Phenocal (Orlinophen) is a popular diet pill that contains a long list of proprietary ingredients. This review discusses the drawbacks and offers some better alternatives.
Phenocal is a popular over-the-counter diet pill, manufactured by Pharmaxa Labs.
It seems to have a fairly large following and a number of high ratings on the official website.
But does it really live up to the hype?
In this review, we’ll take a look at Phenocal and see if it really is worthy of all those five-star reviews.
What Is Phenocal?
Phenocal is an all-natural weight loss supplement that targets weight loss from the same points as most other supplements on the market.
The product claims to help you lose weight by helping you to:
- Burn belly fat
- Suppress your appetite
- Increase energy levels
- Stimulate digestion
Once you take a look at the list of ingredients in Phenocal though, it isn’t difficult to see why the product gets so many high ratings.
But are all of those ratings really justified?
Here are the most important points to consider before buying Phenocal, followed by better recommendations.
Phenocal Ingredients
This is an all-natural weight loss formula and at first glance, the ingredients don’t look too bad. Actually, the list of ingredients looks pretty darn good!
As a matter of fact, this product looks like one of those “everything but the kitchen sink” supplements.
You’ll find just about every researched ingredient for weight loss in these pills:
Vitamin B1 (as Thiamine HCL)
Vitamin B1 is naturally found in foods such as whole grains and soybeans. Thiamine is essential for the synthesis of ATP and also helps convert sugars into energy to be burned.
Vitamin B5 (as Calcium Pantothenate)
Calcium Pantothenate is one of three forms of Vitamin B5 and is commonly found in poultry, dairy, and beef. B5 is popular in many weight loss formulations because it helps to break down proteins, carbs, and fat. But the key benefit here is the increase in performance and stress relief.
Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine HCL)
Vitamin B6 plays a key role in metabolism and energy production. B6 needs to be replenished because the body cannot store large amounts as it can with fat-soluble vitamins.
Vitamin B2 (as Riboflavin)
Riboflavin is required for energy production by the mitochondria in your cells. but like B6, stores easily diminish and need to be replenished on a daily basis for maximum performance.
Vitamin B12 (as Hydroxocobalamin)
B12 is one of the most popular B-Vitamins and everyone knows how important it is for energy and weight loss. Phenocal helps you get the most out of B12 because of the inclusion of the other vitamins in the formula.
Biotin
Biotin is important because it helps the body create EFAs (essential fatty acids), amino acids, and glucose, while also assisting the body in the breakdown of food for fuel.
Chromium (Picolinate)
Chromium Picolinate is one of the most preferred forms of chromium for weight loss and has been well-studied. In addition to helping regulate healthy blood sugar levels, it may also be beneficial for appetite reduction.
Folic Acid
Folic Acid is important to any natural weight loss protocol because it is needed to help turn stored fats into energy to be burned as fuel.
Fucoxanthin
Fucoxanthin is a staple food in Eastern diets and is found in certain algae and brown seaweed. It is said to help increase internal body temperature for a metabolism-boosting thermogenic effect. Fucoxanthin also has many other health-boosting benefits such as reducing inflammation and promoting the healthy function of various organs.
Glucomannan
Glucomannan is one of the preferred appetite suppressants found in many diet pills. This is an excellent source of fiber that not only helps to regulate appetite but also helps to lower blood glucose levels and maximize bowel function.
Cocoa Extract (10% Theobromine)
Instead of including harsh stimulants in their formula, Phenocal contains Cocoa extract with a healthy 10% theobromine. This is the substance that is going to give you all of the cognitive benefits as well as thermogenic effects.
Hoodia Gordonii
Not as popular as it once was, Hoodia Gordonii is still a good appetite suppressant. This herb is said to help especially with those late-night cravings.
Green Tea Leaf Extract (Camellia Sinensis, 80% Catechins, 60% EGCG)
There’s no denying that Green Tea is one of the most popular and well-studied ingredients in thermogenic fat burners today. Thanks to its high levels of catechins and EGCG, Green Tea has been proven to help with everything from reducing BMI to enhancing thermogenesis.
5 HTP (5-Hydroxyptophan)
One of the best all-natural supplements for maximizing serotonin levels and increasing feelings of well-being, 5 HTP is also one of the best appetite-suppressing agents as well. You’ll also find the relaxing effects of this ingredient can help you get that good night’s sleep you need for maximum fat loss.
Bioperine®
Bioperine® is essential for increasing the bioavailability of herbs and other ingredients in supplements, especially when there are a lot such as in this product. This acts like an insurance policy that guarantees your body is absorbing everything you are taking in.
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)
CLA is another well-studied ingredient that has supposedly been proven to target belly fat in a well-known study.
And if that’s not enough to stuff in these capsules, you’ll also find the following ingredients as well:
- Vitamin D3 (as Cholecalciferol)
- Vitamin B3 (as Niacin, Niacinamide)
- L-Tyrosine
- Garcinia Cambogia PE
- Yerba Mate (25% extract standardized for xanthines)
- Coleus Forskohlii (10% Forskolin)
- Evodiamine 98%
- L-Tryptophan
- Black Pepper Extract
As you can see, this looks like an all-star lineup of weight-loss ingredients crammed into one single pill.
So far, so good.
Downsides Of Phenocal
Now let’s take a look at some of the downsides of this supplement.
1. No Certified Hoodia
When it comes to diet pills, it’s best to make use of only ingredients that have been proven to aid weight loss.
And in the case of Phenocal, all of these ingredients probably sound pretty familiar to you.
But even more surprising is the fact that Hoodia was even included; since it’s less common than it has been in previous years.
Hoodia has been proven to be very effective when it comes to weight supplements, but it needs to be certified.
This means that any product that contains Hoodia should always come with a certification as a way of backing up their claims and proving they are genuine.
Unfortunately, you won’t see any type of reference to certification on the website or on the product label.
2. Proprietary Blended Formula
Considering all of the other ingredients of Phenocal besides the Hoodia, it looks like a great formula.
Everything from vitamins and minerals to the most well-researched weight loss compounds.
But the problem arises when you have a product that contains so many ingredients in a “proprietary blend”.
This means that the Phenocal may only contain a very small amount of each ingredient; amounts too small to be considered as effective.
And this is where you are going to have to question its effectiveness.
Too little of an ingredient and the product will simply not work to help you lose weight.
At that point, the rest of the ingredients such as the vitamins simply act as filler material, which you could just as well get from using a multivitamin.
Possible Side Effects
Another claim made by the makers of Phenocal is that the product is all-natural and completely safe.
All-natural may be true, but this does not mean that there are not any side effects, especially with that many ingredients taken together.
Although the reviews on the official website look outstanding, one look at the reviews on Amazon and you get a totally different story.
There have been numerous customers who reported side effects while using this product, including:
- Heart palpitations
- Increased heart rate
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Sleep issues
- Feeling short bursts of energy followed by extreme tiredness
- Feeling nauseous or vomiting
- Headaches
On a good note, the most common positive side effect experienced by those who use Phenocal was a dramatic increase in energy.
Unfortunately, this is one of the only positive effects that users may experience.
Does Phenocal Really Work?
The official Phenocal website claims the product can change your life, and it also lists a large number of impressive results that you can expect from taking the pill.
However, it’s important to remember that none of this has been proven.
The biggest benefit to using Phenocal is that it will help to give you energy.
And that’s no surprise because of all of the ingredients that this supplement contains.
Therefore, you can then use that energy to help you exercise more often, helping you to lose weight over time.
But not everyone who uses Phenocal may experience a dramatic boost in energy as some have reported.
And the risk is that anyone could find that they are paying a high price for something that essentially does not work.
Closing Thoughts On Phenocal
Everything looks great until you realize that all of the proven weight loss ingredients are a proprietary blend.
That’s not to say that all proprietary blends are bad; there are some great products out there that use them effectively.
The key though is that only a few ingredients are involved. When you have a dozen ingredients listed in a proprietary blend, that’s not a good sign.
So if you want to take your chances, by all means, go ahead.
Just be sure to report back to us hereby leaving a comment on this post to let us know how it worked out for you.
But if you are looking for a proven diet pill that is backed by one of the best manufacturers in the business, then there is a much better option out there.
