CortiSlim

Claims, Benefits: Promotes weight loss.

Bottom Line: There’s no scientific evidence to back up the claims.

Full article, Wellness Letter, July 2004:

Q: What do you think about CortiSlim, the new weight-loss supplement?

A: There’s no evidence that CortiSlim will lead to weight loss, or that it is safe. Now that ephedra has finally been banned, you can expect to see lots of alternative weight-loss products on the market—all untested and unproven.

CortiSlim contains calcium, chromium, vanadium, and a cocktail of herbs including banaba leaf extract, green tea extract, bitter orange peel, magnolia bark extract, and beta sitosterol. Green tea extract and bitter orange peel are common ephedra substitutes; they may work like ephedra and speed up calorie burning slightly. But they may also be dangerous, like ephedra, and there’s no research showing they lead to long-term weight loss. Beta sitosterol may lower cholesterol levels, but it would not cause weight loss. Magnolia bark is a folk remedy for countless ailments. In any case, who knows how much, if any, of these ingredients is in the supplement?

The main sales pitch for CortiSlim is that it will control cortisol levels in the body. It’s claimed that high levels of stress cause obesity, and that this hormone, which your body releases in response to stress, makes you store excess fat. Scientists have indeed been looking into the role of cortisol in obesity, but at this point it is still theoretical. In any case, there’s no evidence that CortiSlim will reduce cortisol, or that lowering cortisol causes weight loss.

“Who has high cortisol levels?” the ads inquire. Answer: anybody who experiences daily stress, gets fewer than eight hours sleep, and hopes to lose weight— at least 90% of the population. At $50 for a month’s supply, that’s a pretty fat business. The CortiSlim website has lots of testimonials and before-and-after photos, and a “lifestyle expert,” Dr. Shawn Talbott, who claims to have done a lot of research. We could not find even one published study on Cortislim.

Recently the U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued the marketers of Cortislim for deceptive advertising and is seeking to force them to reimburse customers.

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, July 2004