Syntrax MM4 - Metabolic Modifier For The Masses
Written: Mar 15 '03 (Updated Aug 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Helps boost your metabolic rate, small doses, no 'stimulants' added to formula.
Cons: This is not a miracle drug and could be dangerous if abused.
The Bottom Line: A little bit of information is far more dangerous than no information at all. If you are going to take any metabolic booster, educate yourself first.
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| Freak369's Full Review: Mm4 Syntrax |
Preface: I am not a doctor. Any information contained in this review is purely for informational purposes only. Please consult a qualified health care provide before you start any exercise program or take any supplement. Read the entire label before using this product and do not exceed the recommended dosage. Even though this product does not contain ephedra, ephedra based by-products or stimulants it is extremely important to educate yourself about the metabolic process and how this product can help and potentially harm you.
In the world of sport supplements there will always be products that are abused. Bodybuilders seeking to cut away as much body fat as possible have gone to great lengths to try and be as lean as possible without losing too much muscle in the process. A vast majority of the time the use of anabolic steroids are used to achieve these goals but for the common gym rat, spending thousands of dollars on steroids isn’t possible. Almost all anabolic steroids are illegal unless prescribed by a physician and most aren’t willing to write a prescription for them unless there is a true medical use for them. While there is a gray area that some anabolics fall into, most of these are obtained or imported without any quality control in place to ensure that what you are getting is dosed properly, clean [free of impurities] and safe for human use.
Syntrax saw the need for a stimulant free metabolic booster and came up with the formula for MM4, but not after a few failures. By combining bergenin, forskolin and synephrine as the front line assault, Syntrax cornered a market that was relatively barren for years. These three compounds aren’t the only things that you’ll find in MM4 but I’ll get into the complete list of ingredients and how they work later in the review. Suffice it to say that in my own personal opinion, this is one of the safest ways to rev up your metabolism without having to ingest stimulants like caffeine and ephedra / ephedra based products. With that being said, it is also extremely important to know what you are dealing with, what you can realistically expect from this product and how you can further maximize this product when combined with other agents.
What Is It?
Without getting completely technical, this product is designed to help burn fat more efficiently and without the use of ephedra based products or other stimulants. This can be combined with other product [Syntrax or other brands] to enhance the effects and help keep you burning fat for a longer period of time. One thing to keep in mind is that just taking this product won’t mean that you will lose weight. You need to work on diet and exercise to help your body burn off not only the calories that you are ingesting, but stored fat as well. You can expect reasonable results from this if you adapt a healthy diet, drink more than the recommended eight glasses of water per day, exercise and possibly add weight training to your routine. This is not a “miracle drug” nor is it something that you should just pick up off the shelf and start taking. Proper research and education in regards to this and all supplement is a must in order to maximize your efforts.
This product is best used by people who have an established exercise routine and have adapted a healthy diet. If you are morbidly obese or more than 30 pounds overweight you should check with your doctor before taking this [or any] supplement. Just because I have never had a problem with it doesn’t mean that everyone will have a problem free experience. For cutting cycles before bodybuilding or fitness shows this is a great product to use since it will help boost the metabolism – or at least keep it going – when the caloric intake in decreased. When your body feels that it is being starved it will go into a safe mode and burn fat at a slower rate and cling on to any food that it gets. When this happens you run the risk of losing lean muscle tissue since your body considers this expendable.
This product and its claims have not been approved by the FDA [Food & Drug Administration], so it is up to you to make the decision of whether or not to take this product. It is not intended to cure or treat any existing condition and those with preexisting medical conditions should first consult with a physician to see if this product could possibly harm you.
Ingredients & Properties
Forskolin [Coleus forskohlii] is added to the MM4 compound to slightly increase the production levels of the thyroid as well as to coax the release of it from the gland. The dosage in this product is 100 mg’s from the root and left extract that has been standardized to 20 mg’s of forskolin. While it may have other benefits such as improving the elasticity of skin, reducing the severity of muscle cramps, aiding in the battle against urinary tract infects and a slight elevation of lipolysis [fat cell breakdown and removal].
Synephrine Often times this is misrepresented as a stimulant which it isn’t. Some drug companies claim that this product helps to bolster the metabolic rate however they are using old and outdated studies in their claims. The older studies showed that this was good as a solo compound to raise the metabolic levels however in humans it gave minimal to no results. At best this helps to slightly reduce food cravings and when combined with other ingredients [as it is in MM4] it helps to promote other chemicals to raise the metabolism levels. There is only a small amount in MM4, 5 milligrams, which is far less than what is recommended when taking this as a stand alone supplement.
Bergenin Much like the forskolin additive, this helps your body breakdown and flush out fat cells that have been depleted. Not exactly a necessary ingredient in this product since the forskolin does the same thing, bergenin also helps with insulin levels however since it is such a small amount [100 milligrams] it isn’t enough to effect someone one way or another unless mass quantities are ingested.
Gingerols, Shogaols Commonly used as pain receptor blockers, this is comparable to aspirin in the fact that it helps, on a small level, to keep blood from clotting. Gingerol was tested and compared to capsicum, which is more commonly known as the common red chili pepper. Capsicum is now available in a drug called Zostrix, which is applied topically to alleviate skin pain, certain strains of herpes [to reduce pain, not cure] and certain types of skin burns.
It is my guess that the main reason this was added to the product was to curb the potential nausea that some users may feel when taking this when combined with other products that decrease appetite. There is no arguing that ginger, which is where both of these are found and harvested from, is a powerful healing agent however you have to ask if the 10 milligram that is added to this product will be enough to make any type of impact. Syntrax states that is it added to help the body make the most of the bergenin, forskolin and synephrine but again, in such a small dose I can’t see it making that much of a difference.
The rest of the inert or secondary ingredients include: Microcrystalline Cellulose [stabilizing compound], Gelatin [used for the capsule], Yellow #5, Red #40 and Titanium Dioxide [used in the capsule]. Please note, this product contains gelatin and should be avoided by those that live the vegan lifestyle.
Before You Start….
This is an over the counter supplement and no prescription is needed to obtain it. It contains no potentially dangerous stimulants however you should take several factors into consideration with the first being a clean bill of health. If you have battled with fat for many years and have tried to lose weight you might want to have your thyroid efficiency checked by a doctor. The test they can perform is called THS and it will determine if you have an under-active thyroid gland, also known as hypothyroidism. The thyroid is what regulates your energy levels, metabolism, muscle mass / strength and certain tracts of memory and memory recall. More often than not people are alerted to an under active thyroid when they experience fatigue, excessive sleeping, listlessness, depression and a fluctuating body weight. If you suspect that you may have a thyroid issue, please consult your doctor and request that you be tested to see if your thyroid is functioning properly.
What To Expect From MM4
You will need to take this product for at least three to four weeks before you notice any real dramatic effects from it. It is suggested that you take one to two capsules three times per day and considering that this comes in a 90 count capsule bottle, you may need to purchase several bottles to go for a three to four week period to see if this works for you. 1 capsule three times a day means you will use 90 in a one month / 30 day timeframe. 2 capsules three times a day means you will use 180 in a one month / 30 day time frame. As I stated at the beginning of this review, I am not a doctor and any information provided is purely for educational value. I try to vary my intake of this product; example Monday, 1 capsule at 8:00, 2 capsules at 2:00 pm and one capsule 7:00 pm. Tuesday, 2 capsules at 8:00 am, 2 capsules at 2:00 pm and 1 capsule at 7:00 pm. Wednesday, 1 capsule at 8:00, 1 capsules at 2:00 pm and 2 capsules at 7:00 pm. By varying the amounts taken I don’t have to worry about the possibility that my body will become used to the supplement and stop working all together.
I experienced no side effects from this when taken with other weight loss products such as Syntrax Lipo Kinetix [no longer sold] or Cytodyne Xenadrine RFA-1 however I have used these products and know what their individual side effect are. This can be used with other fat burning products but I suggest that you take any supplement that contains a stimulant for at least two to three weeks so you can see how your body reacts to it under different circumstances [food intake, exercise amounts, weather etc]. When using MM4 as a stand alone supplement I have never had any type of reaction or side effect but that doesn’t mean that is the norm or that other people may have the same experience.
Price
Syntrax products aren’t known for their consistency in the area of pricing. I picked mine up from a local sport supplement dealer for $17.99 a bottle and when I purchased two bottles, I got one free. You can check different online bodybuilding sites to see the best prices if you are interested in purchasing this. For me, it was well worth the $17.99 price – even if I didn’t get a free bottle.
My Take
Having fought with fat for many years, I tried a lot of different products to try and burn fat, lose weight and retain muscle in the process. Outside of various thyroid medications that are taken by bodybuilders to try and boost the body’s fat burning capabilities, there aren’t many products on the market that that manipulate the weight loss cycle without the use of stimulants. Taking any type of supplement or drug that will influence the body’s fat burning center should not be taken lightly. I have several friends that purchased T3 in Mexico [about $3.00 for 100 tablets, over the counter] and started eating them like they were candy. The result of their overuse and abuse of the product was an increase in body fat and the real threat that they screwed up their thyroid for life. If you don’t properly cycle [change the amount taken daily] these types of drugs or supplements your body will grow accustomed to the doses and the product will stop working as well as your thyroid. This usually means that people who are in a cutting cycle for a competition will take dangerous doses to try and lose as much fat as possible, often times without looking at the big picture and consequences.
The Bottom Line
Before you start taking this, you might want to meet with your doctor and have a complete blood work up to see if there isn’t any underlying condition that is hampering your exercise and weight loss routine. Some doctors cling to the notion that a low calorie diet is all that is needed to lose weight. If your doctor dismissed your request for a complete blood work up [including sugar and thyroid] you may want to get a new physician. In a world where most supplements and medications carry the term “consult a physician before using” it seems ironic that most doctors are generally clueless about the items.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
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End Note: This review may be longer and more verbose than others. They don’t contain my usual brand of humor or whimsical topics. I firmly believe that a vast majority of the information available in the sports nutrition world – both at this site and others - is vague, one sided and does not completely cover all aspects of the product or supplement. It is my intention to try and make the products are user friendly as possible so that everyone, regardless of experience, will know a little more about the product before they purchase or ingest it.
Recommended:
Yes
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