Nutritionists say the “Ice Hack” weight-loss supplement isn’t convincing

The viral weight-loss method dubbed the “icebreaker” likely won’t help you shed the pounds, according to nutritionists, despite the claims of its maker and Internet influencers.

“People lose a lot of weight without having to go on restrictive diets or crazy exercise programs with this weight loss hack,” said YouTuber Lyrics de Músicas in a viral video that has more than 37,000 views. “The first time I heard about it, I admitted I was a little skeptical, but my mom lost nearly 23 pounds in just a few weeks of doing this icebreaker.”

The YouTube channel, which has more than 2.1 million subscribers, has videos almost all of which discuss icebreakers and other weight loss methods.

The ice hack, despite the video showing a glass full of ice, has nothing to do with frozen water but involves taking a supplement called Alpilean.

Rosemary Stanton, registered dietitian and visiting fellow at the School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, says: Newsweek.

Alpilean is a dietary supplement that contains “a proprietary blend of 6 nutrients from the Alps designed to target and improve a lower internal body temperature,” according to their website. They say that people who are overweight have a lower internal body temperature, and that these supplements increase it to help with weight loss.

“Science has now proven that low body temperature is a real cause of belly fat,” says Alpilean on its website.

Alpilean cites a paper published in International Journal of Obesity in 2019, which found a significant association between body temperature and markers of obesity in postmenopausal men and women. However, no association was found among premenopausal women, and the paper actually found that body temperature increased with weight gain, not decreased, notes Alpilean.

Alpilean ingredients include deca nut, golden algae (fucoxanthin), drumstick tree leaf, bigarade orange, ginger root, and turmeric root.

“While there is a checklist provided – they are not trials of this combination of supplements in one pill,” said Claire Collins, award-winning professor of nutrition and dietetics at Newcastle University in Australia. Newsweek.

These ingredients are advertised as “target internal temperature,” and as such aid in weight loss.

“I can’t find any reliable evidence to support these supplements,” Stanton said.

“This weight loss supplement review included a few ingredients in Alpilean but didn’t give it much support.”

Dika nut, also known as Irvingia gabonensisIt was looked at a few years ago and was not recommended as a weight loss aid. A later report looked more broadly but the evidence was weak.

A very new report from Thailand found some benefits [of dika nut] In a short study (12 weeks only, small sample, 300mg of kernel extract) found no benefits for metabolism, inflammation, RTL, and aerobic capacity after supplementation. [The study was] Powered by Blackmores [an Australian health supplements company] — so some conflict of interest,” Stanton said.

Basically, there is very little evidence to support that any of the ingredients in these icebreaker supplements can help with weight loss. In addition, the evidence that it increases body temperature is weak, and the relationship between obesity and body temperature itself is shaky at best.

“My general opinion is that there is no point in people wasting their money on these supplements,” said Stanton.

Newsweek Contact Alpilean for comment.

Skinny tea is a similar diet product often sold online to people looking for quick weight loss solutions. They also contain a myriad of natural ingredients that are supposed to aid in weight loss, however, studies have shown that this tea often has little effect on weight unless combined with reduced calories and increased exercise, which are expected to cause the weight. loss anyway.

“I would encourage people to read the fine print, which I think (you can check that out) goes along the same lines as the skinny tea makers,” Collins said.

The fine print for Skinny Tea often states that “the product should be consumed in conjunction with a low-kilojoule diet and daily exercise” and that “individual results may vary,” according to a conversation article by Collins.

Even if these supplements and teas help with weight loss, the weight lost on crash diets is often regained fairly quickly afterward.

“The risk of any fast weight loss pill/diet is that the weight loss comes back, usually with little reward. [pounds]Stanton said.

There are many videos advertising this Elliptical supplement on Youtube. A few weeks ago, Snopes reported that YouTube had removed a paid advertisement for this snowboarding hack, citing its policy against “spam, deceptive practices, and scams.”

YouTube’s guidelines for this specific policy state that the company “does not allow spam, scams, or other deceptive practices that take advantage of the YouTube community.”

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