TrimSpa

TrimSpa is a dietary supplement designed for weight loss, marketed by the company Goen Technologies, headed by Alexander Szynalski, a.k.a. Alex Goen. [ [http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=6fc50eac-e408-4fea-9712-2fe5a69aebb2 E! News - Anna Nicole Fitted for TrimSpa Suit - Anna Nicole Smith ] ] Celebrity Anna Nicole Smith was its spokesperson. Various products marketed by TrimSpa are claimed to help "stave off hunger". [TrimSpa.com. [http://www.trimspa.com/main/information.shtml Product Information.] Last accessed July 13, 2007.] TrimSpa formerly contained ephedra until that ingredient was banned in the U.S.. The new TrimSpa formula X32 contains no ephedra. Its active ingredient is "Hoodia gordonii", along with the stimulants caffeine and theobromine. TrimSpa's parent company, Goen Technologies, filed for bankruptcy protection in May of 2008. Goen Technologies owed unsecured creditors debts up to $33 million, and had only $1.23 million in assests. In September of 2008 it was decided by a judge to turn the case into Chapter 7 liquidation. TrimSpa had a peak existence of $141 million sales, $17 million operating profits, and was spending $10 million in advertising alone. It was decided that in October 2008 all of the remains of the business would go up for auction. Thousands of TrimSpa bottles, two custom motorcycles, two custom vans with Anna Nicole Smith painted, an Indy-style race car, and various office equipment. [http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index.ssf?/base/business-10/1223440576278090.xml&coll=1 The Star Ledger]

Composition

Hoodia is a succulent native to Africa which is currently under investigation for use as an appetite suppressant. However, it has not been conclusively demonstrated that Hoodia works as an appetite suppressant in humans. No published peer-reviewed double-blind clinical trials have been performed on humans to investigate the safety or effectiveness of Hoodia gordonii in pill form as a nutritional supplement.

In addition to "Hoodia gordonii", TrimSpa X32 tablets contain ingredients that may help promote weight loss, including green tea, glucomannan, cocoa extract, vanadium, and glucosamine.TrimSpa. [http://www.trimspa.com/main/labels/x32label.html "TrimSpa X32 label"] ] According to the manufacturer's labeling, TrimSpa X32 pills are taken 3 times per day minimum, 6 maximum.

TrimSpa X32 also contains chromium. Chromium may be beneficial in glucose regulation. [PDRhealth.com. [http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/chr_0073.shtml "Chromium."] Last accessed July 13, 2007.] The stimulant components are hoodia gordonii and components containing caffeine (green tea and cocoa extracts).

TrimSpa expanded its weight-loss aids in 2006 to include a fruit-based bar, FROODIA, containing 400 mg of African Hoodia gordonii.

Federal Trade Commission fine for false claims

On January 4, 2007 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced that the marketers of TrimSpa had agreed to pay a settlement of $1.5 million in response to an FTC complaint of making unsupported claims in advertisements, and were also prohibited "from making any claims about the health benefits, performance, efficacy, safety, or side effects of TrimSpa, "Hoodia gordonii", or any dietary supplement, food, drug, or health-related service or program, unless the claims are true, not misleading, and substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence." The FTC also announced similar settlements with the marketers of Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim, and One-A-Day WeightSmart. [Federal Trade Commission. [http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2007/01/weightloss.htm Federal Trade Commission reaches “New Year’s” resolutions with four major weight-control pill marketers] (4 January 2007).]

Over-the-counter disclaimer

TrimSpa is considered a dietary supplement and, therefore, is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under different rules than those governing prescription medicines and other over-the-counter products. [United States Food & Drug Administration. [http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html "Dietary Supplements."] Last updated July 6, 2007. Last accessed July 13, 2007.] Under these regulatory rules, TrimSpa products' safety and effectiveness are not reviewed by the FDA. Rather, TrimSpa's parent company, Nutramerica Corp., and its marketer and manufacturer, Goen Technologies Corp., are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe for public consumption.

Celebrity Endorsements

The model Anna Nicole Smith made TrimSpa famous in commercials with the phrase "TrimSpa, Baby!".

ee also

*Appetite suppressant

References

External links

* [http://altmedicine.about.com/od/popularhealthdiets/a/Trimspa_Review.htm Trimspa Review]