This means that it is a fiber that will bind with lipids – that is, dietary fats. It was originally developed by a company called Nexira, from France. That company continues to produce it to this day. NeOpuntia is considered to be 100 percent natural and is a functional ingredient that can be used in formulas designed for weight management as well as for overall wellbeing. The substance itself is derived from a plant called Opuntia ficus-indica. In order to make it, the leaves of this cactus are dehydrated by way of a chemical-free, solvent-free and gentle process (which has also been patented). This ingredient has certifications for being both kosher and organic. Find it in weight management supplements such as PHENBLUE.
• Advantra Z® – This substance has been around for a while and seems to go in and out of diet pill popularity in waves. When it all comes down to it, this ingredient is a patented form of synephrine, which is an alkaloid obtained from the citrus aurantium fruit. Though it is ephedra-free, synephrine is considered a “cousin” of ephedra, in a chemical sense. As a result, it has been used to replace ephedra (which is now banned from diet pills in the United States and many other countries) in weight loss formulas. It is used for fat burning purposes as it is a strong stimulant that increases the heart rate and blood pressure. This ingredient is associated with side effects such as sleep struggles, jitters, and anxiety, among others.
• Phase 2® – This patented diet pill ingredient is marketed as being a carb blocker and has recently undergone research from a few well reputed organizations. For example, UCLA conducted a study that suggested that while there were trends toward weight loss, waist size reduction, energy increases and triglyceride decreases, the issue was that when it came to the strength of those benefits “statistical significance was not reached.” This doesn’t mean that the substance isn’t effective, but that the studies that have been conducted on it have involved small samples that simply can’t be considered representative of the general population. Phase 2 does look promising but it will require more research before it can truly be understood.
• Forslean® – This patented diet pill ingredient is made of a form of forskohlii. That substance is known to be a cAMP stimulator. cAMP is what is called a “cellular regulator,” that is, it is what the body uses to launch many of its intercellular processes. When cAMP is present, it signals to many different cells that they all need to start functioning in a certain way, which, when combined, creates a certain result. For instance, raising cAMP concentrations can stimulate the secretion of thyroid hormone levels which can then lead to a faster rate of fat burning in the body. This ingredient is obtained from the Coleus forskohlii plant, which has been researched in several different ways relating to weight loss and obesity. Though the total body of research does not yet form a mountain, the results seen so far are quite promising.
• BioPerine® – This ingredient is found in a wide range of different types of over the counter supplements, including – but far from limited to – weight management pills. The reason is that its effects are mainly to increase the bioavailability of the other ingredients in a formula. This means that it makes it easier for the body to absorb other nutrients from a supplement. It may, therefore, improve the efficiency of the formulas that include it among their ingredients. This ingredient is all natural and is extracted from black pepper.
